Growing Brussels Sprouts: Tips, Topping & Cold Frame Seeding

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Growing Brussels Sprouts 🌱 Vegetative Period: Very long, ranging from 130 to 170 days. In most regions with shorter summers, they must be started indoors or in a cold frame. 📏 Plant Size: Height ranges from 30 cm to 1 meter (12 to 40 inches). Sprouts weigh about 30–50g (1–1.7 oz) … Read more

Pineapple Fog Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Fog 🌍 Origin: A stunning bicolor variety known among collectors for its exotic appearance and incredible sweetness. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.8m (6 ft) in height. Known for excellent disease resistance and vigor. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Round, cocktail-to-salad sized tomatoes. Officially listed up to 120g (4.2 oz), … Read more

American Elongated Heart Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amerikanskoe Vytyanutoe Serdtse (American Elongated Heart) 🌍 Origin & The Naming Mystery: This is where international tomato collecting gets tricky! In Russia, two very similar names circulate: Amerikanskiy Vytyanutyi (American Elongated) and Amerikanskoe Vytyanutoe Serdtse (American Elongated Heart). Many suspect it is the exact same North American heirloom that suffered from … Read more

Altayskiy Oranzheviy (Altai Orange) Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altayskiy Oranzheviy (Altai Orange) 🌍 Origin: A renowned commercial heirloom from the Altai region in Siberia. The name translates to “Altai Orange”. It is highly sought after by collectors for its incredible texture and flavor. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Some growers report it being a “short” indeterminate, while others see it … Read more

Amurskiy Shtamb (Amur Dwarf) Tomato

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amurskiy Shtamb (Amur Dwarf) 🌍 Origin: A rugged commercial variety bred by the Russian seed company “SeDeK”. Named after the Amur River region in the Russian Far East, an area known for its harsh climate. “Shtamb” means it is a “tree-type” dwarf plant. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, tree-type dwarf. Reaches only … Read more

American Ribbed Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amerikanskiy Rebristyi (American Ribbed) 🌍 Origin: This is the famous, classic “American Ribbed” heirloom, known and loved in the West (similar to the Costoluto types). It was brought over to Russia and quickly gained popularity among collectors for its stunning appearance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally indeterminate (tall), though some growers report … Read more

Argentine Plum Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Argentinskaya Slivka (Argentine Plum) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Argentine Plum”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The plant is very vigorous and powerful, easily reaching over 2 meters (6.5 ft) in height. It has thick stems and large leaves. Known for excellent disease resistance, particularly … Read more

American Long Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amerikanskiy Dlinnoplodnyi 🌍 Origin & Name: Translated as “American Long-Fruited” (or simply “American Long”). Despite the name, it was introduced and popularized in Eastern Europe by breeder/collector A. Kulik. Many forum growers suspect it is a genetic duplicate (synonym) of the Russian heirloom Siberian Cossack. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An … Read more

Abkhazia Pink Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abkhaziya Rozovaya (Abkhazia Pink) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom tomato originating from Abkhazia, a region in the Caucasus Mountains famous for its rich agricultural heritage and outstanding southern tomatoes. The name translates to “Abkhazia Pink”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though it tends to stay somewhat stocky (around 1.5m / 5ft) … Read more

Angelica (Anzhelika) Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anzhelika (Angelica) 🌍 Origin: An excellent early commercial variety from the Russian seed company “TomAgros”. The name translates to “Angelica”. 🌿 Plant Habit: A short determinate (bush). The plant grows to about 50-60 cm (20-24 inches) tall. It has a spreading habit and requires staking/tying up due to the sheer weight … Read more

Aztek (Aztec) Micro-Dwarf Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aztek (Ацтек) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety popular in Eastern Europe, designed specifically for small spaces. The name translates to “Aztec”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Micro-dwarf (determinate). The plant is extremely compact, reaching only 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) in height. It requires absolutely no pruning or staking. Perfect for balcony containers, patio … Read more

Accordion Bi-Color Tomato Review

📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Accordion Bi-Color 🌍 Origin: This is a known commercial heirloom variety (likely tracing back to the classic American Pink Accordion or Red Accordion lines). In Russia, it was aggressively marketed and sold by the boutique seed seller D. Gusev as “Accordion Bi-Color”. ⚠️ The “Bi-Color” Controversy: Is it actually a bicolor? … Read more