Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grot (Grotto) 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety whose name translates to “Grotto”. There is significant controversy surrounding this seed. Commercial seed companies (like SeDeK) often sell “fake” off-types. The true Grot was scientifically bred by Russian agricultural institutes specifically for high resistance to Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans) using wild tomato genetics. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Graffiti Pink 🌍 Origin: A commercial European variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but tends to be moderately sprawling and stays relatively manageable outdoors, reaching about 3.6 ft (1.1 m) in open ground. Regular leaf. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, apple-sized round/oblate fruits. Visually stunning: they have a pink/rose base with distinct … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gusinoe Yaytso (Goose Egg) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial heirloom released by the Russian seed company Siberian Garden (SibSad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), highly vigorous. It frequently exceeds 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. Standout feature: It exhibits “wispy” or drooping foliage, which is common for large paste … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Geisha (Гейша) 🌍 Origin: A commercial heirloom variety popular in Ukraine and Russia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Semi-determinate. It grows to about 2.3 ft (70 cm) outdoors, and just over 3.3 ft (1 m) in a greenhouse. Standout feature: It has a very slender, compact footprint, meaning you can plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gigant Svitera (Giant Sweater) 🌍 Origin: Claimed to be from the USA, but circulated in Russia under the translated name “Gigant Svitera”. It is highly likely a renamed or mistranslated classic American paste tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very vigorous and powerful grower that can easily reach the roof of … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grushka Polosataya (Striped Pear) 🌍 Origin: A very popular Russian commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Striped Pear”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It stays relatively short, reaching about 2.3-2.6 ft (70-80 cm) tall, but it has a very sprawling, bushy growth habit. Growers highly recommend giving it plenty of … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Tarasenko Hybrid No. 2 🌍 Origin: A legendary Soviet-era variety developed by the famous amateur breeder Feodosiy Tarasenko (Sumy region, Ukraine) in the late 1980s. Note: Despite the name, this is a stabilized, open-pollinated heirloom, NOT an F1 hybrid! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous. Known for its massive, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gilbertie Paste 🌍 Origin: Heirloom paste tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Forum members report great success growing it in a greenhouse when pruned to two stems. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, elongated “icicle” shape, weighing up to 5.3 oz (150 g). The fruits are incredibly dense, meaty, and have a high … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gulliver – Myazina vs. Siberian Garden 🌍 Origin: Russia. Important Note: There are actually two completely different Russian varieties sold under the name “Gulliver”. One is an early commercial-style plum tomato by breeder L. Myazina. The other is a massive oxheart variety by Siberian Garden (SibSad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gaspacho 🌍 Origin: A very popular and reliable Russian variety named after the famous Spanish cold tomato soup. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It stays relatively compact but produces heavily. Bonus: It has built-in genetic resistance to Verticillium and Fusarium wilt (VF resistance), making it a bulletproof choice for problem soils. … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Deep Space 🌍 Origin: A fantastic modern cross bred by American tomato breeder Jason Haynes. It was named in honor of the NASA experimental space probe program. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Depending on growing conditions (outdoors vs. greenhouse), it can stay relatively compact at around 5 ft (1.5 m) or climb … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Washington 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate and early-ripening. It stays very compact, reaching only about 20 inches (50 cm) out in the open ground. The bush naturally looks a bit wispy and weak, producing very few leaves and suckers. Zero pruning is required. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, round-to-oval red tomatoes. Average weight … Read more