Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Blood Moon 🌍 Origin: An excellent cross between two absolute favorites in the tomato world: Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye and Blue Beauty. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate but generally manageable, growing to about 5 ft (1.5 m). It is known for being very stocky, robust, and well-behaved as a seedling without getting leggy. It … Read more
Quick Summary of Bigly 🌍 Origin: A stunning striped orange variety closely associated with the lines bred by Fred Hempel (Artisan Seeds), sharing many characteristics with Orange Jazz. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and mid-season. Known to be highly productive. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive orange beefsteaks with plump shoulders and light yellow stripes. Fruits are … Read more
Quick Summary of Big Yellow Simpson 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom tomato. Often cataloged in seed databases (like Tatiana’s TOMATObase) as Big Yellow, Simpson. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Can be grown successfully both in open ground and in greenhouses. Typically pruned to 2 stems for the best balance of fruit size and yield. Mid-season to … Read more
Quick Summary of Blue Beauty 🌍 Origin: A famous American variety bred by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms). In Russia, it was sometimes mistakenly circulated under the translated name “Голубая прелесть” (Blue Charm). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (though it can sometimes self-top outdoors), regular leaf. Reaches about 4 to 6.5 ft (1.2-2 m) in height … Read more
Quick Summary of Blue Ridge Black 🌍 Origin: An American heirloom originating from the garden of Millard Murdock in East Flat Rock, North Carolina, USA. Highly prized by Russian collectors for its rich taste and adaptability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The plant is very sturdy and features massive, wide potato leaves (PL). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
Quick Summary of Berkeley Tie Dye Pink 🌍 Origin: A well-known American variety (by Brad Gates) that is highly popular among Russian and Eastern European collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, moderately vigorous, reaching about 5-5.5 ft (1.5-1.7 m) in height. Russian growers recommend pruning it to 2 stems for best results. It doesn’t produce an … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) Origin: Italy. Plant Type: Indeterminate, Mid-season. Very vigorous vines reaching over 2 meters (6.5+ feet) in greenhouses. Fruit Size & Appearance: Produces massive beefsteaks or slight hearts (some strains are sold as ‘Oxheart Belmonte’). Weights frequently hit 500-600g (1.1-1.3 lbs), with record fruits up to 1 kg (2.2 lbs). Color: Mostly … Read more
Quick Summary of Brandywine Covlik’s Strain 🌍 Origin: A specific strain of the famous American Brandywine heirloom tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), featuring large, wide potato-type leaves. The bush is described as tall, slender, and somewhat sparse in foliage. It responds very well to fertilization. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, smooth, rounded-oblate beefsteaks. The color … Read more
Quick Summary of Big Dolly Red 🌍 Origin: An old heirloom from Kentucky, USA. Developed over 40 years ago by Milo Eason, it is a cross between an unknown red heart-shaped tomato and ‘Big Red Stafford’. Fun fact: In Russia, this variety is often affectionately translated and sold under the name “Большая красная кукла” (Big … Read more
Quick Summary of Beauty Mark 🌍 Origin: Created by the famous American tomato breeder Tom Wagner. Fun fact: Due to a funny translation mix-up on Russian forums, some growers initially called it “Mark’s Beautiful” (Прекрасный Марка) before others corrected it to the actual meaning (a beauty mark or mole). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very … Read more
Quick Summary of Bear Wallow Canary 🌍 Origin: A historic US heirloom variety. It has been grown in the Bear Wallow mountain region of Kentucky since the 1920s. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Known for being a very vigorous and heavy yielder. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, beautiful orange/yellow beefsteak tomatoes. The fruits typically weigh between … Read more
Quick Summary of Berkeley Tie-Dye & Berkeley Tie-Dye Heart 🌿 Plant Habit: INDETERMINATE (Tall/Vining). Both the standard and the “Heart” versions are tall, vigorous plants that can easily reach up to 2 m (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. Regular leaf. Be careful not to over-fertilize with nitrogen early on, as they can grow too vegetatively … Read more