Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Admin 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Heart (Ananasnoe Serdtse) 🌍 Origin: An unstable exotic selection created by the well-known breeder A.I. Kulik. It originated as a genetic segregation (off-type) of another variety, and growers are still actively stabilizing it. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-early to mid-late season. Because the variety is still segregating, growers report … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple (Ananas) 🌍 Origin: The world-famous classic heirloom bicolor beefsteak, originally from the USA, but highly popular and widely grown in Russia under the translated name “Ananas”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), regular leaf (RL). It has proven to be relatively resistant to tomato leaf mold (Cladosporium). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anna German 🌍 Origin: An old, legendary Soviet-era heirloom variety, likely named after the beloved singer Anna German. It is often confused with other yellow multiflora varieties like Wonder of the World and Citrus Garden, but experienced growers confirm it is a distinct, unique strain. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aquarelle (Akvarel) 🌍 Origin: A reliable Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Watercolor”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (short bush). Specifically, it is a “tree-type” (shtamb) dwarf with a very sturdy, thick central stem that requires minimal staking. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, plum-shaped paste tomatoes. They are on the smaller side … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anna Meyer 🌍 Origin: A beautiful family heirloom variety, highly popularized by the well-known American heirloom seed collector Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Forms a large, vigorous bush with very thick, sturdy stems. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, meaty beefsteaks. It has a very interesting color expression: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abakan Pink (Abakansky Rozovyi) 🌍 Origin: A highly famous Siberian commercial heirloom. It is known for causing widespread confusion among growers because different Russian seed companies (like Siberian Garden, Poisk, and Altai Seeds) sell vastly different strains under this exact same name. Even the official State Register has two different entries … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Arbuznyi (Watermelon) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial commercial variety. The name “Arbuznyi” translates to “Watermelon,” referring to its mahogany-red/dark color with subtle dark green stripes near the shoulders. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Height varies greatly depending on whether it is grown in a greenhouse or open ground. Known for having … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Accordion Cherry (Akkordeon Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A very unique, heavily ribbed red cherry/cocktail tomato. Extremely popular among Russian heirloom collectors for its striking appearance and long shelf life. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 meters (6.5+ ft) in a greenhouse. The adult plant is powerful and vigorous, though seedlings … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Akrobat (Acrobat) 🌍 Origin: A Russian cascading (trailing) cherry tomato variety bred specifically for container gardening, hanging baskets, and small spaces. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, micro-dwarf/cascading type. It naturally forms a lush, cascading waterfall of foliage and fruit. If staked upright, it reaches about 50 cm (20 inches) in height. Highly … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Auria 🌍 Origin: A highly popular and widely discussed Eastern European heirloom. It is also sometimes circulated under the name Zabava. An orange/yellow version exists called Eros. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), very vigorous, and typically a very heavy yielder. Mid-season to late maturity. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Famous for its elongated, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altai Yellow (Altayskiy Zheltyy) 🌍 Origin: A classic Siberian/Altai regional heirloom from Russia. Available from several commercial seed companies (like “Siberian Garden”), but many collectors grow specific heirloom strains (like the ones from collector Yashchenko). 🌿 Plant Habit: Often classified as a tall determinate or semi-determinate, growing to about 1.5 – … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Antoshka 🌍 Origin: A fantastic early-season Russian commercial variety. The name “Antoshka” is a friendly, diminutive form of the name Anton (often associated with a cheerful cartoon character in Russia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush/dwarf type). Extremely compact and sturdy, growing only 30-60 cm (12-24 inches) tall. It requires zero pruning … Read more