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: Volgograd Early 323 🌍 Origin: A classic, historic commercial variety released in 1973 by the Volgograd Experimental Station of the VIR (Vavilov Institute). It is a cross between a local Russian variety and the American Bush Beefsteak. 🌱 Plant Habit: An extremely compact determinate (almost micro-dwarf in scale). The bushy, heavily branched … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: The Best Hacks for Cleaning Tomato Hands Every grower knows the struggle: you go out to pinch a few suckers, and suddenly your hands are covered in that sticky, green/black “tomato tar” that regular soap refuses to wash off. Here is how our forum members get their hands clean when they forget … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Chitting Seed Potatoes for Early Yields 🥔 Waking them up: If your seed potatoes have no eyes yet, put them in a warm, dark place for 7–10 days. The darkness forces the eyes to pop uniformly. ☀️ Greening (Vernalization): Once eyes appear, immediately move them into the light. This stops the … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Getting Early Greenhouse Cucumbers 🌍 The Challenge: Growing early cucumbers in short-season or cold climates (like USDA Zones 3-5) is notoriously difficult because cucumber roots will rot or stunt in cold soil. 🌡️ Checking Soil Temp: Never plant by the calendar. Bury a thermometer 6–8 inches (15-20 cm) deep. Do not … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Rooting Tomato Tops ✂️ The “Chop & Prop” Method: If your tomato seedlings become severely overgrown and leggy indoors, you can cut the tops off and root them in water to create a shorter, sturdier plant. 🕒 Timing is Everything: If you are forced to do this, aim to chop the … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brown, Crispy Seedling Leaves 🍂 The Problem: The leaves on your tomato seedlings are turning thin, brown, and crispy (like parchment paper) before eventually falling off. 🔎 Common Misdiagnoses: Growers often mistake this symptom for bad potting soil, overwatering, or a Potassium (K) deficiency (since the plant pulls mobile nutrients from … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dealing with Tomato Seedling Edema 🌍 The Problem: Leaves wilting, dropping off, or developing crystal-like blister bumps on the undersides. This is often caused by Edema (Oedema)—a physiological water-retention disorder, not a disease. 🌿 The Cause: Edema happens when the roots take up water faster than the leaves can transpire (sweat) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Fighting Thrips on Stored & Green Onions 🌍 The Problem: Onion thrips (tiny, elongated black bugs) can survive the winter dormant in your stored onions. When you bring them out into the warmth or try to force them for fresh green onions (scallions), the thrips wake up and multiply. 🌿 Symptoms … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blauwerk 🌍 Origin: A beautiful, compact variety circulating among Eastern European collectors. The name “Blauwerk” suggests German origins. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It is a very short, compact plant that only reaches about 20–24 inches (50–60 cm) in height. It is an early-season variety that requires almost zero pruning, making … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Barbaris F1 (Barberry) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian cherry hybrid. The name translates to “Barberry”. Warning: There seem to be multiple, highly inconsistent versions of this seed sold by different companies (like Sib-Sad). Some packets produce red, round, tiny 0.4 oz (12 g) cherries, while others produce elongated, pink 1.4 oz … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Budenovka Zelenaya (Green Budenovka) 🌍 Origin: A rare Ukrainian winter-keeper variety. “Budenovka” refers to the iconic pointed Soviet cavalry hat, which matches the shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, late-season maturity. It is a sturdy, compact plant with dense foliage cover. In a greenhouse, it tops out at around … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Betalux 🌍 Origin: A very popular ultra-early Polish commercial variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Note that there are two versions of “Betalux” circulating in the seed trade: a standard determinate, and a tree-type super-determinate (micro-dwarf). The super-determinate version is an absolute dwarf, growing very compact but producing slightly smaller fruits. It requires … Read more