Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Toniman 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom variety developed by the well-known Serbian tomato breeder Živojin Antić. It was brought into the Russian collector community by dedicated seed savers. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) vine. Grows very well in greenhouses when pruned to 2 stems. Growers report that it adapts beautifully and continues … Read more
Quick Summary of Tryufel Krasno-Rozovyi (Red-Pink Truffle) 🌍 Origin: A legendary “folk” heirloom circulated widely among Russian seed savers. It was originally distributed by a grower named Galya-64 around the year 2000. Because it had no official name, it spread across the internet under various names: Galya’s Truffle, Raspberry Truffle, or Folk Truffle (Narodnyi). 🌿 … Read more
Quick Summary of Sibirskaya Liana (Siberian Liana) 🌍 Origin: An old, established Russian heirloom variety that has been kept in private collections for many years. The name translates to “Siberian Liana” (Siberian Vine), referring to its extremely vigorous, climbing growth habit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vine). The grower notes that it performs best and … Read more
Quick Summary of Serafino 🌍 Origin: Sourced from the collection of well-known Russian seed seller Valentina Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It is a low-growing variety, reaching only about 60 cm (2 ft) tall in a greenhouse. Growers note that it does not require pruning (removing suckers), but it absolutely requires staking because the … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdechnyi Potseluy (Heart’s Kiss) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the famous “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad) seed company. The name translates to “Heart’s Kiss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / semi-determinate, reaching about 1.3 m (4.2 ft) in height. It can be grown outdoors in open ground, but requires proper pruning (usually to … Read more
Quick Summary of Schlesische Himbeere (Silesian Raspberry) 🌍 Origin & Name: A beautiful German heirloom variety. “Schlesische Himbeere” translates from German directly as “Silesian Raspberry” (named after the historical region of Silesia and the fruit’s raspberry-pink color). Forum members note that this specific seed line was brought directly from Baden-Baden, Germany. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
Quick Summary of Heart of America (Serdtse Ameriki) 🌍 Origin & Name: Circulated among Russian private seed collectors under the translated name “Serdtse Ameriki” (Heart of America). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but growers note it has a very manageable height. In a greenhouse, it grows taller than a person but doesn’t aggressively hit the … Read more
Quick Summary of Kelli’s Heart (Serdtse Kelli) 🌍 Origin: Circulated widely by Russian seed collectors (such as V. Redko), though the name suggests Western origins. Translated locally as “Serdtse Kelli”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. It possesses classic oxheart genetics, characterized by very thin, “wispy” or weeping foliage. (Don’t worry if the plant … Read more
Quick Summary of Lilac Plum (Sirenevaya Sliva) 🌍 Origin: Sourced from the famous Ukrainian tomato breeder and seed collector Aleksey Kulik. The name translates to “Lilac Plum”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. Growers note that the bush is very powerful and can easily support being pruned to 3 main stems to maximize … Read more
Quick Summary of Pink Early Ripener (Skorospelka Rozovaya) 🌍 Origin & Name: A commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Pink Early Ripener” or “Pink Early Bird” (Skorospelka Rozovaya). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (compact bush), moderately branching, reaching a height of 50-70 cm (20-27 inches). Excellent for open ground and temporary film tunnels. 🍅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Sugar Giant (Sakharnyi Gigant) 🌍 Origin & Vendor Issues: A large-fruited Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Sugar Giant”. However, there is massive inconsistency between the major seed vendors (Russian Garden/RO vs. Siberian Garden/SibSad). 🔍 The Shape Mystery: The packet from “Russian Garden” promises a large, barrel-like (cuboid) or blocky plum … Read more
Quick Summary of Pink Plum (Sliva Rozovaya) 🌍 Origin & Name: A Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Pink Plum”. Veteran growers note it is virtually identical to a famous variety bred specifically for harsh climates by the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (compact). In open ground, it typically … Read more