Cuor di Bue
Coeur de Boeuf · Bull's Heart
Single source · Reviewed Sep 9, 2026
Values marked like this (estimated) are model estimates, not confirmed from a source.
Heirloom oxheart from Italy. The Italian oxheart: a premium slicer across southern Europe, dense enough for sauce. Ready in about 80 days from transplant.
- Heirloom
- 80 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Large fruit
- Moderate (estimated)
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Oxheart 8–14 oz (230–400 g) · Heart-shaped (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Plant height
- 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) Tall
- Spacing
- 24 × 35 in (60 × 90 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Skin
-
- Pink
- Interior
-
- Red
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Cuor di Bue is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Flavor
“The Italian oxheart: a premium slicer across southern Europe, dense enough for sauce.”
Growing calendar
- Sow indoors
- Transplant out
- Harvest
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost date.
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Slicing
- Sauce & paste
- Heirloom classic
- Sauce workhorse
- Market favorite
Origin
Cuor di Bue is the Italian oxheart, sold across southern Europe as a premium slicing tomato and named for its shape; the flesh is pink, dense and dry enough that it is used interchangeably for slicing and for sauce. The name, Bull's Heart, is shared across languages by a whole family of pink oxhearts, Bychye Serdtse, Coeur de Boeuf, Volovo Srce among them, which may or may not be the same tomato, so seed under any of these names varies.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
We're adding trusted seed sources for this variety.
All photos
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Cuor di Bue tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover -
A truss of Cuor di Bue tomatoes -
Cuor di Bue tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine -
A ripe Cuor di Bue tomato held in a gardener's hand -
Freshly picked Cuor di Bue tomatoes -
Cuor di Bue tomato sliced in the kitchen
Questions
How long does Cuor di Bue take to mature?
Cuor di Bue is ready in about 80 days from transplant.
Does Cuor di Bue need staking?
Cuor di Bue is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Can Cuor di Bue be grown in a container?
Cuor di Bue is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Cuor di Bue resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Cuor di Bue.
See also
Other oxheart varieties people put next to this one.
Grows like this one
Indeterminate, mid-late, full sun. Same support, same calendar.
