Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhigalo (Gigolo) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by the Russian seed company “Biotechnica”. Known for its provocative name (Gigolo) due to its distinct, elongated, phallic shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Compact determinate (tree-type dwarf). Usually grows to about 16-24 inches (40-60 cm). Has thick, rugose foliage that looks like a little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yelisey 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial variety from the well-known Russian seed company “Aelita”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). An absolute workhorse of a plant that performs exceptionally well both in greenhouses and outdoors. Height varies from 24-40 inches (60-100 cm) outdoors, up to 5 feet (1.5 m) in a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dey Huanchi 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety with Chinese roots (the name roughly translates to “Big Yellow”), heavily popularized in Eastern Europe and Russia by the SeDeK seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Generally does well grown outdoors without greenhouse protection. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful yellow-orange slicing tomatoes. Average weight … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Donald F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, staying very compact. Outdoors in open ground, it tops out at around 20 inches (0.5 m). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, perfectly round, and incredibly firm. It has a highly uniform, “commercial” appearance. 👅 Flavor & Use: Standard … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dina 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. Generally stays compact at around 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) in full sun, but demonstrates extreme shade tolerance. If planted in the shade, it will stretch significantly to reach the light. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow-orange fruits. The packet claims they have … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Detskaya Sladost (Children’s Sweetness) 🌍 Origin: Сommercial variety from the “Gavrish” seed company. The name translates to “Children’s Sweetness”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact bush growing about 20-24 inches (50-60 cm) tall. Suitable for open ground or container growing. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, firm, egg-shaped/oval tomatoes weighing 3.5-4.2 oz (100-120 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dvortsovyi (Palace) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Palace”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, but grows vigorously to about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall outdoors, meaning it can easily be grown in a greenhouse as well. It has a long fruiting window. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, red, oblate … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Detskiy Sladkiy “Slivka” (Children’s Sweet Plum) 🌍 Origin: Сommercial variety exclusively released by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Children’s Sweet ‘Plum’”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Super-determinate, low-growing bush. Officially listed at 20 inches (50 cm), but can grow slightly taller and wider in a greenhouse. Requires zero pruning/suckering! 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Jalpa 🌍 Origin: A beautiful striped paste tomato popular among Eastern European collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. Grows as a very sturdy, compact tree-type bush (shtamb), typically reaching about 24 inches (60 cm) tall outdoors. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Elongated, red paste tomatoes with striking yellow stripes. Length is about 4-4.7 inches … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dusya Krasnaya (Red Dusya) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, famously sold by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as a mid-sized plant (3-5 feet), but many growers report it behaving like a sturdy tree-type dwarf or semi-determinate, often staying under 3-4 feet when grown outdoors. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Denezhnyi Meshok (Money Bag) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Money Bag,” hinting at its supposed high yield and profitability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as indeterminate, growing up to 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. However, forum members frequently report getting off-type seeds that grow into … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Demidov 🌍 Origin: A rugged, commercial Russian variety bred specifically for harsh, short-summer climates like Siberia and the Altai Mountains. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact tree-type dwarf (*shtambovyi* in Russian). It typically grows only 24-25 inches (60-64 cm) tall and requires absolutely no pruning or suckering. Excellent for container gardening or … Read more