Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aussie (Avstraliets) 🌍 Origin: A legendary heirloom variety originally from Australia, widely known in the US and Europe simply as Aussie, and translated into Russian as Avstraliets (The Australian). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous plant. Reaches up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse and about 1.2m (4 ft) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Accordion Cherry (Akkordeon Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A very unique, heavily ribbed red cherry/cocktail tomato. Extremely popular among Russian heirloom collectors for its striking appearance and long shelf life. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 meters (6.5+ ft) in a greenhouse. The adult plant is powerful and vigorous, though seedlings … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Albenga Oxheart 🌍 Origin: A classic Italian heirloom from the Liguria region. Popularized among collectors by Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). Important distinction: This is the smooth, classic oxheart version, not to be confused with “Cuore di Bue di Albenga,” which is a deeply ribbed, pear-shaped (pouch) variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Costoluto Genovese 🌍 Origin: A legendary Italian heirloom from the Genoa region. It has been a staple in Italian gardens for generations, highly prized for its heavily scalloped, decorative shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and incredibly robust. It is famous for its hardiness, tolerating both heat spells and cooler … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Corrogo 🌍 Origin: A striking, deeply pleated (ruffled) heirloom variety, highly valued for its unique decorative shape that resembles an accordion or a blooming flower when sliced. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-early season. It is a very vigorous, low-maintenance variety that easily handles being grown with multiple stems without sacrificing … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Carmina 🌍 Origin: A wonderful heirloom slicing variety known for its distinctive appearance and reliable production. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. The plant grows strong and vigorous, producing very good yields. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Unusually shaped, ribbed pink beefsteaks. The interior flesh is beautifully colored—mostly pink with a striking crimson-red … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Connie’s Cain 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom beefsteak variety known for its outstanding vigor and reliable production. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). This is a true monster of a plant! It grows exceptionally tall and vigorous, easily surpassing 3 meters (10 feet) in height under good conditions. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Carol Chyko’s Big Paste 🌍 Origin: A huge, classic heirloom paste tomato from Pennsylvania, USA. It was named after Carol Chyko. Note on translation: In Russian seed collections, it is frequently traded under the shortened (and slightly mistranslated) name “Большой Кэрол” (Big Carol). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very tall, powerful, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Coeur de Boeuf de Nice 🌍 Origin: A classic French heirloom originally from the Mediterranean region around Nice. The name translates to “Bull’s Heart from Nice”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous grower. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Medium to large red tomatoes, typically weighing 150-300g (5.3-10.5 oz). The shape is highly variable … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cherokee Tiger Large 🌍 Origin: A beautiful Canadian variety originally developed by breeder Bill Minkey. Note: People often ask if this is part of the Dwarf Tomato Project. It is not a true project Dwarf, but rather a compact, semi-determinate variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate. In a greenhouse setting, it typically … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cleota Pink 🌍 Origin: An old, relatively rare family heirloom from Tennessee, USA. It is highly prized by heirloom collectors for producing massive pink fruits on potato-leaf vines. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, Potato Leaf (PL). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large pink beefsteaks. They are exceptionally meaty but retain a very juicy flesh … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Corazon de Huesca 🌍 Origin: A magnificent old heirloom variety from the Huesca province in the Aragon region of Spain. The name translates to “Heart of Huesca”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Grows very well and produces reliably in greenhouse conditions. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful, massive pink heart-shaped tomatoes (oxhearts). They … Read more