Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Liqueur F1 is an early-season, indeterminate orange cocktail tomato from Russian breeder Lyubov Myazina. While the packet says the fruits average 1 oz (25 g), greenhouse growers report them easily doubling in size to 1.5-1.8 oz (45-50 g). The vine is well-behaved with sparse foliage and responds great to being pruned to … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Leningrad Early (Leningradskiy Skorospelyi) is an ultra-early, tree-type dwarf tomato. Originally bred for harsh, short-season climates, it pumps out its entire crop so fast that it completely dodges late season diseases like late blight. Outdoors, it stays a tiny 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) tall and requires zero pruning. However, growers warn that … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lyana Rozovaya (Pink Lyana) is a very early, determinate pink tomato designed for outdoor growing. The compact bush stays around 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) tall and produces uniform, meaty, 3-3.5 oz (90-100 g) fruits that are perfect for whole-fruit canning. While the seed packet claims it needs zero pruning, most growers highly … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Ledenets (which translates to “Lollipop” or “Hard Candy”) is an early-season, very low-maintenance small plum tomato originally from the Russian seed company Biotekhnika. It produces massive amounts of 1.5-1.8 oz (40-50 g) elongated red fruits. Outdoors in cold climates, it behaves like a compact 20-inch (50 cm) bush, but under cover, it … Read more
🍅 Quick take: I Want Larisa Ivanovna (Larisu Ivanovnu Hochu) is an incredibly productive determinate bush tomato named after a famous quote from a classic Soviet movie. It produces a massive abundance of perfectly uniform, round, 2 oz (60 g) red cocktail tomatoes. Growers praise its outstanding sweet flavor, low maintenance, and perfect size for … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lyubasha F1 is an ultra-early determinate hybrid heavily marketed by the Russian seed company Partner. It is bred for heavy yields, disease resistance, and perfectly uniform red fruits weighing 3-5 oz (80-140 g). While it excels as a durable, highly productive canning tomato with a firm texture, growers are deeply divided on … Read more
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🍅 Quick take: Lutescent (also known historically as Honor Bright) is an antique 1897 heirloom bred by Alexander Livingston. It is famous for its bizarre genetics: pale yellow-green foliage, white flowers, and fruits that transition from green to white, then yellow, orange, and finally red. While some growers love its novelty and incredibly long shelf … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Legenda Tarasenko is a legendary indeterminate multiflora variety bred by the famous Ukrainian breeder Feodosiy Tarasenko. It is known for producing massive, fan-shaped trusses that can hold up to 30-40 small, red paste tomatoes weighing about 3.5 oz (100 g) each. The fruits typically feature a sharp little beak on the blossom … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kazachka (Cossack Woman) is an indeterminate, late-season dark tomato from Siberian Garden (Sibsad). It produces long, braided clusters of brownish-cherry cocktail/plum fruits weighing 1-3 oz (30-80 g). While growers warn that it ripens late and has tender skin that can split when picked, it is highly praised for its massive yields and … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Krokha (which translates to “Crumb” or “Tiny Tot”) is an ultra-early determinate red cherry tomato from Belarus. Originally bred to be a compact, no-prune 1.5 ft (40-50 cm) bush for outdoor growing, it can reach over 3 ft (1 m) in a greenhouse. It produces sweet, glossy 1 oz (25-40 g) fruits … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Katya F1 is a very early determinate hybrid by the Russian seed company Semko. It is known as a reliable “workhorse” variety that pumps out 4 oz (110-130 g) red fruits on compact 20-inch (50 cm) bushes. While growers have mixed feelings about its flavor (most agree it’s better for canning than … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kmicic is a compact, determinate paste tomato originating from Poland. It is notable for its potato leaf (PL) foliage and exceptional cold tolerance. The plant produces heavy yields of bright red, plum-shaped fruits weighing around 1.7 oz (50 g), which are firm, store well, and are highly prized for canning and processing. … Read more