Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volovye Serdtse (Ox’s Heart) 🌍 Origin & Naming: A classic commercial heirloom from Russia, officially registered in 2000 by “NK-LTD” (Semena NK). Language Note: In Russian, “Volovye” means Ox, and “Bychie” means Bull. While Americans use the term “Oxheart” as a generic shape category, in Russia, Volovye Serdtse (Ox’s Heart) and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Velmozha (Nobleman) 🌍 Origin: A well-known commercial variety from Russia. The name “Velmozha” translates to “Nobleman” or “Grandee”. It was developed by the Institute of Cytology and Genetics (Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences) as an improved, determinate version of the famous Budenovka tomato. It is officially listed in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: White Cherry (Belaya Vishnya) 🌱 Plant Habit: A tall indeterminate vine. It exhibits the classic “wispy” or frail-looking foliage that is typical of most oxheart varieties. 🍅 Fruit & Yield: Despite the “cherry” in its name, this is NOT a cherry tomato. It produces large, pale cream/white heart-shaped tomatoes weighing 9 to … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary: Cherry Syrup (Vishnevyi Sirop) 🌍 Origin: An amateur breeding release by Sofia Saakova (Sofia S.). It is a cross between Zuzu’s Cherry and Black Beauty. 🌱 Plant Habit: A tall, slender indeterminate vine that easily exceeds 6.5 ft (2.0 meters) in a greenhouse. Mid-season maturity with an extended fruiting window. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Tante Gretels Magische Hüte – Aunt Gretel’s Magic Hats 🌍 Origin: A stunning heirloom variety with a German name, translating to “Aunt Gretel’s Magic Hats.” 🌱 Plant Habit: A tall, indeterminate vine that requires staking. It is a very reliable producer with a long fruiting window. It sets fruit exceptionally well, even … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Verkiny (Vera’s) 🌍 Origin: An unidentified Russian “family heirloom” passed down from a gardener named Vera, hence the placeholder name Verkiny (Vera’s). 🌱 Plant Habit: A tall indeterminate. Like many oxheart-type tomatoes, it has classic “wispy” or frail-looking foliage, though the plant itself is very productive and resilient. 🍅 Fruit & Yield: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Budenovka Zelenaya (Green Budenovka) 🌍 Origin: A rare Ukrainian winter-keeper variety. “Budenovka” refers to the iconic pointed Soviet cavalry hat, which matches the shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, late-season maturity. It is a sturdy, compact plant with dense foliage cover. In a greenhouse, it tops out at around … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bull Sac 🌍 Origin: A giant red paste/oxheart variety circulating among heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall, easily reaching 6.5–7 ft (2–2.2 m). It is a mid-early variety that shows fantastic productivity both outdoors and in the greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive, bright red tomatoes. While some vendor … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Benedict Heirlooms Pink 🌍 Origin: A fantastic pink heirloom variety that has gained traction for its outstanding reliability and culinary versatility. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous plant that reaches around 5 ft (1.5 m) when grown outdoors in open ground. Mid-season maturity. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Dark pink/raspberry colored fruits … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bychye Serdtse Beloye (White Oxheart) 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Eastern European strain of the classic White Oxheart. Note: Like almost all “white” tomatoes, it is not pure paper-white; it ripens to a pale lemon-yellow or ivory, sometimes developing a slight pinkish blush or orange marbling at the blossom end when fully ripe. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Barany (Rams) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom sourced from collector T. Yashchenko. The name “Barany” translates to “Rams” (male sheep)—named because the elongated fruits often curve at the tip, resembling a ram’s horn. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vine), reaching up to 1.8 m (6 ft). Can be easily pruned and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bychok (Little Bull) 🌍 Origin: Introduced to North America and popularized by the famous tomato collector Tatiana Kouchnareva (Tatiana’s TOMATObase). The name “Bychok” literally translates to “Little Bull” (a play on the famous “Bull’s Heart” oxheart tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It exhibits the classic “wimpy” oxheart growth habit with thin, … Read more