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 (TL;DR): Second Harvest Brassicas 🥦 Never Pull Up Broccoli! After you harvest the main central head, do not throw the plant away. If you prune the bottom leaves and feed it, it will push out dozens of smaller “side shoots” (florets) continuously until late autumn. 🥬 Cabbage Does It Too: Even early … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Summer Storms & Harvests 🥔 New Potatoes: If you dig up early “new” potatoes after a dry spell and find them too small, don’t panic. If the vines are thick and green, the tubers will rapidly size up after a heavy soaking rain. Steaming fresh new potatoes keeps them starchy and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Falling Garlic & Planting Depth 🥀 Why do garlic stems flop over? If you planted individual cloves and the stems are falling over, it usually means the plant is diseased (root rot) or suffering from a severe lack of water during its active leaf-growth stage. (However, see the hilarious exception at … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): The Blossom End Rot Myth 🍅 The Calcium Myth: YouTube tutorials often tell you that Blossom End Rot (BER) is caused by a lack of Calcium in the soil. In reality, the soil usually has plenty of Calcium, but the plant physically cannot absorb it due to environmental stress. 🌡️ The … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Giannini 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom variety with Italian roots, popularized in Eastern Europe by collector Valery Popenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has a very flimsy, weeping “wispy” foliage structure, which is typical for many high-quality paste tomatoes. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, plum-shaped paste tomatoes with a distinct little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dyuiymovochka (Thumbelina) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety famously released by the “Poisk” seed company. The name translates to “Thumbelina” (the tiny fairy tale character). ⚠️ The Great Mix-Up: If you buy or trade seeds for this variety, be aware that there are two completely different strains circulating under this name … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Delta 264 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety bred by the Central Siberian Botanical Garden and officially added to the Russian State Register in 1995. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Described officially as semi-spreading with medium foliage. Performs best in a greenhouse environment. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Smooth, glossy, firm red fruits. There … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Kabardinskiy (Kabardian De Barao) 🌍 Origin: A very rare, old amateur “folk breeding” variety. The name references Kabardino-Balkaria, a republic in the North Caucasus region. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Produces tall, highly vigorous, and powerful vines. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Despite the “De Barao” name (which is typically a small … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Druzhba (Friendship) 🌍 Origin: A widely loved Eastern European heirloom. The word “Druzhba” translates to “Friendship”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. When grown outdoors in open ground, it typically reaches about 5.2-5.5 feet (1.6-1.7 m) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, red beefsteaks that are round but slightly oblate (flattened) with mild … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Tsarskiy Krasnyi (Royal Red De Barao) 🌍 Origin: An upgraded, premium offshoot of the famous Russian De Barao family. “Tsarskiy” translates to “Royal” or “Tsar’s”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous, aggressive climber (vine-like). Can easily reach 10 feet (3 m) in a greenhouse. Best grown in a greenhouse, as … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Gigant (Giant De Barao) 🌍 Origin: A large-fruited mutation/selection from the legendary Russian “De Barao” family of workhorse canning tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Incredibly vigorous, massive plants that easily exceed 6.5 feet (2 m) even when grown outdoors. Requires strong staking and support. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large plum/oval … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Jersey Giant 🌍 Origin: A rare heritage paste tomato originally from New Jersey, USA. It is highly valued among global collectors for its massive, meaty fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A sprawling, late-season, and very vigorous plant. Produces reliably with no skipped trusses. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Huge, elongated red paste/plum tomatoes … Read more