Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bochata (Little Barrels) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Siberian seed company “Semena Altaya”. The name translates to “Little Barrels”, reflecting their blocky, plump shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate. Grows to about 90-110 cm (3-3.5 ft). Performs incredibly well out in the garden (open ground), especially in “hot beds” (manure/compost … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Boni MM (Boney M) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial Russian variety, primarily distributed by the Gavrish seed company. Named in honor of the popular disco group Boney M. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate rugose dwarf (tree-type). Extremely compact, usually topping out around 40-50 cm (1.5 ft). Highly prized because the seedlings … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buyan Zheltyi (Buyan Yellow) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, officially registered in the Russian State Register for the West Siberian region. Also known as “Boets Yellow” (Fighter Yellow). 🌿 Plant Habit: Rugose determinate dwarf (tree-type). Extremely compact, sturdy, and short, typically reaching only 30-60 cm (1-2 ft). Seedlings do not … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Black John (Blek Dzhon) 🌍 Origin: A dark Russian variety circulated by domestic seed vendors (like Brizhan and L. Myazina). Note: Some growers report older seed lines segregating, producing a mix of Potato Leaf (PL) and Regular Leaf (RL) plants. The original, stable strain should be PL. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tall … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dwarf BSP 🌍 Origin: An independent dwarf variety bred in the USA. Seeds in this thread trace back to a well-known grower named Dale, who has been developing a whole family of experimental tree-type dwarfs (including OPO, PPI, ZSO, etc.). 🌿 Plant Habit: Tree-type dwarf with regular leaf (RL) foliage. Despite … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Betta (Бетта) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian dwarf/bush variety widely praised for its ultra-early production. 🌿 Plant Habit: A true dwarf/tree-type (штамб). The plants are very compact and sturdy, typically reaching only 16-20 inches (40-50 cm). They feature broad, rugose-type foliage. Despite their sturdy trunks, they usually require staking once loaded … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Krasnyi (Red Banana) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Red Banana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally a compact determinate (bush) plant growing about 2-2.5 feet (60-80 cm) tall, though some seed lines seem to produce indeterminate vines. Extremely sturdy and known for being highly forgiving … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bozhya Korovka (Ladybug) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Ladybug”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly debated! The seed packet claims it is a compact determinate (12-20 inches / 30-50 cm). However, almost all forum growers report it growing huge—up to 5-6.5 feet … 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): 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): Azhur F1 (Ажур F1) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian F1 hybrid, commonly sold by the SeDeK seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush), growing to about 80 cm (31 inches) tall. A true workhorse variety. To get the best yield, growers recommend pruning suckers only up to the first flower truss … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Andromeda F1 🌍 Origin: A highly successful Russian commercial F1 hybrid. It comes in three color variations: Red, Pink, and Orange. Usually sold by the Russkiy Ogorod (RO) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact, sturdy, and semi-spreading, reaching up to 70 cm (27 inches). Extremely resilient against harsh weather … Read more