Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
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Quick Summary of Chernigovskiy 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom variety hailing from Eastern Europe (named after the historic city of Chernigov). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching around 2 meters (6.5 feet). Known for its excellent disease resistance and striking dark green foliage. Performs exceptionally well both in greenhouses and outdoors. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyy Russkiy (Black Russian) 🌍 Origin: A famous old heirloom variety, highly popular among Eastern European gardeners. Interestingly, it is considered a “folk” variety, as growers note it isn’t even listed in the official Russian State Register of Seeds. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but its vigor heavily depends on the seed … Read more
Quick Summary of Borisovna’s Black Heart with a Spout 🌍 Origin: A legendary forum-born heirloom! Discovered by grower Natalya (Borisovna) from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, from a market tomato. It has since spread worldwide. Also known as Black with a Spout, Black Oxheart from Borisovna, or Chernoe Serdtse s Nosikom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.5–2.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Zemli Orange 🌍 Origin: An orange variant/strain of the famous Russian heirloom “Chudo Zemli” (Wonder of the Earth). Some growers note a strong visual resemblance to the Fox Nose (Liskin Nos) variety, though they behave differently in the garden. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. When grown in a … Read more
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Quick Summary of Chernyi Shokolad (Black Chocolate) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian cherry tomato variety, most notably distributed by the “Poisk” seed company as part of their “Vkusnoteka” (Flavor Library) series. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The bush is vigorous but has somewhat sparse foliage, meaning it doesn’t get overly bushy. Growers successfully prune it … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyi Prints (Black Prince) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Soviet-era heirloom dating back to the 1960s-1970s. Note: There is a massive issue with modern commercial seed companies selling incorrect strains (off-types). The “true” original Black Prince is highly sought after by collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: The original is indeterminate (tall), typically reaching 1.5–1.8 … Read more
Quick Summary of Tsarskiy Lyubimets (Tsar’s Favorite) 🌍 Origin: A popular Russian commercial and collector’s variety. The name translates to “Tsar’s Favorite” or “Royal Favorite”. Note: There appear to be two distinct strains circulating in the community (a red-orange regular leaf version and a raspberry-pink potato leaf version). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), typically reaching … Read more
Quick Summary of Tsarskiy Podarok (Tsar’s Gift) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad). Interestingly, growers have discovered that it is the exact same genetic variety as Sibsad’s Koroleva Elizaveta (Queen Elizabeth), simply marketed under two different names. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact, and very stocky bush. It grows … Read more
Quick Summary of Tsarevich (The Prince) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian heirloom. The name “Tsarevich” translates to “The Tsar’s Son” or “Prince”, fitting for such a noble and beautiful yellow oxheart. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and mid-early. It exhibits the classic oxheart growth habit: “wispy” or drooping, fragile-looking foliage that shouldn’t be mistaken … Read more
Quick Summary of Tsygan (Gypsy) 🌍 Origin: A very popular and reliable Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Gypsy”, a traditional naming convention in Eastern Europe for dark, mahogany-colored tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate to indeterminate. It is relatively compact, typically growing 90–120 cm (3–4 ft) tall, though it can reach 1.5 m (5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Tsifomandra 🌍 The Naming Mystery: In the West, Cyphomandra refers to the Tamarillo (a tropical tree that produces fruit). However, in Russia and Ukraine, seed companies adopted the name “Tsifomandra” for regular tomato varieties to market them as incredibly vigorous, tree-like plants with massive yields. 🧬 Strain Differences: This forum thread highlights … Read more
Quick Summary of Tsar Kolokol (Tsar Bell) 🌍 Origin: A famous Russian commercial heirloom, officially entered into the State Register in 2005 (bred by V. Dederko). The name translates to “Tsar Bell”, named after the massive historical bell on display in the Moscow Kremlin. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The plant is relatively compact, typically … Read more