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): Kalman’s Hungarian Pink 🌍 Origin: A famous family heirloom originally from Hungary, introduced to the US heirloom community by Kalman Lajvort (Edison, NJ). It is highly regarded worldwide and was famously used by Polish breeder Anna Jankowski (Kozula) to create her highly sought-after K10 cross. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bulgarian Wine Giant 🌍 Origin: A highly prized heirloom variety with roots in Bulgaria, popularized among Russian seed collectors (like V. Redko). The original name is Vinnyi Bolgarskiy Velikan. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very vigorous vines that can easily reach 10 ft (3 m) in a greenhouse, often draped over … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Black Vernissage (Vernisazh Chernyi) 🌍 Origin: A very popular, striking variety bred by Ukrainian tomato breeder Ruslan Dukhov. It is part of the famous “Vernissage” series, which also includes Pink, Yellow, and Green variations. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An extremely vigorous and productive vine that easily reaches over 6.5 ft … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vinson (Vinson Watts) 🌍 Origin & Name Confusion: This variety circulates in Eastern Europe simply as “Vinson”. However, based on the description (large pink beefsteaks with Potato Leaf foliage), it is almost certainly the legendary American heirloom Vinson Watts, brought over and shortened in translation. Vinson Watts is a famous heirloom … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volovyi Ushi (Ox Ears) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial and heirloom variety. The name translates to “Ox Ears” (sometimes sold as Volovye Ushko or “Little Ox Ear”). Note: Multiple seed companies (like Altai Seeds and Myazina) sell lines under this name, resulting in wild variations in fruit shape and size. 🌿 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Mt. Vesuvius (Piennolo del Vesuvio) 🌍 Origin & History: This is a legendary Italian heirloom storage tomato (Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio). Traditionally grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius in Italy, they are famous for being harvested on the vine, tied into large bunches (piennolo), and hung from ceilings to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Viking 🌍 Origin & Confusion: This thread discusses a large, red heirloom variety originally sourced from Sweden. Important Note: There is an officially registered Russian commercial variety also named “Viking,” but that one produces small yellow tomatoes. The Swedish “Viking” discussed here is completely different. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vesennie Zamorozki (Spring Frosts) 🌍 Origin & Breeder: A famous Russian heirloom bred by Pavel Saraev. Saraev dedicated his life to developing extreme cold-tolerant tomatoes capable of surviving light spring frosts in open ground without protection. The name translates perfectly to “Spring Frosts”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush) variety. A compact, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vanka (Little Ivan) 🌍 Origin & Name: A private Russian heirloom variety that gained popularity through seed collector Anzhelika Manusha. The name “Vanka” is an affectionate, colloquial diminutive of the name Ivan (essentially meaning “Little Ivan” or “Johnny”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but highly praised for not being an overly … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volovye Serdtse (Ox’s Heart) 🌍 Origin & Naming: A classic commercial heirloom from Russia, officially registered in 2000 by “NK-LTD” (Semena NK). Language Note: In Russian, “Volovye” means Ox, and “Bychie” means Bull. While Americans use the term “Oxheart” as a generic shape category, in Russia, Volovye Serdtse (Ox’s Heart) and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Viagra Tomato 🌍 Origin & Name: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the well-known seed company Gavrish (registered in 2008). Yes, the name is intentionally provocative, and many growers admit to buying it purely for the novelty of having “Viagra” in their garden! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), growing into a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vareniki 🌍 Origin & Name: A fantastic commercial heirloom originating from Northern Kazakhstan. The name “Vareniki” translates to traditional Eastern European dumplings (similar to pierogi). It was named this because the ideal fruit shape is supposed to resemble a dumpling – a plump, half-moon or boat shape, often finishing with a … Read more