Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 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
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yellow Striped Boar 🌍 Origin: A famous American novelty variety bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (California, USA). It is widely grown and traded among Eastern European and Russian heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A mid-season producer that performs very well in greenhouse environments. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhritsa (Priestess) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by “Semena Altaya” (Seeds of Altai), a major Russian seed company operating out of Siberia, known for breeding robust and highly productive tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very productive and performs well even in less-than-ideal, shaded spots in the greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltye Torbochki (Yellow Pouches) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian forum variety. The name “Yellow Pouches” is a conditional/working title given by forum members, but it became so popular that it permanently stuck in the heirloom community. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An absolute workhorse of a plant with extremely high … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Homer Fike’s Yellow Oxheart 🌍 Origin: A cherished American heirloom from West Virginia. It was stewarded by Mr. Homer Fike and his family for decades before being introduced to the commercial seed trade by Gary Ibsen (TomatoFest) in 2006. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and disease-resistant plant. Like … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grandma Viney’s Yellow and Pink 🌍 Origin: A legendary American heirloom from Kentucky, widely grown and cherished by Eastern European tomato collectors for its stunning appearance and taste. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though some growers report it staying relatively manageable at 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m). Needs plenty of room to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhar Goryashchie Ugli (Heat of Burning Coals) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “Heat of Burning Coals” or simply “Glowing Coals”. (Note: Do not confuse with “Zhar-Ugli” by Siberian Garden, which is a purple anthocyanin variety). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but growth height varies greatly by … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltaya Dynya (Yellow Melon) 🌍 Origin: A stunning collector’s variety. The name translates exactly to “Yellow Melon”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-sized plant (likely semi-determinate or a shorter indeterminate). Mid-season producer known for heavy yields. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Gorgeous striped bicolors! The shape is an elongated round/blunt heart. The skin is a … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Jasmina 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom variety from Serbia, bred and popularized by the well-known Serbian tomato breeder Živojin Antić. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and powerful plant. Due to the extreme weight of the fruits, providing extra support for the fruit clusters (trusses) is highly recommended to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Egipetskaya Ladya (Egyptian Boat) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian collector’s variety. The name “Egipetskaya Ladya” translates to “Egyptian Boat” or “Egyptian Ship”, which perfectly describes the unique, slightly elongated, boat-like shape of the fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very powerful and vigorous plant with thick stems. It produces … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Evgeniya 🌍 Origin: Bred in 2009 by the well-known tomato breeder Ruslan Dukhov. Not to be confused with the commercial determinate variety “Zhenechka”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very vigorous vines that easily reach over 10 ft (3 m). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive pink strawberry-shaped/oxheart tomatoes. They are very meaty and … Read more