Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Big Yellow Zebra 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but the vines aren’t overly aggressive or huge (usually around 1.6m / 5.2 ft). Known for being quite early, especially in difficult or short summer seasons. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oblate (flat-round) bright yellow beefsteaks with very subtle, faint light-yellow stripes (which can sometimes … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Big Rainbow (Bolshaya Raduga) 🌍 Origin: A famous American heirloom originally from Minnesota. In Russia, it is widely grown and traded among collectors under the translated name “Bolshaya Raduga” (Большая радуга). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Usually grows between 1.8 – 2 meters (6-6.5 ft) in a greenhouse, but can be … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bunte Pflaume 🌍 Origin: A German heirloom variety whose name translates to “Colorful Plum” or “Variegated Plum”. Widely circulated among Russian collectors (such as V. Popenko). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Height varies depending on growing conditions: reaches about 180 cm (6 ft) in a greenhouse, but stays a more compact 1 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Burracker’s Favorite 🌍 Origin: A famous heirloom variety from the USA (Virginia), named after the Burracker Hollow in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was introduced to the gardening world by Craig LeHoullier. In Russia, it’s known as “Burrakerskie Lyubimtsy”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The plant is notorious for having somewhat “wimpy” … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gramma Climen Hagen 🌍 Origin: An heirloom from the McIntee family, grown for many years by their grandmother, Bertha Jean (Anderson) Climenhaga (born in 1910). Introduced to seed collectors by Dale Thurber. Note: The variety is often circulated under the spelling “Gramma Climen Hagen”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A heavy-yielding … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Big White Pink Stripes 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom variety. Often traded in Russian seed circles under the translated name “Bolshiye Belye Polosy” (Large White Stripes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A vigorous and robust plant that performs well both in greenhouses and outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Casady’s Folly (Безумие Кэсиди) 🌍 Origin: Bred by the famous American tomato breeder Tom Wagner. It is a stunning, elongated, red-and-gold striped paste/plum tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly Debated! The forum community has discovered two distinct genetic lines circulating in Russia: one is a tall, spindly, wispy-leafed indeterminate (often reaching 5-6.5 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bogatyr Ilyusha 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Hero Ilyusha”, referencing a legendary strongman from Slavic folklore. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Can be grown successfully both in a greenhouse and outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, blunt oxhearts … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Large Barred Boar 🌍 Origin: An exotic release from Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (California, USA). It has become highly popular among Russian and Eastern European heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season variety. Typically grows to about 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. It prefers a very sunny, well-ventilated spot … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blazhenstvo (Bliss) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern variety introduced by Russian breeder and collector Sofia Saakova. The name translates beautifully to “Bliss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has proven to be quite resistant to Leaf Mold (Cladosporium), staying healthy late into the season. Note: It is a late-season variety in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bronze Heart of Angel 🌍 Origin: A beautiful and exotic novelty oxheart variety. Known in Russian catalogs as Bronzovoe Serdtse Angela. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An excellent yielder. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic blunt oxheart shape. The color is absolutely stunning—a soft ochre, mustard, or bronze hue. The fruits are medium-sized, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Pig 🌍 Origin: A stunning striped bicolor variety bred by the legendary American breeder Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A massive, powerful vine that sets very heavy fruits. Requires strong support, as the trusses can break under the weight. Being a “southern” (California) variety, it can … Read more