Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotoe Serdtse Ameriki (Golden Heart of America) 🌍 Origin: As the name implies, this variety likely traces its roots back to an American heirloom, but it was popularized and widely distributed among Russian seed collectors under the localized name “Golden Heart of America”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Texas Star 🌍 Origin: A massive, highly regarded American heirloom bicolor tomato that has become a huge favorite among Russian and Eastern European collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall/vine). Regular leaf. A vigorous plant that can easily reach up to 6.5 feet (2 m) tall. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large oblate (flat-round) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zilbert 🌍 Origin: A fascinating case of mixed-up heirloom history! There was once a pink Soviet beefsteak named Zilbert bred in the Ural mountains. However, the variety circulating today under the name “Zilbert” is actually a dark mahogany/black heirloom originating from Germany. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. An incredibly resilient workhorse that … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zailiyskiy Alatau Red 🌍 Origin: Bred by the famous tomato breeder Vitaliy Alifirov from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after the local Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A powerful, heat-tolerant plant that doesn’t drop blossoms during extreme summer heat. Known for being an absolute heavy yielder. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zarevo (Glow) 🌍 Origin: A very rare Russian heirloom variety popularized and distributed by the well-known tomato seed collector V. Kolyakov. The name translates to “Glow” or “Blaze”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A tall, powerful, and vigorous plant that performs exceptionally well in greenhouses. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, round beefsteaks … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grub’s Mystery Green 🌍 Origin: Developed in Australia in the mid-2000s by David Lockwood (well-known on tomato forums by his username “Grub”). It is a spectacular potato-leaf cross between Paul Robeson and Green Giant. 🌿 Plant Habit: Compact indeterminate. It is not a true dwarf, but it rarely exceeds 5 feet … Read more
.jpg.1b50efb9566f9e2014928f8de3cbccad.jpg)
Quick Summary of Starburst Nebula 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Starburst Nebula 🌍 Origin: A stunning and somewhat rare bicolor variety. Known in the Russian heirloom community as Zvezdnaya Tumannost (which literally translates back to Starburst Nebula). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vine). Mid-season ripening. Vigorous plants that easily reach 5 ft (1.5 m) and keep … Read more
Quick Summary of Zarya (Dawn) 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zarya 🌍 Origin: A classic Russian heirloom known for producing exceptionally large fruits. The name translates to “Dawn”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous and powerful vine that can reach 5 to 6.5 ft (1.5 – 2 m) in height, or even taller in a … Read more
Quick Summary of Zagadka Prirody (Nature’s Riddle) 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zagadka Prirody 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial Russian bicolor beefsteak introduced by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates to “Nature’s Riddle” or “Enigma of Nature”. 🌿 Plant Habit (Beware of Off-types!): The true variety is a massive, extremely vigorous indeterminate … Read more
Quick Summary of Zarzhavevshaya Dusha (Rusty Soul) 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zarzhavevshaya Dusha 🌍 Origin: A relatively recent artisanal variety developed by the famous Latvian tomato breeder, Valdis Puliņš. The name translates to “Rusty Soul” (or “Rusted Soul”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A massive, incredibly vigorous plant that can easily handle being pruned to multiple … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gold Medal 🌍 Origin: A classic, highly regarded American heirloom. However, in the Eastern European/Russian seed exchange community, a massive mix-up occurred. There are currently two different tomatoes circulating under the “Gold Medal” name. 🌿 Plant Habit (The Controversy): The true original heirloom is a Regular Leaf (RL) indeterminate plant that … Read more
Quick Summary of Janet’s Jacinthe Jewel 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Janet’s Jacinthe Jewel 🌍 Origin: A stunning bicolor variety bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (California, USA). It was released around 2010 and named in honor of his wife, Janet. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Height varies greatly depending on growing conditions, usually ranging … Read more