Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Hong Cai Bao (Khon-Tsai-Bao) 🌍 Origin: An exotic striped cherry variety originating from China. The name is transliterated from Russian catalogs as Khon-Tsai-Bao, or more commonly in international seed exchanges as Hong Cai Bao. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and highly vigorous. It performs exceptionally well outdoors in open ground and boasts … Read more
Quick Summary of Huan U (Topaz) 🌍 Origin: An exotic cocktail/cherry variety originating from China. Often circulated among collectors under multiple names: Huan U, Topaz, Honey Topaz, or Pearlescent. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), highly vigorous, and tends to produce a ton of suckers. Can easily reach 3 meters (10 ft) in a greenhouse. Extremely … Read more
Quick Summary of Fantaziya (Fantasia) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the “Agrosemtoms” seed company. The name translates to “Fantasia” or “Fantasy”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Early-ripening (90-95 days) and indeterminate. It is highly adapted to northern regions and adverse weather conditions. It also boasts excellent disease resistance, specifically to Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) and … Read more
Quick Summary of Finik (Date) Tomato Series 🌍 Origin: A hugely popular Russian commercial series (which includes Yellow, Orange, Red, and Striped variants), commonly sold by “Russian Ogorod” (often as an F1 hybrid) and heirloom vendors like “Batatovy Kusty”. The name “Finik” translates to “Date”, referencing their shape and intended sweetness. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
Quick Summary of Ultrafiolet (Ultraviolet) 🌍 Origin: A rare dark-fruited variety sent to Russian collectors in 2010 by Ukrainian tomato breeder D.G. Terentyev. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and forms a massive, strong plant (“like a tree”). Interestingly, it starts out looking very weak and wispy as a seedling, but explodes with growth once … Read more
Quick Summary of Tomatoberry 🌍 Origin & Genetics: Originally released as an F1 commercial hybrid. However, a major point of excitement among forum members is that this variety successfully de-hybridizes! Growers planting F3 and F4 generation seeds saved from previous years report that it repeats its parent characteristics with 100% accuracy. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
Quick Summary of Sweet Cherry Iskra (Sweet Cherry Spark) 🌍 Origin: Developed by Russian amateur breeder Nikolay Alexandrov from the city of Chelyabinsk. Fun fact: The breeder himself actually chimed in on this very thread to comment on the grower’s results! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, very vigorous, reaching over 2 meters (6.5 ft) in height. … Read more
Quick Summary of Sugar Gem F1 (Samotsvet Sakharnyi F1) 🌍 Origin & Name: Another popular commercial hybrid from the Russian SeDek seed company’s “Gem” (Samotsvet) series. The name translates to “Sugar Gem”. Note: Some Ukrainian private collectors sell “de-hybridized” open-pollinated (OP) versions under similar names. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and incredibly vigorous. Growers consistently … Read more
Quick Summary of Super Balcony Orange (Superbalkonnyi Oranzhevyi) 🌍 Origin & Name: Sourced from the collection of Ukrainian tomato breeder Denis Terentyev. The name translates to “Super Balcony Orange”. 🌿 Plant Habit (The Paradox): Despite the word “Balcony” in its name, which usually implies a tiny micro-dwarf, this variety is actually an indeterminate (tall) vine! … Read more
Quick Summary of Sweet Kiss (Sladkiy Potseluy) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian cherry variety produced by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates directly to “Sweet Kiss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly adaptable. In open ground, it behaves as a robust semi-determinate, growing to about 80 cm (31 inches). However, inside a greenhouse, it … Read more
Quick Summary of Jade Gem F1 (Samotsvet Nefritovyi F1) 🌍 Origin & Name: A Russian commercial green cherry tomato from the popular “Gem” (Samotsvet) series by the SeDek seed company. The name translates to “Jade Gem”. 🔍 The F1 Hybrid Confusion: Officially registered in the Russian State Register as an F1 hybrid. However, SeDek has … Read more
Quick Summary of Temptation (Spokusa) 🌍 Origin & Name: A commercial variety originating from Ukraine/Eastern Europe. The name “Spokusa” directly translates to “Temptation” or “Seduction”. 🌿 Plant Habit (The Foliage Mystery): The true strain of this variety is a vigorous indeterminate (tall) vine with a very unique visual trait: it has unusually small, sparse leaves … Read more