Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Ochre Symphony (Okhrovaya Simfoniya) is a mid-season, indeterminate variety bred by Sofia Saakova. It produces stunning 3.5-7 oz (100-200 g) plum-heart tomatoes that ripen to an earthy ochre color covered in green stripes, sometimes showing a faint antho blush. Growers rave about its incredibly sweet, buttery, nearly seedless flesh and strong yields, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Sofia’s Fiery Comet (Ognennaya Kometa Sofii) is an indeterminate, incredibly striking anthocyanin variety bred by Sofia Saakova. Fruits weigh up to 7 oz (200 g), featuring deep pink flesh, stripes, antho shoulders, and typically long, prominent beaks. Growers rave about its breathtaking appearance in the greenhouse and its exceptional, sweet flavor, though … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Orange Heart, affectionately nicknamed Fox Nose (Liskin Nos) by this forum community, is a legendary Russian indeterminate oxheart. It produces massive, butter-fleshed orange-yellow fruits that often sport a very distinct, sharp pointed tip (the “fox nose”). Known for its incredibly sweet, fruity flavor and lack of seeds, it is a massive favorite … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Nizhegorodskie is a mid-season, indeterminate heirloom that produces round, slightly ribbed red slicing tomatoes weighing up to 14 oz (400 g). It is known for its excellent productivity, setting fruit in distinct tiers all the way up the tall 6.5 ft (2 m) vines. Growers report that it performs equally well in … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Natalyin Arbuzik (Natalya’s Watermelon) is a mystery heirloom introduced by a beloved, now-deceased forum member. It is an indeterminate, mid-early pink beefsteak that produces massive, sweet, sugary fruits (some reaching over 2.2 lbs / 1 kg). It gets its working name from the distinct dark green watermelon-like stripes visible on the unripe … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Novichok is a classic, ultra-low-maintenance determinate bush that requires zero pruning. It pumps out firm, 3.5 oz red plum tomatoes that have a great sweet-tart balance. Known for being an incredible storage and transport variety that thrives even in partial shade. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4a-8a Experience) … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Nastenka is a highly productive, rugged determinate bush that stays compact around 2-3.2 ft (60-100 cm). Grown heavily for processing and canning, it produces dense, thick-walled pink fruits. Growers report significant shape variations depending on the seed company, ranging from oval plums to blunt hearts. It boasts excellent resistance to poor weather … Read more
🍅 Quick take: M16 (Saraev) is a highly rugged, cold-tolerant indeterminate vine that produces impressive 10.5-17.5 oz (300-500 g) red beefsteaks. Bred specifically to handle temperature swings, it doesn’t drop blossoms during cold snaps or heatwaves. Growers praise it for its perfectly balanced, old-school tomato flavor, long harvest window, and ability to keep producing heavy … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mashenka is a highly confusing variety name because multiple Russian seed companies sell entirely different tomatoes under this exact same label. Depending on the vendor, it might be a 7 oz (200 g) red slicer or a massive 1.3 lb (600 g) pink beefsteak. Unfortunately, grower feedback on the forum is largely … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Medovo-Sakharnyi (Honey Sugar) is a yellow/orange determinate tomato known for its exceptionally sweet, sugary flavor. Results are highly mixed: some growers found it to be their sweetest, absolute favorite variety of the season, while others struggled with wimpy vines, dismal yields, and extreme susceptibility to sunscald and BER. Fruit sizes also varied … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Minusinskie Shary (Minusinsk Globes) is a red, indeterminate heirloom from the famous Minusinsk region in Siberia. It produces large, blunt heart-shaped tomatoes on vines with classic wispy foliage. While one grower praised its meaty, sweet flesh, another noted that the fruits were very juicy but had disappointingly thin walls. Full summary ↓ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: A mid-early, potato-leaf indeterminate that produces thin-skinned, red oblate tomatoes. Highly notable for its uniquely sweet seed gel, though it can be finicky in high heat and inconsistent moisture. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4) B borchanochka (Polina) Pro | 9,895 posts 📍 Bor, Nizhny Novgorod region (USDA … Read more