Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Rozovyi Dlinnyi (Minusinsk Long Pink) 🌍 Origin: An authentic Siberian heirloom from the Minusinsk region. Seeds were preserved in old newspaper rolls since the Soviet era by a gardener in Kazantsevo. It originally spread through the tomato community simply as “Long Pink” and was later dubbed “Minusinsk Pepper-shaped Pink” by growers. 🌿 … Read more
Quick Summary of Rio Grande 🌍 Origin: A world-famous commercial paste variety originally developed for hot climates, but widely adapted and heavily grown by Russian and Eastern European gardeners for winter canning. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Grows compactly to about 70-90 cm (2.3 – 3 ft) tall. Excellent for open ground and field growing. … Read more
Quick Summary of Raiskie Svechi (Paradise Candles) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful variety popularized by Ukrainian breeder Alexey Kulik. The name translates to “Paradise Candles”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, early season. It grows up to about 1 meter (3.3 ft) tall. A key characteristic is its extremely delicate, drooping, and “wispy” foliage. It is highly shade-tolerant—many … Read more
Quick Summary of Striped Roman (Rimskiy Polosatyi) 🌍 Origin: A famous American heirloom known in the Russian tomato community as “Rimskiy Polosatyi”. 🍅 The Great Debate (Striped vs. Speckled): This forum thread perfectly captures the classic confusion surrounding this variety. As noted by growers (and Tatiana’s TOMATObase), there are essentially two circulating lines: Striped Roman … Read more
Quick Summary of Dwarf Antho Pink Panther 🌍 Origin: A stunning anthocyanin dwarf variety. In the Russian community, it is known as “Rozovaya Pantera Anto, Gnom”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season dwarf. Unlike most typical sturdy/stocky Dwarf Tomato Project varieties, this one has thin, graceful, wispy foliage. It grows up to 1 meter (about 3.3 ft) … Read more
Quick Summary of Palenka F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian F1 hybrid produced by the “Semco” (Семко) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and highly vigorous. It is strongly recommended for greenhouse growing (especially polycarbonate greenhouses). While the packet suggests pruning to 1 stem, many growers successfully train it to 3 stems with massive … Read more