Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Sherkhan (Shere Khan) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. Named “Sherkhan” (after the tiger Shere Khan from The Jungle Book) due to its distinctive striped skin. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The seed packet states a compact height of 60 cm (24 inches). However, greenhouse growers report it can act very vigorously, … Read more
Quick Summary of Matt’s Hornet 🌍 Origin: A beautiful artisan-style novelty tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It is a very manageable plant, reaching about 1.3 meters (4.3 ft) when grown in a greenhouse. Pro Tip: Growers recommend letting it branch out freely—after the first flower truss appears, you can completely stop pruning (suckering) the plant. … Read more
Quick Summary of Shchedraya Slivka Tarasenko (Tarasenko’s Generous Plum) 🌍 Origin: Developed by the legendary Soviet/Ukrainian tomato breeder Feodosiy Tarasenko. The name translates to “Tarasenko’s Generous Plum”. It is considered one of his rarer varieties that didn’t become as widespread commercially as his other famous creations. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. The bush is exceptionally … Read more
Quick Summary of Shokoladniy Zaychik (Chocolate Bunny) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial and collector variety from Russia. The name translates to “Chocolate Bunny”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally an indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous plant. However, growers note it is very sensitive to soil moisture and fertility; in dry, sandy soils, it may act like … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherri Uralskoe (Ural Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A private, exclusive Russian variety developed over 6 years by breeder Nikolay Alexandrov. It is not sold in commercial stores. 🌿 Plant Habit: An incredibly vigorous, massive indeterminate plant. If left unpruned, its aggressive suckers will grow sideways for meters and even try to root into … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Sveta (Wonder of the World) 🌍 Origin: A very popular, beautiful Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Wonder of the World”, though it is sometimes visually compared to a small lemon. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and strongly growing plant (reaching over 2 meters / 6.5 ft in greenhouses). … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherry Ira F1 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial F1 hybrid from the Russian seed company “Semko”. Often sold at a premium price compared to standard seeds. 🌿 Plant Habit: An extremely vigorous, wildly growing indeterminate. It can easily surpass 3 meters (10 ft) in height. It produces a massive amount of … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherevichki (Little Shoes) 🌍 Origin: A Ukrainian heirloom popularized by breeder V. Syray. The name Cherevichki translates to “Little Shoes” or “Slippers,” perfectly describing the unique shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall. Like many elongated paste varieties, it has “wispy” or weak-looking foliage (drooping leaves), which is … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Tyumeni (Tyumen Miracle) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive Russian heirloom from Tyumen, a city in Siberia. The name translates to “Tyumen Miracle.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous, and huge. Plants easily reach 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse and produce a massive “squall” of fruits, often described as looking like … Read more
Quick Summary of Chio-Chio-San 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial Russian variety, officially registered in the Russian State Register of Breeding Achievements. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though some growers successfully prune it into a multi-stem determinate bush. As seedlings, the plants often look weak or “wispy,” which is normal, but they explode with vigor … Read more
Quick Summary of Chelnok (Shuttle) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial variety. The name “Chelnok” translates to “Shuttle” (as in a weaving shuttle), referring to its elongated shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: A true tree-type determinate (compact bush). Usually maxes out at just 40-45 cm (16-18 inches) tall. No pruning or suckering is required! The seedlings … Read more
Quick Summary of Chukhloma (Orange Icicle/Paste) 🌍 Origin: A highly successful Russian commercial variety from the Gavrish seed company. It is the orange sibling to the red variety Khokhloma. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous, easily exceeding 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. Growers note its distinct foliage: the leaves are very … Read more