Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Daryonka 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian heirloom. It was popularized and distributed by the famous Altai seed collector, Tamara Yaschenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate. Grows to a very manageable height of about 4 feet (1.2 m), making it great for greenhouses without taking over the roof. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oval/plum-shaped … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Domate Piramida 🌍 Origin: A rare Eastern European / Balkan heirloom. The name “Domate Piramida” suggests Bulgarian origins (“Domate” means Tomato in Bulgarian, and “Piramida” means Pyramid). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A tall, vigorous plant that grows extremely well in a greenhouse environment. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Long, red, elongated “icicle” or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dyadya Stepa (Uncle Stepa) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial variety. It is famously named after “Uncle Stepa”, an extremely tall, lanky, good-natured policeman from a classic Soviet children’s poem. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-late season. The plant has a thin, vine-like, spindly stem and weeping foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: The … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Detskaya Sladost (Children’s Sweetness) 🌍 Origin: Сommercial variety from the “Gavrish” seed company. The name translates to “Children’s Sweetness”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact bush growing about 20-24 inches (50-60 cm) tall. Suitable for open ground or container growing. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, firm, egg-shaped/oval tomatoes weighing 3.5-4.2 oz (100-120 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Detskiy Sladkiy “Slivka” (Children’s Sweet Plum) 🌍 Origin: Сommercial variety exclusively released by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Children’s Sweet ‘Plum’”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Super-determinate, low-growing bush. Officially listed at 20 inches (50 cm), but can grow slightly taller and wider in a greenhouse. Requires zero pruning/suckering! 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Giannini 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom variety with Italian roots, popularized in Eastern Europe by collector Valery Popenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has a very flimsy, weeping “wispy” foliage structure, which is typical for many high-quality paste tomatoes. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, plum-shaped paste tomatoes with a distinct little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Kabardinskiy (Kabardian De Barao) 🌍 Origin: A very rare, old amateur “folk breeding” variety. The name references Kabardino-Balkaria, a republic in the North Caucasus region. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Produces tall, highly vigorous, and powerful vines. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Despite the “De Barao” name (which is typically a small … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Tsarskiy Krasnyi (Royal Red De Barao) 🌍 Origin: An upgraded, premium offshoot of the famous Russian De Barao family. “Tsarskiy” translates to “Royal” or “Tsar’s”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous, aggressive climber (vine-like). Can easily reach 10 feet (3 m) in a greenhouse. Best grown in a greenhouse, as … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Gigant (Giant De Barao) 🌍 Origin: A large-fruited mutation/selection from the legendary Russian “De Barao” family of workhorse canning tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Incredibly vigorous, massive plants that easily exceed 6.5 feet (2 m) even when grown outdoors. Requires strong staking and support. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large plum/oval … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Jersey Giant 🌍 Origin: A rare heritage paste tomato originally from New Jersey, USA. It is highly valued among global collectors for its massive, meaty fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A sprawling, late-season, and very vigorous plant. Produces reliably with no skipped trusses. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Huge, elongated red paste/plum tomatoes … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Jalpa 🌍 Origin: A beautiful striped paste tomato popular among Eastern European collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. Grows as a very sturdy, compact tree-type bush (shtamb), typically reaching about 24 inches (60 cm) tall outdoors. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Elongated, red paste tomatoes with striking yellow stripes. Length is about 4-4.7 inches … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Jessica 🌍 Origin: An indeterminate heirloom variety originally from Argentina. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Vigorously grows with very healthy, dark green foliage. Responds well to being pruned to 3 main stems in a greenhouse setting. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Dark (brown/black) cocktail-sized tomatoes shaped like little pears with thin necks. Average … Read more