Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alsou (Алсу) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial variety developed by Siberian Garden (SibSad). Named “Alsou”, a beautiful traditional Tatar name meaning “rose-colored water”. It is highly regarded by growers in short-season climates around the world. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tricky! It is technically semi-determinate. If grown outdoors in the open garden, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alisa (Alice) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded heirloom variety with somewhat mysterious origins. While often credited to Russian breeders (like N. Alexandrov or Egorov), some growers trace their seed lines back to Portuguese heirlooms. The name translates to “Alice”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.7–2.0 m (5.5–6.5 ft) in height. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaechka 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial heirloom from Siberian breeders (Altai region). The name affectionately translates to “Little Altai Girl”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact, reaching about 70-90 cm (27-35 inches) in height. It produces beautiful stocky seedlings and is perfectly suited for open ground. Does not require strict pruning. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vela Scarlatta 🌍 Origin: A magnificent heirloom variety (the name translates from Italian as “Scarlet Sails”). It is highly prized by collectors of giant oxheart tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and powerful plant that exhibits intensive, fast growth and produces a massive yield. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Giant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Heart (Ananasnoe Serdtse) 🌍 Origin: An unstable exotic selection created by the well-known breeder A.I. Kulik. It originated as a genetic segregation (off-type) of another variety, and growers are still actively stabilizing it. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-early to mid-late season. Because the variety is still segregating, growers report … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abakan Pink (Abakansky Rozovyi) 🌍 Origin: A highly famous Siberian commercial heirloom. It is known for causing widespread confusion among growers because different Russian seed companies (like Siberian Garden, Poisk, and Altai Seeds) sell vastly different strains under this exact same name. Even the official State Register has two different entries … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Albenga Oxheart 🌍 Origin: A classic Italian heirloom from the Liguria region. Popularized among collectors by Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). Important distinction: This is the smooth, classic oxheart version, not to be confused with “Cuore di Bue di Albenga,” which is a deeply ribbed, pear-shaped (pouch) variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blushing Pineapple Sergeant (Ananasnyi Serzhant Rumyanyi) 🌍 Origin: A specific sister-line bred by Sofia Saakova (Russia). It comes from a complex cross involving Schlumbach’s Strawberry, Pineapple Heart, and Sgt. Pepper’s. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), growing to about 1.8 m (6 ft) in a greenhouse. Mid-season maturity. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: This … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Apelsinovoe Mango (Orange Mango) 🌍 Origin: Another stunning creation by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. It is a cross between Blue Orange (Siniy Apelsin) and the classic Heart of Ashgabat (Serdtse Ashkhabada). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), early to mid-season. It features a slender, “wispy” foliage structure typical of many oxhearts. Despite … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Sergeant (Ananasnyi Serzhant) 🌍 Origin: A breathtakingly beautiful modern creation by Russian tomato breeder Sofia Saakova. It is a yellow/bicolor anthocyanin descendant of the world-famous American heirloom, Sgt. Pepper’s. The line is currently around the F7 stage of stabilization. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-early to mid-season. Like many oxheart … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cherokee Purple Heart 🌍 Origin: An oxheart variation/mutation of the legendary American heirloom, Cherokee Purple. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Like many classic oxheart varieties, it has a very “wispy,” weeping, and delicate plant structure (often looking wilted or wimpy even when perfectly healthy). Some growers recommend planting two per hole to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Coeur de Surpriz (Heart of Surpriz) 🌍 Origin: A fascinating French artisanal variety with a dramatic backstory. Originally developed by Madame Jacqueline Morel and named after her dog, “Surpriz”. The heart-shaped version (“Coeur de Surpriz”) is believed to be a strain/mutation discovered by Sébastien Berthier. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, regular leaf. … Read more