Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buran 🌍 Origin: A Russian family heirloom passed down through a forum member’s mother. The name “Buran” translates to “Blizzard” or “Snowstorm.” Note: There is also a commercial Dutch F1 hybrid called Buran; growers debate whether this heirloom is a stabilized, dehybridized version of it or a completely separate family seed … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Beefsteak Albi 🌍 Origin: A famous giant heirloom from Russia. This variety is a known champion at the prestigious annual “Minusinsk Tomato Champion” festival in Siberia, where growers compete to raise the heaviest tomatoes in the country. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. An absolute beast of a plant. Growers describe it as … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blazhenstvo (Bliss) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern variety introduced by Russian breeder and collector Sofia Saakova. The name translates beautifully to “Bliss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has proven to be quite resistant to Leaf Mold (Cladosporium), staying healthy late into the season. Note: It is a late-season variety in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brutus 🌍 Origin: A well-known commercial variety originating from the Czech Republic, famous for its massive size. Note: Some commercial seed companies label it as an “F1 Hybrid,” but many growers suspect this is a marketing trick to discourage seed saving, as saved seeds grow out true to type. 🌿 Plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bochka Meda (Barrel of Honey) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial variety from Russia. The name translates to “Barrel of Honey,” which perfectly describes both its vibrant color and its intense sweetness. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The plant grows vigorous, tall, and quite wide/bushy, requiring good support. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Basajaun 🌍 Origin: A highly prized family heirloom from the Basque Country (Biscay province, Spain). Introduced to the wider heirloom community by Secret Seed Cartel. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though some greenhouse growers report it staying around 5 feet (1.5m). It is a sturdy but slow-growing plant that absolutely requires … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bucălata de Brebu 🌍 Origin: A very rare and highly sought-after heirloom tomato variety originating from Romania. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The vines are vigorous and can easily reach up to 8 feet (2.5 meters) in height, requiring sturdy staking. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic oxheart shape. The tomatoes are large … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ametist (Amethyst) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom tomato. The seeds in this thread originally came from the well-known Russian seed collector Tamara Yashchenko. The name translates to “Amethyst”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly debated among growers! The original vendor describes it as indeterminate (tall), but many forum members report it acting more … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alenkiy Tsvetochek (Scarlet Flower) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “The Scarlet Flower” – a famous classic Russian fairy tale similar to Beauty and the Beast. The specific strain discussed here was sourced from the catalog of Evgeny Fech, a well-known Russian private seed collector. 🌿 Plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amurskaya Zarya (Amur Dawn) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety, often sold by the SeDeK seed company. The name translates to “Amur Dawn,” referring to the Amur River region in the Russian Far East. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact, growing only 50–60 cm (20–24 inches) tall, but it spreads … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ananasnyi (Ананасный) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety released by the Biotechnica seed company. Important Note: Do not confuse this variety with the famous American bicolor heirloom Pineapple (which is translated as Ananas in Russian). Ananasnyi is a completely different, solid yellow/orange tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.5–2 meters … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Neves Azorean Red 🌍 Origin: A legendary Portuguese/Azorean heirloom brought to the US by Anthony Neves and popularized by Carolyn Male. Interestingly, in Russia, it was initially mistranslated by some seed sellers as “Azorean Red Under a Canopy” because the name Neves sounds exactly like the Russian word for canopy (навес)! … Read more