Abakanets Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abakanets 🌍 Origin: A stabilized red off-type (mutation) originally discovered in a seed packet of the famous Abakansky Rozovy (Abakan Pink) produced by the Siberian Garden seed company. “Abakanets” roughly translates to “The guy from Abakan.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. Highly productive and will continue fruiting right up … Read more

Amish Paste Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amish Paste 🌍 Origin: A legendary American heirloom tomato, famously included in Carolyn Male’s classic book, “100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden.” This thread reviews how the variety performs when grown overseas in Eastern Europe (Russia & Belarus). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous, tall, almost liana-like vine with … Read more

Altai Masterpiece (Altaysky Shedevr) Siberian Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaysky Shedevr (Altai Masterpiece) 🌍 Origin: A highly acclaimed Siberian heirloom variety. The name translates to “Altai Masterpiece,” and it truly lives up to its name among collectors. Often sold by Russian seed company Aelita. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), with a very thick, sturdy main stem and short internodes. Despite … Read more

Alesha Popovich Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alesha Popovich 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the “Poisk” seed company. It is part of their “Three Bogatyrs” (Three Epic Knights) series, named after legendary heroes of Russian folklore: Alesha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Ilya Muromets. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.5–1.6m (5–5.2 ft). The bush is … Read more

Scarlet Candles (Alye Svechi) Tomato Reviews

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alye Svechi (Scarlet Candles) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates to “Scarlet Candles” due to its elongated shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and incredibly vigorous. Growers warn that this bush is a monster, easily reaching 2 to 3 meters (6.5–10 ft) tall, requiring serious staking. 🍅 … Read more

Anita Tomato Review: Siberian Dwarf

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anita 🌍 Origin: A reliable, early-season commercial variety of Siberian selection, specifically bred for outdoor growing (open ground). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact and sturdy, reaching about 50–70 cm (20–27 inches) in height. Requires very little to no pruning. Known for being incredibly tough and resilient. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright … Read more

Aligote Tomato (Vilmorin) Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aligote 🌍 Origin: A commercial French cherry tomato from the well-known seed company, Vilmorin. Often discussed online as an F1 Hybrid, though sometimes sold without the hybrid label. 🌿 Plant Habit: Can reach up to 1.5m (5 ft) tall. The official seed packet suggests severe pruning (topping the plant after just … Read more

Akulina Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Akulina 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety. “Akulina” is a traditional, old-fashioned Russian female name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It is a short-growing plant, reaching about 80 cm (31 inches) in height. Highly versatile, doing well both outdoors in open ground and in plastic greenhouses. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, oblate … Read more

Altaysky Rozovy (Altai Pink) Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaysky Rozovy (Altai Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian heirloom from the famous “Sibirsky Sad” (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates to “Altai Pink,” named after the Altai Mountains region in Siberia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and very vigorous. Known for being a highly productive and heavy yielder. 🍅 … Read more

Andreevsky Syurpriz (Andreev’s Surprise) Tomato Review: Siberian Heirloom

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Andreevsky Syurpriz 🌍 Origin: A renowned Siberian selection. The name translates to “Andreev’s Surprise” (or Andrew’s Surprise). 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as indeterminate and tall (1.6–1.8m / 5.2–5.9 ft) for greenhouses. However, growers note that when planted outdoors in open ground, it often behaves more like a determinate (bush) plant … Read more

End of Season 2026: Top 10 Cherry Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Best & Worst Cherry Tomatoes of the Season 🏆 The Sweetest Winners: Summer Sun F1, Blush, and Sweet Cream dominated the summer with incredible, fruit-like sweetness. 😲 The Late Surprise: Yasik was average all summer, but late in the season, the fruits left on the vine turned into an absolute sugar … Read more

Cover Crops: Deep Plowing vs. Surface Tilling for Humus

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): The Cover Crop & Humus Debate 🌱 The Core Debate: Should green manure (cover crops) be deeply plowed into the soil, or just lightly tilled into the surface? ⛏️ Deep Plowing (The Pro-Anaerobic Argument): One grower argues that burying cover crops deeply (10-12 inches) slows down mineralization and increases humification, preventing … Read more