Commercially introduced by us
Phonetically pronounced: kuh-peck high-ya-suh
This is an old Turkish heirloom from Alakır Basin of Western Taurus Region, Turkey. Once widely grown in the region, Köpek Hayası almost became extinct until, in early 2000’s, Birhan Erkutlu and Tuba Günal recovered its seeds from an eco-village in France.
Large, meaty fruits have excellent flavor and develop dark green shoulders which eventually fades into red as the fruits ripen. Plants are prolific and many fruits weigh around 1 lb. This is a multi-purpose, mid-season variety for eating off the vine, canning, and making sauces and paste.
Seeds for Köpek Hayası were originally sent to us by Volkan Yalazay, an olive farmer from Çanakkale, Turkey.
Packet has 20 seeds
Debbie Butts –
Simply the best large tomato we’ve grown for fresh market–and plenty for us–so far. Heavy production of large to medium-sized fruits that are great for paste, sauce, salads and just tomato sandwiches! They are like the fabulous flavor and texture you get with Tennessee & N.C. tomatoes. We are planting more this spring, along with other new varieties (for us) from this company. We are in central Florida, where we’ve had the hottest two summers ever the past two years. Tomatoes must be grown in early spring, fall and during mild winters.
Donald G. (verified owner) –
Nice, meaty, large tomato with great flavor. Did not produce a ton of fruit here in Pennsylvania, but I saved seed and am growing it again, so… yeah: It’s a good one!
Deborah Reichman (verified owner) –
I had a slight mixup with the seedlings of this variety and didn’t get to grow one this season. But, the seedling I gave my friend did very well for her and she raved about it. I hope to grow it next year.
Katherine M. (verified owner) –
Pamela (verified owner) –
Planted seeds on a Monday and we’re coming up by Thursday. ALL the seeds I planted have sprouted into sturdy little plants. Looking forward to fruit production and how many tomatoes we will be getting.
Laura S. (verified owner) –
Pamela E. (verified owner) –
Love these toms. Tasty and juicy. ???? 2022 in my area for veggie harvest was about a month later than usual. Will plant another crop in 2023 and hope for earlier ripening.
Kerime Saglam (verified owner) –
Michael Robinson (verified owner) –
Did well, moderate yield. Dense and meaty flesh. Great for sandwiches.
Kim Lund (verified owner) –
Elizabeth Wheeler (verified owner) –
Villinger and Kopec Hayasi were both very productive flavorful tomato varieties. Blight did get them at the end of the season, but overall we were delighted. I gave extra plants to a friend who raved about the Villinger.
Catherine LEDUC KELES (verified owner) –