Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Red Minusinsk Glasses (Minusinskie Stakany Krasnye) is an indeterminate, elongated paste-type Siberian heirloom. Known for its blocky, cylindrical shape resembling a drinking glass, this robust vine easily reaches over 6.5 feet (2 m) in greenhouse conditions. It is a heavy yielder producing meaty, juicy, and sweet fruits that are excellent for both … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mila is a highly productive indeterminate variety that pumps out tasty, elongated orange pears weighing 1.7-5.3 oz (50-150 g). It boasts a long harvest window, but growers should be proactive about preventing Blossom End Rot (BER). Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 4 Experience) S Svetikk (Svetlana) ⭐ Pro Grower (29,394 posts) … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Matrena is a tall, mid-early indeterminate tomato that produces large, ribbed red pears. Known for incredible yields and a dense, meaty texture with very few seeds, it is often compared to the popular Puzata Khata variety. Growers praise its robust health, immunity to blossom end rot (BER), and ability to set fruit … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Marmeladnaya Lampochka (Marmalade Bulb) is an indeterminate, mid-season dark tomato originating from the Siberian gardening club “Tyapka” in the early 1980s. The fruits are pear- or bulb-shaped, turning a matte burgundy color while keeping a characteristic greenish, puckered blossom end. Growers rave about its heavy yields and its namesake “marmalade” or jelly-like … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Honey Drop (Medovaya Kaplya) is a fiercely vigorous Indeterminate , ultra-sweet yellow pear/cherry tomato. Growers praise its candy-like flavor and late-season blight resistance, but warn that it throws suckers aggressively and takes up massive space. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-8 Experience) V Vestochka (Elena) 🍅 Member (247 … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Michael Pollan is a highly distinctive, green-and-yellow striped cocktail tomato famous for producing massive, multi-flora (grapelike) clusters. Originally bred by Brad Gates, this indeterminate variety can be polarizing. Aesthetically, it is a garden showstopper with incredible yields. However, the flavor reviews are highly mixed—some growers find it wonderfully sweet and tangy when … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mango Django is a highly productive, indeterminate orange paste/plum variety featuring elongated fruits with a distinct point (often called “icicle” types by growers). The fruits typically weigh between 2 and 5 oz (60-150 g). The vine has wispy, downward-pointing foliage but is surprisingly vigorous, easily reaching the top of a greenhouse by … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Sgt. Pepper’s Raspberry Points is a mid-season, indeterminate anthocyanin variety developed from the famous Sgt. Pepper lineage. It produces a massive wall of 3.5-5.3 oz (100-150 g) raspberry-pink fruits with dark purple antho shoulders. The shapes are wonderfully unpredictable, ranging from ribbed flattened hearts with pointy “beaks” to blunt plums. Growers love … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Medok (which translates to “Little Honey”) is an early-season, determinate red paste tomato. The compact bush maxes out around 2 feet (60 cm) tall, making it a great candidate for underplanting beneath taller vines. It produces sweet, meaty, finger-like “icicle” tomatoes that hold up well for transport and canning. While yields can … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lampochki (which translates to “Lightbulbs”) is an early-season, indeterminate potato leaf (PL) cherry tomato. It produces gorgeous clusters of sweet, meaty yellow pear-shaped cherries. It was grown side-by-side with the famous commercial variety “Honey Drop” to see if it was just a renamed clone, but proved to be vastly superior—ripening earlier, tasting … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Luch (which translates to “Ray” or “Beam”) is an early-season, determinate paste tomato. It is highly praised for being extremely low-maintenance—thriving outdoors with zero pruning required. The compact bush produces very thick-walled, meaty, elongated tomatoes that are noticeably sweet. Because it ripens so early and handles cold well, it is a favorite … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Layner (Liner) is a mid-season, indeterminate pink tomato from Russian breeder Petrov. It produces highly versatile, barrel-to-plum-shaped fruits, making it an excellent choice for paste and canning. The vine is notable for its compact, narrow footprint and shorter regular-leaf foliage, making it easy to manage. Growers praise its solid yields and reliability, … Read more