Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Minusinskie Yablochnye (Minusinsk Apple) is a massive, indeterminate pink beefsteak hailing from the legendary Minusinsk region of Siberia. Mid-season. The fruits are oblate or slightly apple-shaped, frequently reaching 1-2.2 lbs (500-1000 g). The vine is stout with long, wispy, drooping foliage. Growers rave about its “classic pink” flavor profile, which is incredibly … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Minusinskoe Mango (Minusinsk Mango) is a mid-season, indeterminate heirloom from the famous Minusinsk region in Siberia. It produces large, oblate, pale yellow fruits with beautiful pink blushing at the blossom end, usually weighing between 7 and 16 oz (200-450 g). Growers rave about its sweet, honey-like, exotic fruit flavor and its buttery … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Minusinskie Bychki (Minusinsk Bulls) is a massive, indeterminate heirloom hailing from Siberia. It typically produces large pink or red blunt hearts weighing anywhere from 5.3 to 14 oz (150-400 g) and beyond. Growers report an exceptionally sweet, meaty, and buttery flavor profile with no hard cores or green shoulders. Some folks note … Read more
At a Glance Fruit: Massive pink hearts, frequently throwing 2+ lb megablooms. Very meaty with almost no seeds. Flavor Profile: Outstanding “old-school” true heirloom flavor—sweet, aromatic, and rich. Growth Habit: Indeterminate vines, relatively compact (around 5’3″), setting fruit continuously until frost. Season: Surprisingly early for such a massive fruiting variety. History: A rescued Russian family … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Malakhitovaya Shkatulka (Malachite Box) is an indeterminate Green-When-Ripe (GWR) beefsteak that frequently tops favorite flavor polls. It offers a unique, incredibly sweet, fruity flavor that doesn’t taste like a traditional tomato. Growers recommend staking it heavily, as the vines are somewhat thin but produce massive fruits that will drag the plant down … Read more
At a Glance: Meat Breakfast Tomato (Myasnoy Zavtrak) 🍅 Quick take: Myasnoy Zavtrak (Meat Breakfast) is a mid-season, indeterminate orange beefsteak variety. It produces massive, oblate, meaty fruits that can reach over 2 lbs (1 kg). Growers praise its phenomenal sweet flavor and vigorous vines, though experiences with yield and storage shelf life are somewhat … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mikado Rozovyi (Pink Mikado) is an early-season indeterminate pink beefsteak that is heavily debated regarding its foliage. True Russian growers insist it must have a potato leaf (PL). It produces sweet, meaty, flat-round fruits ranging from 8 oz to a solid 2 lbs (250-900 g) and performs exceptionally well both in the … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Frog Princess (Lyagushka-Tsarevna) is a mid-to-late season, indeterminate Green-When-Ripe (GWR) tomato distributed by Gavrish. The packet promises 8.8 oz (250 g) fruits, though most growers experienced smaller yields averaging around 3.5-7 oz (100-200 g). The flavor is generally considered good, with some praising its sweet, buttery flesh; but others found it overly … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Leningrad Giant is an early-season, determinate beefsteak tomato bred specifically to produce massive slicers in short, cool northern summers. The compact bush stays under 3 feet (80 cm) but manages to pump out heavy yields of pink fruits averaging 10.5 oz (300 g), with some growers pulling 1.5 lb (685 g) whoppers. … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lyubimyi Malyshik (Favorite Baby) is a mid-season, indeterminate Russian family heirloom promoted heavily by seed vendor V. Kolyakov. The vendor claims it produces incredibly beautiful, sugary fruits up to 7 oz (200 g) with great late blight resistance and massive yields. However, real-world grower experience tells a different story: poor yields, constant … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lev Minusinskiy (Minusinsk Lion) is a striking, heavily ribbed, indeterminate heirloom from the famous Minusinsk region of Siberia. Producing large, meaty beefsteaks often weighing well over 10.5 oz (300 g), growers praise its rich, sweet flavor and excellent shelf life. While the flesh is thick and dense, some slices may reveal hollow … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lopatinskie is a highly productive, large-fruited variety that is the subject of a massive seed-source split in the gardening community. Growers buying commercial packets (usually from Siberian Garden / SibSad) often get a short determinate bush producing red fruits. Meanwhile, seeds passed around by private collectors usually result in a tall indeterminate … Read more