Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
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Quick Summary of Serzhant Marli 2020 (Sergeant Marley 2020) 🌍 Origin: A highly sought-after, highly productive anthocyanin variety, extremely popular among Russian and Eastern European collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mostly grown in greenhouses. It is a “heavy feeder” but puts its energy directly into fruit production rather than suffering from excessive vegetative growth … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdtse Denisa (Denis’s Heart) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern cross bred by Russian tomato breeder Tatiana Nagle. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and mid-season. The plant has a classic “skinny” oxheart growth habit with delicate, wispy foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Gorgeous anthocyanin bicolor oxhearts. The base color is orange with a red … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdtse Lyuby (Lyuba’s Heart) 🌍 Origin: A wonderful Russian collector’s variety. The name translates to “Lyuba’s Heart” (Lyuba is short for Lyubov, which also means “Love” in Russian). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Can grow very vigorous and tall in a greenhouse (some growers report tying it to the ceiling), though its … Read more
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Quick Summary of Salut Viktorii (Victoria’s Salute) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern collectible variety bred by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Performs exceptionally well in greenhouses when pruned to 2 stems. Highly productive with fruits that tend to ripen quite uniformly. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Gorgeous burgundy-brown fruits with striking anthocyanin (dark … Read more
Quick Summary of Sparkling Purple Fire (Sverkajushiy Purpurnyj Ogonek) 🌍 Origin: A modern variety developed by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. It is the result of crossing the famous Rebel Starfighter (Zvezdnyi Istrebitel) with Night Star (Nochnaya Zvezda). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vining). Grows into slender vines around 1.8 meters (6 ft) tall in a … Read more
Quick Summary of Märchenzauber (Fairy Tale Magic) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful modern variety originating from Germany. The name translates directly to “Fairy Tale Magic.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vining) and early ripening. It produces lovely, cascading trusses. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large cherry or small plum tomatoes weighing up to 50 g (1.7 oz). They … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Sofia’s Sweet Caramel (Sladkaya Karamel Sofii) is an indeterminate, mid-early to mid-season bicolor heart bred by Sofia Saakova. Most of the 11 growers here praise its sweet flavor and looks. The main caveats are soft fruit in extreme heat and occasional segregation into Temptation. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA … Read more
Quick Summary of San Marzano 🌍 Origin: The legendary, world-famous Italian heirloom originating from the Campania region in Italy. It is considered the gold standard for tomato paste and sauces worldwide. 🌿 Plant Habit: Varies heavily depending on the specific line/biotype you grow. It can range from a compact 60 cm (2 ft) bush (Nano/Dwarf … Read more
Quick Summary of Superbomba (Superbomb) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety famous for its massive fruits. The name simply translates to “Superbomb”. 🌿 Plant Habit: The commercial seed packet claims it is a determinate, compact bush (0.8-1.5 m / 2.5-5 ft). However, experienced growers consistently report that it behaves more like an indeterminate or vigorous … Read more
Quick Summary of Sgt. Pepper’s 🌍 Origin: A very popular anthocyanin (blue/purple) cross bred in the USA by Jason Haynes. It’s named after the iconic Beatles album. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. This variety is famous for its extremely “wispy,” slender, and weeping foliage. In the seedling stage and out in the garden, it looks incredibly … Read more
Quick Summary of Sibirskoye Zastolye (Siberian Feast) 🌍 Origin: A very reliable Russian variety bred specifically for regions with short, difficult summers. The name translates to “Siberian Feast”. ⚠️ Naming Confusion: Do not confuse this variety with “Sibirskie Zastolnye” from the Siberian Garden (SibSad) company, which is a completely different variety that produces round fruits. … Read more
Quick Summary of Severe Melon of the Volga Germans (Surovaya Dynya) 🌍 Origin: A highly exotic and rare heirloom variety. The name translates to “Severe Melon of the Volga Germans”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vining). Like many heart-shaped varieties, it has a “slender” or “wispy” appearance right from the seedling stage, but don’t let … Read more