Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Crushed Heart 🌍 Origin: A stunning creation by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms (California, USA). Interestingly, among Russian and Eastern European growers, the name has sparked translation debates—some translate it literally as “Broken” or “Wounded Heart”, while others translate it as “Smitten/In Love” (playing on the word “crush”). 🌿 Plant … Read more
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Quick Summary of Dwarf Aftershock 🌍 Origin: Bred by the renowned independent breeder Blane Horton (Mississippi, USA) and released in 2017 (at the F8 generation). It was developed from his famous “Viper” line and is a sister variety to Pit Viper. Important Note: Although it is a dwarf, it is an independent creation and is … Read more
Quick Summary of Yaponskiy Trufel (Japanese Truffle Series) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial Russian series (often distributed by Biotechnika, Sibsad, and Aelita). Despite the name, it is a Russian heirloom/commercial line. It comes in up to 6 distinct colors: Red, Pink, Black, Orange, Yellow, and Gold. 🌿 Plant Habit: Most are indeterminate, growing between … Read more
Quick Summary: Scheherazade (Fuzzy Peach Tomato) 🌍 Origin: A highly unique commercial variety developed by the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). 🌿 Plant Habit: The official packet claims it is a determinate bush up to 1 meter (3.2 ft) tall. However, nearly all growers report it behaving like a tall semi-determinate or indeterminate, easily … Read more
Quick Summary of Stormin Norman 🌍 Origin: A US variety developed by breeder Blane Horton. It is part of his famous “Keyes” multiflora line. The variety was named in honor of General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., famous for his command during Operation Desert Storm. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and early-season. This variety is a … Read more
Quick Summary of Dwarf Shimofuri (Frost Waterfall) 🌍 Origin & History: An incredibly unique variegated variety created by US tomato breeder and enthusiast Applestar. She crossed the trailing variety Whippersnapper with Faelan’s First Snow. The name “Shimofuri” is a Japanese term meaning “marbled” or “white-veined” (often used to describe premium Wagyu beef), which perfectly describes … Read more
Quick Summary of My Dancing Green Fingers 🌍 Origin: A relatively new, highly sought-after cherry variety created by Belgian gardener and collector Bart Praet. It took second place among the best tomatoes at the Tomatofest festival in Brussels (Nos Pilifs farm) in 2021. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. The plant produces numerous thin stems … Read more
Quick Summary of Chesnovy (Reisetomate / Traveler’s Tomato) 🌍 Origin: A world-famous novelty variety. Known internationally as Reisetomate (German for Traveler’s Tomato). In Eastern Europe, it is often called Chesnovy (Garlic Tomato), Tomato-Brain, or even Tourist’s Breakfast. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and incredibly vigorous. It produces a massive amount of suckers and can easily reach … Read more
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Quick Summary of Chernaya Russkaya Roza (Black Russian Rose) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful cross between Black Beauty and Russian Rose, bred by the famous Latvian tomato breeder Valdis Pulins. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The bush reaches about 1.7 meters (approx. 5.5 feet) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oblate (flattened round) shape. The color is … 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 Tayana (Тайяна) 🌍 Origin: A unique Russian dwarf variety, primarily known among collectors for its highly ornamental appearance. 🌿 Plant Habit & Leaves: Determinate (dwarf bush). It stays very compact, reaching only 45-50 cm (18-20 inches) in height. The absolute standout feature is its highly dissected, lacy, carrot-like foliage (similar to the … Read more
Quick Summary of Dark Galaxy 🌍 Origin: Originally bred in the USA by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. He released this variety into the world at an early stage (F3/F4 generation), warning that it was slightly unstable. This forum thread is a fascinating deep-dive into how Russian growers stabilized different lines of it over … Read more