Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Cherevichki (Little Shoes) 🌍 Origin: A Ukrainian heirloom popularized by breeder V. Syray. The name Cherevichki translates to “Little Shoes” or “Slippers,” perfectly describing the unique shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall. Like many elongated paste varieties, it has “wispy” or weak-looking foliage (drooping leaves), which is … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Altaya (Altai Miracle) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the Siberian seed company “Semena Altaya” (Altai Seeds). The name translates directly to “Altai Miracle”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tall indeterminate. The bush is described as having sparse or wispy foliage (not heavily foliated), which is a common and normal trait for … Read more
Quick Summary of Chainaya Roza (Tea Rose) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name translates to “Tea Rose,” hinting at its delicate pink color. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly variable depending on the seed batch. Some growers report a tall indeterminate plant reaching 1.7 m (5.5 ft), while … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyi Slon (Black Elephant) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Black Elephant”. It is distributed by several seed companies in Russia (like TomAgros and Gisok). 🌿 Plant Habit: Mostly described as a tall determinate or semi-determinate that eventually tops itself (stops growing upward). Height ranges from 1m … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyi Maslyanistyi (Black Buttery) 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Eastern European heirloom variety. The name translates directly to “Black Buttery” (or “Buttery Black”), hinting at its texture and color. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In a greenhouse, it easily exceeds 2 meters (6.5 ft), but stays more compact (about 1.2–1.7 m / 4–5.5 ft) when … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyi Krym (Black Krim / Noire de Crimee) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian heirloom from the Crimean Peninsula, introduced to the West in 1990 by Swedish collector Lars Olov Rosenstrom. It is known globally under various names: Black Krim, Noire de Crimee, and Chernyi Krym. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally indeterminate, though some … Read more
Quick Summary of Chio-Chio-San 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial Russian variety, officially registered in the Russian State Register of Breeding Achievements. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though some growers successfully prune it into a multi-stem determinate bush. As seedlings, the plants often look weak or “wispy,” which is normal, but they explode with vigor … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo (Wonderwork) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety originally from breeder V. Kolyakov. The name translates directly to “Miracle” or “Wonderwork”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing to about 1.3–1.7 meters (4.2–5.5 ft) tall. Performs well in both greenhouses and open ground. It shows excellent heat tolerance and doesn’t drop blossoms during hot … Read more
Quick Summary of Chervone Solntse (Red Sun) 🌍 Origin: A wonderful heirloom variety. The name translates from Ukrainian/Old Slavic as “Red Sun”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Forms a strong, sturdy bush that performs well in greenhouse environments, though it can drop some blossoms in extreme heat. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, deep-red beefsteaks. They are … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyy Radzha (Black Raja) 🌍 Origin: A relatively new commercial variety sold by the seed company “NK Elit”. Not much is known about its true pedigree. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In open ground, it reaches about 1.5 meters (5 ft). The plant is of medium build/vigor with regular leaves (RL). Highly disease-resistant. … Read more
Quick Summary of Chukhloma (Orange Icicle/Paste) 🌍 Origin: A highly successful Russian commercial variety from the Gavrish seed company. It is the orange sibling to the red variety Khokhloma. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous, easily exceeding 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. Growers note its distinct foliage: the leaves are very … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Zemli Ukrainskoe (Ukrainian Wonder of the Earth) 🌍 Origin: A legendary pink oxheart from Ukraine. Note: Do not confuse this with the Russian commercial strain “Chudo Zemli” from Siberian Garden (SibSad), which is a completely different flat-round beefsteak. This is the true Ukrainian heart-shaped heirloom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (approx. 1.5 … Read more