Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Love dark tomatoes? You’re in the right place. We are gathering a worldwide collection of black, purple, and deep mahogany varieties, complete with real photos and honest reviews from actual growers.
If you’re growing dark heirlooms, you’ll quickly notice they fall into two main camps. The classic “black” tomatoes (like the famous Russian darks) aren’t actually black. They just retain green chlorophyll as they ripen, which mixes with red lycopene to give them a beautiful brick, mahogany, or muddy-brown color.
Then there are the modern purple/indigo varieties. These get their crazy dark colors from anthocyanins (the same stuff found in blueberries). The rule for these is simple: wherever direct sunlight hits the skin, it turns deep purple or jet black, while the shaded parts usually stay red or pink.
Most growers agree that dark tomatoes have a very specific taste profile. They are usually described as earthy, sweet, and sometimes slightly salty. Because they generally have lower acidity than classic red tomatoes, they are fantastic for fresh eating and slicing for sandwiches.
Scroll down to browse the varieties our community has tested. We document real yields, plant heights, and whether the seeds are actually worth saving for next year!
Quick Summary of Blue Jolies 🌍 Origin & Stability: A relatively new and visually stunning exotic variety. However, many growers report that the genetics are still highly unstable (it frequently segregates, producing green cocktail-sized fruits or green pears instead of the intended large orange beefsteaks). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. The bush is tall, strong, … Read more
Quick Summary of Blue Beauty 🌍 Origin: A famous American variety bred by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms). In Russia, it was sometimes mistakenly circulated under the translated name “Голубая прелесть” (Blue Charm). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (though it can sometimes self-top outdoors), regular leaf. Reaches about 4 to 6.5 ft (1.2-2 m) in height … Read more
Quick Summary of Blue Ridge Black 🌍 Origin: An American heirloom originating from the garden of Millard Murdock in East Flat Rock, North Carolina, USA. Highly prized by Russian collectors for its rich taste and adaptability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The plant is very sturdy and features massive, wide potato leaves (PL). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
Quick Summary of Brad’s Atomic Grape 🌍 Origin: A highly popular, exotic, and multi-colored variety created by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms, USA). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The seedlings are notoriously wimpy, scrawny, and slow-growing. Adult plants are very productive but have extremely brittle stems that can snap easily under the weight of the … Read more
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Quick Summary of Blue Marzano 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate / Indeterminate (medium-tall). The plants are very sturdy and reach about 1.4 m (4.5 ft) when grown outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Stunning plum-shaped tomatoes with a small “beak” (tip) at the blossom end. They are almost entirely flooded with dark purple/black anthocyanin on … Read more
Quick Summary of Bing Cherry 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Semi-determinate. Grows to a compact height of about 1.2 m (4 ft) when planted outdoors. Highly praised for its robust health, disease resistance, and cold tolerance. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Gorgeous anthocyanin (blue/purple) cherry tomatoes with a red base. They possess unique color shades that make … Read more
Quick Summary of Black Beauty 🌿 Plant Habit: INDETERMINATE (Tall/Vining). Growth is highly variable based on conditions: in greenhouses, it can easily reach 2 m (6.5 ft), but outdoors it often stays remarkably compact and sprawling (around 1 m / 3.3 ft). Regular leaf. 🌍 Origin: Introduced in 2016, this is a stunning creation by … Read more
Quick Summary of Blue Tom 🌿 Plant Habit: INDETERMINATE (Tall/Vining). It reaches about 1.8 m (6 ft) in height. Features regular leaf foliage. Growers report excellent results when pruned to two main stems. 🌍 Origin: A stunning dark anthocyanin variety that has gained immense popularity among European and Russian tomato collectors for its beauty and … Read more
Quick Summary of Blaue Kasachstan 🌿 Plant Habit: INDETERMINATE (Tall/Vining). It reaches about 1.9 m (6.2 ft) but remains relatively compact for an indeterminate. It features potato leaf foliage. 🌍 Origin: Despite the name “Blue Kazakhstan”, little is known about its exact origins, though it is believed to have been introduced via Hartman (Germany) around … Read more
Quick Summary of Alki Blue Blood 🌍 Origin: Bred by the legendary American tomato breeder Tom Wagner and introduced around 2014. It has become very popular among Eastern European collectors (such as Ruslan Dukhov). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. When grown outdoors in open ground, it typically reaches about 1-1.2 m (3.3-4 ft). It is a … Read more
Quick Summary of Antho Violettrot 🌍 Origin: A stunning novelty cherry tomato bred by the renowned German tomato breeder Reinhard Kraft. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The bush is powerful, vigorous, and visually beautiful even before the fruit ripens. It is highly resilient, low-maintenance, and performs wonderfully outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Exotic … Read more
Quick Summary of Ambrosia Giant 🌍 Origin: A striking and exceptionally vigorous heirloom variety known for its unique color and robust plant structure. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, with thick, sturdy stems and large, drooping (weeping) foliage. It is a highly aggressive grower—described by our community as a “monster” when grown in a greenhouse, where it … Read more