Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volgogradskiy 5/95 🌍 Origin: A legendary old-school Soviet commercial variety. Note: There are two famous “Volgogradskiy” strains. “323” is the early bush variety, while “5/95” is the vigorous, late-season strain bred for the warm, long summers of southern Russia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Vigorous with a very thick, sturdy main stem. Because … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Voyage F1 (Voyazh F1) 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid from the Russian seed company “Poisk” (Search). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An extremely vigorous and resilient greenhouse variety that easily surpasses 6.5 ft (2 m). Growers note its impressive ability to bounce back from extreme heat scorch by pushing out … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vovchik 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from Russia/Ukraine. The name is an affectionate diminutive for Vladimir (Little Vova). 💡 Editor’s Note (The Famous Mix-Up): This thread is a classic example of a happy accident. The official commercial seed packets describe Vovchik as a regular round/oblate tomato. However, a massive batch of … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Verblyudy (Camels) 🌍 Origin: A unique Russian collector’s variety. The name “Verblyudy” translates to “Camels”. Why? Because it produces absolutely massive Potato Leaves (PL) that, according to growers, literally look like camel faces drooping down from the vine! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and highly vigorous. It has very thick, strong main … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Verlioka F1 🌍 Origin: An older, classic commercial F1 hybrid from Russia. While some modern growers consider it outdated, it has a fiercely loyal following among veteran gardeners for its absolute reliability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. The seed packet claims it reaches 6.5 ft (2 m), but real-world growers note it … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vintage Wine 🌍 Origin: A famous commercial heirloom known for its striking looks. In Russia, seeds for this variety were heavily circulated by well-known collector V.D. Popenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mostly an early-to-mid-season determinate/semi-determinate. It naturally has Potato Leaf (PL) foliage, though growers in this thread discuss experiencing Regular Leaf (RL) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Verna 🌍 Origin: A fantastic Eastern European heirloom variety. Seeds are widely passed around among collectors (like Lena Danko mentioned in this thread). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It’s a mid-season variety that does great in a greenhouse or hoop house. Growers recommend pruning it to 2 or 3 main stems … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vspyshka (Flash) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety. The name translates to “Flash” or “Outburst”, which perfectly describes how fast it grows and sets fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (short bush), usually topping out around 20 inches (50 cm). It stays short but loves to sprawl, throwing out a ton of … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Valentina Tomato 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, heavily distributed by the “SeDeK” seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Typically grows about 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) tall. The Great Leaf Debate: Growers report two distinct strains circulating—one with Regular Leaf (RL) foliage and one with Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Both … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vzryv (Explosion) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Explosion”. It was developed as an improved, modern version of the classic old Soviet variety Belyi Naliv. Specifically recommended for northern regions and short-season climates. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and sprawling, usually growing only 12-18 inches … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vishnya Zimnyaya (Winter Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Winter Cherry”. Intended for outdoor growing in middle and northern climates. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The seed packet claims it is a stout, tree-type dwarf that requires zero pruning, but growers report it grows as a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vesennyaya Kapel (Spring Drop) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial/heirloom variety. The name translates to “Spring Drop” (referencing a drop of melting snow in spring). Grower’s Note: There are two known strains circulating among collectors. One produces small pear-shaped fruits with a little beak (spout), originating from the Russian breeder Brizhan. … Read more