Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaysky Rozovy (Altai Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian heirloom from the famous “Sibirsky Sad” (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates to “Altai Pink,” named after the Altai Mountains region in Siberia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and very vigorous. Known for being a highly productive and heavy yielder. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amerikanskoe Vytyanutoe Serdtse (American Elongated Heart) 🌍 Origin & The Naming Mystery: This is where international tomato collecting gets tricky! In Russia, two very similar names circulate: Amerikanskiy Vytyanutyi (American Elongated) and Amerikanskoe Vytyanutoe Serdtse (American Elongated Heart). Many suspect it is the exact same North American heirloom that suffered from … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abkhaziya Rozovaya (Abkhazia Pink) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom tomato originating from Abkhazia, a region in the Caucasus Mountains famous for its rich agricultural heritage and outstanding southern tomatoes. The name translates to “Abkhazia Pink”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though it tends to stay somewhat stocky (around 1.5m / 5ft) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alsou (Алсу) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial variety developed by Siberian Garden (SibSad). Named “Alsou”, a beautiful traditional Tatar name meaning “rose-colored water”. It is highly regarded by growers in short-season climates around the world. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tricky! It is technically semi-determinate. If grown outdoors in the open garden, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaechka 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial heirloom from Siberian breeders (Altai region). The name affectionately translates to “Little Altai Girl”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact, reaching about 70-90 cm (27-35 inches) in height. It produces beautiful stocky seedlings and is perfectly suited for open ground. Does not require strict pruning. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abakan Pink (Abakansky Rozovyi) 🌍 Origin: A highly famous Siberian commercial heirloom. It is known for causing widespread confusion among growers because different Russian seed companies (like Siberian Garden, Poisk, and Altai Seeds) sell vastly different strains under this exact same name. Even the official State Register has two different entries … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Chianti Rose 🌍 Origin: An American heirloom, reportedly developed from a cross between the legendary ‘Brandywine’ and an unknown Italian heirloom variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large pink beefsteaks, oblate (flat-round) in shape. They are quite massive, typically weighing between 300-500g (10.5–17.5 oz). 👅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Couilles de Taureau (Huevo de Toro) 🌍 Origin: A very old European heirloom. Originally from Spain under the name “Huevo de Toro”, it was later popularized in France under the literal translation “Couilles de Taureau” (which translates to “Bull’s Testicles”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), standard regular leaf. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cherokee Rosse 🌍 Origin: A unique novelty release bred by the famous Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms, USA). 🌿 Plant Habit: Appears to act as a semi-determinate or compact indeterminate. Grown outdoors, it reaches just over 1 meter (about 3.5 – 4 ft) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oblate (flat-round) beefsteaks … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cleota Pink 🌍 Origin: An old, relatively rare family heirloom from Tennessee, USA. It is highly prized by heirloom collectors for producing massive pink fruits on potato-leaf vines. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, Potato Leaf (PL). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large pink beefsteaks. They are exceptionally meaty but retain a very juicy flesh … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Church 🌍 Origin: A massive American heirloom from the Church family in Hot Springs, Virginia. It was first introduced to the wider tomato community by the legendary collector Chuck Wyatt. In Russian collections, it is frequently traded under the direct translation “Церковь” (Tserkov). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, regular leaf. A very … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Costoluto Colli Euganei 🌍 Origin: A magnificent family heirloom from the Veneto region in Northern Italy. The name translates to “Ribbed of the Euganean Hills”. The Euganean Hills are a national nature reserve known for their incredibly fertile volcanic soil, mild climate, ancient oak and chestnut forests, olive groves, and endless … Read more