Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Sibiryak 🌍 Origin: A renowned variety bred by P.Ya. Saraev, a legendary Soviet breeder famous for creating extremely cold-tolerant tomatoes. The name “Sibiryak” translates to “Siberian” (a person from Siberia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The plant is compact and small, making it ideal for open ground or container growing. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
Quick Summary of Sara Black (Sara Chernaya) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded dark tomato circulated among Eastern European and Russian collectors (many trace their seed lines back to German or local Ukrainian/Russian sources). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but generally on the shorter side. Depending on whether it’s grown outdoors or in a greenhouse, growers report … Read more
Quick Summary of Sakharnaya Golova (Sugar Head) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial variety from the famous Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name translates to “Sugar Head” or “Sugar Loaf”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The plant is sturdy and relatively compact, growing up to 80 cm (about 32 inches) tall. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
Quick Summary of Stan Ley 🌍 Origin: A bit of a mystery! Cultivated and popularized by Russian seed collector Alexey Kulik, who lists its origin as the USA. The name is likely a transliteration of “Stan Ley” (or Stan Lee). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but on the shorter side. Outdoors in open ground, it reaches … Read more
Quick Summary of Syzranka 🌍 Origin: A famous old family heirloom from Syzran, a city on the Volga River famously known as the “Tomato Capital of Russia.” The name translates to “Girl from Syzran.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but on the shorter, more compact side. It typically grows to about 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) tall. … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdce Mordovii Rozovoe (Heart of Mordovia Pink) 🌍 Origin: An old, unregistered family heirloom originating from the Republic of Mordovia, Russia. Note: Russian breeder Dmitry Gusev sells a “Red” version of this tomato, but the strain featured here is the highly prized Pink/Raspberry version. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and tall. It reaches … Read more
Quick Summary of Sirenevoe Ozero (Lilac Lake) 🌍 Origin: A stunning dark heirloom variety from Eastern Europe. The name translates to “Lilac Lake.” Note: You may also see it sold under the name Buzkove Ozero, which is simply the Ukrainian translation of the exact same name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In a greenhouse, it typically … Read more
Quick Summary of Sensei 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad). The name translates directly to “Sensei” (Master/Teacher). 🌿 Plant Habit: A semi-determinate or compact indeterminate. It stays very manageable, growing to about 1 meter (3.2 ft) outdoors in open ground, and up to 1.3–1.5 meters (4–5 ft) … Read more
Quick Summary of Sladkoe Chudo (Sweet Miracle) 🌍 Origin: A highly prized Russian heirloom. The name translates to “Sweet Miracle.” Warning: This thread reveals that many commercial seed companies sell incorrect, off-type seeds under this name. The “true” variety described here was circulated among collectors (originating from N. Berezhnova). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, reaching about … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdce Lva (Lion’s Heart) 🌍 Origin: Bred by Russian tomato breeder Yury Kuzminykh from the Krasnodar Region. The name translates to “Lion’s Heart”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and highly vigorous, but well-behaved (not overly leafy or aggressive). It thrives in a greenhouse and produces best when pruned to 3 stems. It has … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdce Tibeta (Heart of Tibet) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive Russian collector’s variety (seeds originally distributed by breeder Gusev). The name translates to “Heart of Tibet”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It exhibits classic oxheart traits, meaning the bush is not overly vigorous and has delicate, “wispy” foliage. Outdoors it grows to about … Read more
Quick Summary of Sprint-Timer 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian giant heirloom. It gained massive fame when a grower won the 2016 “Minusinsk Tomato Day” (Russia’s famous giant tomato competition) with a Sprint-Timer fruit weighing a whopping 1.878 kg (4.14 lbs)! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate with thick, robust stems. Typically grows up to 1.5 meters (5 … Read more