Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dusya Krasnaya (Red Dusya) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, famously sold by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as a mid-sized plant (3-5 feet), but many growers report it behaving like a sturdy tree-type dwarf or semi-determinate, often staying under 3-4 feet when grown outdoors. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Jade Pink Round 🌍 Origin: A very rare heirloom variety. It is extremely hard to find information or grower reviews about it online. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A great choice for growers looking for a reliable, tall plant that produces uniformly sized salad tomatoes. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Perfectly round, pink tomatoes … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Denezhnyi Meshok (Money Bag) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Money Bag,” hinting at its supposed high yield and profitability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as indeterminate, growing up to 6 feet (1.8 m) tall. However, forum members frequently report getting off-type seeds that grow into … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Demidov 🌍 Origin: A rugged, commercial Russian variety bred specifically for harsh, short-summer climates like Siberia and the Altai Mountains. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact tree-type dwarf (*shtambovyi* in Russian). It typically grows only 24-25 inches (60-64 cm) tall and requires absolutely no pruning or suckering. Excellent for container gardening or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dynnye (Melon) 🌍 The Heirloom Mystery: “Dynnye” translates to “Melon” or “Melon-like”. However, as this thread perfectly illustrates, there are at least three completely different tomatoes circulating in the seed-trading world under this exact name. 🍅 Variant 1 (The Determinate Beefsteak): A determinate (bush) plant producing light-yellow oblate (flattened) beefsteaks up … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Datterini Red 🌍 Origin: An Italian-style heirloom/commercial variety. The name “Datterini” translates to “little dates”, perfectly describing their elongated, grape-like shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very vigorous and heavily branched. Best grown by removing all suckers up to the first flower cluster, then allowing multiple stems to develop for maximum … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Black 🌍 Origin: The dark/black variant of the legendary post-Soviet “De Barao” family. Widely available from commercial Russian seed companies, though growers report massive inconsistencies between different vendors. 🌿 Plant Habit: A vigorous indeterminate. Often grows over 6.5 ft (2 m) tall. Known for being a rugged, disease-resistant “tin … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dulsineya (Dulcinea) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. Named after Don Quixote’s beloved muse, Dulcinea. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 5.2-6 feet (1.6-1.8 m) in a greenhouse. Growers recommend pruning it to 1 or 2 main stems/leaders for best production. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao (Red) 🌍 Origin: An absolute legend in the post-Soviet gardening world. Supposedly originally hailing from Brazil, it was introduced to the USSR in the 1990s and became a staple for millions of gardeners. This thread focuses on the classic Red version, though there are Black, Pink, and Yellow variants. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Damskie Palchiki (Ladies’ Fingers) 🌍 Origin: A legendary old commercial and home garden variety. The name directly translates to “Ladies’ Fingers”, perfectly describing its shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate to semi-determinate. Very compact outdoors, but can grow taller if staked in a greenhouse. Known for being incredibly reliable and low-maintenance. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Tsarsky (Royal) 🌍 Origin: A premium, upgraded offshoot of the legendary Russian “De Barao” family. The name “Tsarsky” translates to “Royal” or “Tsar’s”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A massive, towering vine that loves to climb. Shows excellent resistance to Leaf Mold (Cladosporium) and extreme heat, but generally requires a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Don Juan 🌍 Origin: A very popular, reliable commercial variety, heavily distributed by the “Sedek” seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, often growing as a sturdy tree-type (rugose) bush. It is very compact, typically maxing out around 20–28 inches (50–70 cm) tall. Exceptionally fuss-free and performs incredibly well in open ground. … Read more