Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Dwarf Pit Viper is an exotic novelty variety bred by Blane Horton (Mississippi). Originally introduced through early, segregating generations (F6-F8), growers document striking variability: plants split between stocky 2 ft (60 cm) true rugose dwarfs and vigorous 5.3 ft (1.6 m) indeterminate vines. Bearing oblate bronze-green fruits with a ruby core blush … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Old German is a classic 19th-century indeterminate heirloom bicolor beefsteak preserved by Mennonite growers in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. It yields massive, oblate yellow-gold fruits marbled with ruby red that grow increasingly crimson as they dead-ripen. Northern cool-climate growers find it sweeter than Pineapple (Ananas), but caution that it is a decidedly late-season … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Oregon Spring is an early, cold-tolerant determinate bush variety bred by Dr. James Baggett at Oregon State University in 1984. Developed from a cross of Severyanin and Starshot, it possesses parthenocarpic traits, reliably setting nearly seedless slicers weighing 1.8 to 7 oz (50-200 g) in freezing spring weather. Siberian and cool-climate growers … Read more
🍅 Quick take: OSU Blue (the historic P20 line bred by Dr. Jim Myers at Oregon State University) is an indeterminate anthocyanin pioneer. It bears 1.4-6 oz (40-170 g) saladette-sized globes with jet-black ink shoulders over crimson flesh. Russian cold-climate growers document remarkable cold tolerance, foliage that blues in spring chill, and exceptional leaf mold … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Old Flame (often grown in Eastern Europe under translations like Stary Ogon or Staroe Plamya) is an indeterminate, mid-season heirloom bicolor beefsteak. It produces enormous, crack-resistant yellow-orange slicers with crimson crowns and streaks weighing 14 oz to over 21 oz (400-600+ g). Unlike many notoriously soft bicolors, growers consistently praise Old Flame … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Orange Blue (also widely circulated as Blue Orange or Goluboy Apelsin) is an indeterminate anthocyanin variety with stunning amber-yellow fruits kissed with deep indigo shoulders and an interior red flame. Fruits range from 1.8 to 5.3 oz (50-150 g), occasionally hitting 6.7 oz (190 g). Known for a sweet, candy-like fruity flavor … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Ozark Sunset is an indeterminate anthocyanin variety originally bred by Mark McCaslin (Frogsleap Farm). It delivers round, striking purple-pink saladette-sized fruits up to 3.5 oz (100 g) on long clusters. Growers in challenging climates report excellent disease resistance, sweet fruity flavor, and impressive stamina, pumping out tomatoes well into October even on … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Moruno PL is the potato-leaf, indeterminate strain of the traditional Spanish Tomate Moruno (“Moorish Tomato”) landrace. Reaching about 4.3 ft (1.3 m) outdoors, it produces heavy yields of 9-21 oz (250-600 g) red beefsteaks with a rich, spicy-sweet flavor and virtually no acidity. Grower CUCSA notes that the potato-leaf (PL) version ripens … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Orange Orangutan is an indeterminate, mid-season heirloom bicolor circulating out of Germany. It produces heavy, trouble-free clusters of massive 10.5-21 oz (300-600 g) beefsteaks with glowing yellow-orange skin that blushes deep raspberry pink at peak ripeness. Praised by northern growers across Zones 3 to 7, it stands out for its luscious, buttery, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: OSU O Blonde avec Tetons is an indeterminate, mid-season specialty plum derived from Oregon State University anthocyanin genetics and refined in Europe. It bears variable 4.2-8.8 oz (120-250 g) red plum-shaped fruits splashed with dusky purple shoulders, frequently sporting a prominent pointed beak. In cool northern greenhouses, it yields firm yet remarkably … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Our Own Pink is an American family heirloom featuring vigorous indeterminate vines with broad potato-leaf foliage. It yields large, thin-skinned pink beefsteaks mid-season. Grower trials show it shines far brighter when grown outdoors in full summer sun than inside a humid greenhouse, where its classic sweet-tart flavor can fall a bit flat … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Orange Jazz is an indeterminate, mid-season beefsteak bred by Fred Hempel (Artisan Seeds, California). It puts on massive 10.5-24.5 oz (300-700 g) oblate orange slicers, capable of topping 2 lbs (900 g+), marked with subtle pearlescent yellow striping. Celebrated for its bold, tropical sweet-tart kick reminiscent of sparkling lemonade, growers note it … Read more