Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Almaty Red Tulip (Almatinskiy Krasnyi Tyulpan) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic modern heirloom bred in the Almaty region (city of Esik), Kazakhstan, by the highly respected tomato breeder Vitaliy Gennadievich Alifirov. The name translates to “Almaty Red Tulip”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. It notably features Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): AH Scorpii 🌍 Origin: A relatively new variety created by the famous American heirloom collector and breeder Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). It is a cross between two legendary giant tomatoes: Hoy x Delicious. It is named after AH Scorpii, a red supergiant star in the Scorpius constellation. 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aquarelle (Akvarel) 🌍 Origin: A reliable Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Watercolor”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (short bush). Specifically, it is a “tree-type” (shtamb) dwarf with a very sturdy, thick central stem that requires minimal staking. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, plum-shaped paste tomatoes. They are on the smaller side … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Accordion Cherry (Akkordeon Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A very unique, heavily ribbed red cherry/cocktail tomato. Extremely popular among Russian heirloom collectors for its striking appearance and long shelf life. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 meters (6.5+ ft) in a greenhouse. The adult plant is powerful and vigorous, though seedlings … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Auria 🌍 Origin: A highly popular and widely discussed Eastern European heirloom. It is also sometimes circulated under the name Zabava. An orange/yellow version exists called Eros. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), very vigorous, and typically a very heavy yielder. Mid-season to late maturity. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Famous for its elongated, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Apricot Jam (Abrikosovyi Dzhem) 🌍 Origin: A delightful novelty variety circulating among Russian collectors. Experienced growers strongly suspect that this variety is actually synonymous with another famous Russian fuzzy tomato called Yellow Target (Zheltaya Mishen). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), producing powerful, vigorous bushes with large fruit trusses. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anastasia Ushakova 🌍 Origin: A fantastic Russian heirloom variety highly prized for its reliability and beautiful shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and incredibly vigorous. It has a very long fruiting period, producing right up until the frost. Standout feature: Exceptional heat tolerance. Growers in hot, southern climates report that it … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Chilo Della Garfagnana 🌍 Origin: A treasured old family heirloom from the Garfagnana region of Tuscany, Italy. The name loosely translates to “Kilo of Garfagnana”, hinting at the massive potential size of its fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate or short indeterminate. It produces a vigorous, stout bush with regular foliage that … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ceman 🌍 Origin: A prolific plum/paste variety. While originally grown as a salad tomato, its characteristics make it an excellent processing type. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and mid-season. Produces large, heavy clusters of fruit on vigorous vines. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, elongated plum-shaped fruits with a beautiful red-pink color. They … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): County Agent 🌍 Origin: A classic American heirloom variety. It is named in honor of the historic “County Agents” (agricultural extension officers) who traveled across the US giving advice and sharing seeds with local farmers. Preserved and popularized among modern collectors by Tatiana Kushnareva. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. Interestingly, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cascade Lava 🌍 Origin: A stunning novelty variety bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (USA). Highly sought after by heirloom collectors for its unique appearance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The plant has a rather compact, wispy foliage structure but grows very vigorously, easily reaching 2 meters (6.5 feet) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cow’s Tit 🌍 Origin: A famous and slightly cheekily named heirloom from Russia, originally known as Korovye Vymya (Cow’s Udder) or Sisechka. Widely popularized among collectors by Russian seed seller V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Performs well both in greenhouses and outdoors, though yields can vary depending on sun … Read more