Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Fitous 🌍 Origin: A highly resilient and dependable Russian variety. The name is “Fitous” (Фитоус). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It grows compactly to about 50-60 cm (20-24 inches) tall and features sparse/wispy foliage. It is incredibly rugged, requiring minimal care, and thrives even in poor soil and low-water conditions. Perfect for … Read more
Quick Summary of Florida Petite (Флорида петит) 🌍 Origin: A famous micro-dwarf commercial variety, originally developed by the University of Florida specifically for small containers and patio growing. 🌿 Plant Habit: Extremely compact, tree-type micro-dwarf. Plants typically stay between 25-40 cm (10-16 inches) tall. They require absolutely no pruning or suckering and tolerate lower light … Read more
Quick Summary of Fokus-Pokus (Hocus Pocus) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Hocus Pocus”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Early season and indeterminate. It is a striking “Angora” type plant with silvery-green, heavily fuzzy (woolly) foliage. This dense fuzz makes the plant highly unattractive to insect pests. It … Read more
Quick Summary of Uboynaya Sila (Lethal Force) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety bred by the famous “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad) agricultural company. The name translates to “Lethal Force” or “Deadly Power”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It forms a small, compact, slightly sprawling plant that requires minimal fuss. Excellent for open ground and container growing. … 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 Unikalnyi Kulchitskogo (Kulchitsky’s Unique) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety bred/selected by amateur vegetable grower M.G. Kulchitsky from Novorossiysk. The name translates to “Kulchitsky’s Unique”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) outdoors and taller in a greenhouse. Features large Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Known for its incredible … Read more
Quick Summary of Tigrovyi (Tiger) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Gavrish” seed company. The name translates simply to “Tiger”. 🌿 Plant Habit (Variable Genetics): Officially listed as growing up to 1.5 meters (5 ft). However, grower reports vary wildly. Some report it acting as a semi-determinate (where the main stem self-tops/terminates … Read more
Quick Summary of Tarasenko Rozovyi (Tarasenko Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian/Ukrainian variety (originally sold by the “Vassma” seed company), though forum members debate its true lineage, noting its strong resemblance to De Barao Tsarskiy or Budenovka. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. It easily grows over 1.6 meters (5 ft 3 in) … Read more
Quick Summary of Turboreaktivnyi (Turbojet) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad). The name literally translates to “Turbojet”, reflecting its insanely fast growth and ripening speed. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). An extremely compact micro-dwarf/bush type, usually topping out at just 40-50 cm (1.3-1.6 ft). It requires absolutely no … Read more
Quick Summary of Super Runner (Supergonets) 🌍 Origin & Name: A Russian commercial dwarf variety from the SeDek seed company. The name “Supergonets” loosely translates to “Super Runner” or “Super Messenger”, implying speed and earliness. 🌱 Seed Viability Phenomenon: A massive point of interest for seed savers: one forum grower successfully germinated a commercial packet … 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 Brown Sugar (Sakhar Korichnevyi) 🌍 Origin & Marketing: A dark/brown Russian commercial variety, famously sold by the SeDek seed company. The packet description makes wild marketing claims, calling it a “rejuvenating apple” with anti-cancer and anti-heart-attack properties. The name translates to “Brown Sugar”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as an indeterminate. However, … Read more