Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zemlyak (Countryman) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety released by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name “Zemlyak” translates to “Countryman” or “Fellow Countryman”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It has a very wide, sprawling growth habit. It requires virtually no maintenance and can be grown without pruning (suckering). 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zub Drakona (Dragon’s Tooth) 🌍 Origin: An Eastern European heirloom variety. The name translates perfectly to “Dragon’s Tooth”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very vigorous, strong plant that performs exceptionally well both in a greenhouse and outdoors in open ground. Mid-season maturity. Highly praised for its excellent disease resistance. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zastolny (Banquet) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety officially registered in 2007 by the RosSortSemOvoshch seed company. The name “Zastolny” loosely translates to “for the banquet table” or “table-ready”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and low maintenance. Usually stays around 20 inches (50 cm) tall, though older seeds can … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zasolochnoe Chudo (Pickling Miracle) 🌍 Origin: Commercial variety from the AGRO seed company. The name translates to “Pickling Miracle” or “Salting Miracle”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Extremely compact and low maintenance. It requires absolutely no pruning (suckering). Highly praised for its excellent resistance to Late Blight. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zinulya 🌍 Origin: A very popular early-season commercial variety, originating from Ukraine (often sold by GL Seeds as “Zinulya-2”). It performs exceptionally well in northern climates with short, cool summers. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact, usually staying around 20-40 inches (50-100 cm) tall. It requires very minimal pruning (usually just … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zagadka Doliny Roz (Mystery of the Rose Valley) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom whose name translates to “Mystery of the Rose Valley”. As the name implies, its genetics are a bit of a mystery, and it currently circulates in at least two distinct versions among international seed savers. 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zasolochniy Delikates (Pickling Delicacy) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety released by the famous Siberian Garden (Sibsad) seed company. The name translates to “Pickling Delicacy”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Seed packets claim it is a determinate (bush) type reaching 3.3 feet (1 m). However, growers report that when planted in a greenhouse, … Read more
Quick Summary of Zarya (Dawn) 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zarya 🌍 Origin: A classic Russian heirloom known for producing exceptionally large fruits. The name translates to “Dawn”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous and powerful vine that can reach 5 to 6.5 ft (1.5 – 2 m) in height, or even taller in a … Read more
Quick Summary of Zagadka (The Riddle) 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zagadka 🌍 Origin: A classic ultra-early commercial Russian variety. The name translates to “The Riddle” or “Enigma”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact, growing only 12-16 inches (30-40 cm) tall. It does not require pruning or staking; you can just let it sprawl in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhritsa (Priestess) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by “Semena Altaya” (Seeds of Altai), a major Russian seed company operating out of Siberia, known for breeding robust and highly productive tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very productive and performs well even in less-than-ideal, shaded spots in the greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhar Goryashchie Ugli (Heat of Burning Coals) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “Heat of Burning Coals” or simply “Glowing Coals”. (Note: Do not confuse with “Zhar-Ugli” by Siberian Garden, which is a purple anthocyanin variety). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but growth height varies greatly by … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhigalo (Gigolo) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by the Russian seed company “Biotechnica”. Known for its provocative name (Gigolo) due to its distinct, elongated, phallic shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Compact determinate (tree-type dwarf). Usually grows to about 16-24 inches (40-60 cm). Has thick, rugose foliage that looks like a little … Read more