Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 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
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Gold / Yellow 🌍 Origin: Part of the legendary Russian “De Barao” family. De Barao varieties (which come in Red, Black, Pink, Gold, and Giant) are famous across Eastern Europe for their extreme ruggedness and cold tolerance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A massive, towering vine that can easily reach … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dix Doigts de Naples 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom paste tomato from Italy. It is most commonly found in seed catalogs under its French translation, Dix Doigts de Naples, which means “Ten Fingers of Naples” (in Italian: Dieci Dita di Napoli). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous and highly productive … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Drova (Firewood) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety famously distributed by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Firewood” or “Logs”, perfectly describing the elongated shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, tree-type (rugose foliage). Extremely compact, stocky, and sturdy, usually maxing out around 16–24 inches (40–60 cm) tall. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gerkules (Hercules) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial determinate variety (seeds distributed by ASK). The name translates to “Hercules.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). While commercial packets claim it stays extremely dwarf (10-16 inches / 26-40 cm), growers report it easily grows to nearly 3 ft (80-90 cm) in good garden soil. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grushka Oranzhevaya (Orange Pear) 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Eastern European commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Orange Little Pear”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Semi-determinate. It has regular leaf foliage and grows to about 3.3 ft (1 m). It can be staked, caged, or simply allowed to sprawl on the ground … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gumanitarnyi iz SShA (US Humanitarian Aid) 🌍 Origin: A fascinating piece of Cold War/Post-Soviet history! These seeds were originally distributed to Russian citizens in 1995 in commercial packets as part of United States humanitarian aid programs. The original variety name was lost, so Russian seed savers preserved and circulated it under … Read more