Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cœur de Zèbre (Heart of Zebre Apricot) 🌍 Origin: Created and developed by breeder Jean-Claude Bosher in France. It is the result of a cross between Cœur de Bœuf and Red Zebra. Note: Do not confuse this with “Zebra Heart”, which is a spontaneous mutation circulating in the USA. 🌿 Plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Costoluto Fiorentino sel. Canestrino di Lucca 🌍 Origin & The Great Seed Mix-Up: A fascinating piece of seed history! Commercial Italian vendors sometimes sold seeds under this long, combined name. However, as Russian growers quickly discovered in this thread, these are actually two different Italian varieties. 1) Costoluto Fiorentino: A small, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Coeur Fondant 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom variety originating from France. The name translates beautifully to “Fondant Heart” or “Melting Heart”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An extremely vigorous vine that can easily shoot up to 2–2.5 meters (6.5–8 ft). Grower Note: It may display physiological leaf roll early in the … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cuor di Bue Cavallino Tre Porti 🌍 Origin: A magnificent family heirloom from Italy. Named after Cavallino-Treporti, a picturesque coastal peninsula in the Province of Venice. The name translates to “Oxheart of Cavallino Treporti”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and mid-season. Grower Note: The plant habit is actually quite atypical for … Read more
📌 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
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cynthia’s Black Heart 🌍 Origin: Developed at the famous Love Apple Farms in Santa Cruz, California, around 2005. It is noted that the variety might still be in the observation phase and not fully stabilized, meaning slight variations may occur. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Strikingly beautiful heart-shaped … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cuore Antico di Aqui Terme 🌍 Origin: An outstanding family heirloom from Italy. The name translates to “Ancient Heart of Acqui Terme”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-late season. The plants are vigorous with sturdy, thick main stems. Grower Warning: Avoid overfeeding with nitrogen early on, or the plant will prioritize … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Coeur de Boeuf Jerusalem 🌍 Origin: A rare and highly prized heirloom oxheart variety. While it carries a French name (translating to “Jerusalem Oxheart”), this specific heavy-yielding strain has been heavily preserved, circulated, and perfected by Eastern European and Russian tomato collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The bush is slender … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Curtis Cheek 🌍 Origin: A highly prized heirloom oxheart variety from the USA. It is named after the American grower, Curtis Cheek, who cultivated and popularized this fantastic giant tomato among heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and powerful plant. Standout feature: It is an early-season variety, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful and productive heirloom oxheart variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-to-late season. It shows excellent disease resistance. Highly adaptable—while it grows well in a greenhouse, some growers from colder northern regions report that it performs and feels even better when grown outdoors in open ground! 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
Quick Summary of Bleeding Heart 🌍 Origin & Name: Another masterpiece bred by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms). While the name might sound a bit dramatic, Bleeding Heart is actually the common English name for the beautiful Dicentra flower. The tomato was named for its stunning heart shape and vibrant striping. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. … Read more
Quick Summary of Bobbie 🌍 Origin & Strains: A well-known heirloom oxheart tomato. There is an interesting discussion among growers about the color: seeds sourced from Tatiana’s TOMATObase (Canada) typically produce pure red fruits, while strains sourced from some US vendors produce pink/raspberry-pink fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. Like many oxheart varieties, it features … Read more