Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bakinskie (From Baku) 🌍 Origin: This is a fascinating collector’s variety. Originally, it was a “numbered test line” sent directly from a breeder in Baku, Azerbaijan, to members of the Russian ForumHouse for trial grow-outs. Because it never received an official name, growers simply started calling it “Bakinskie” (From Baku). Note: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bolshaya Deva (Big Maiden) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name “Bolshaya Deva” translates to “Big Maiden” or “Big Virgin.” Note: It should not be confused with the pink variety simply named “Deva.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as determinate, but acts more like a semi-determinate. Grown outdoors in open … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Balkonnoe Chudo (Balcony Miracle) 🌍 The Great Seed Mystery: “Balkonnoe Chudo” translates to “Balcony Miracle.” It is arguably the most counterfeited/mislabelled tomato variety in Russia. Because the name is so marketable for apartment growers, seed companies slap this label on almost anything. 🌿 What it SHOULD be: A true micro-dwarf (about … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Baron Solemacher 🌍 Origin: A unique Eastern European dwarf tomato. (Note: Not to be confused with the famous alpine strawberry variety of the same name!). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Micro-Dwarf. Officially listed at 30 cm (12 inches) tall, though it can reach 45-50 cm (18-20 inches) in ideal conditions. The … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bochata (Little Barrels) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Siberian seed company “Semena Altaya”. The name translates to “Little Barrels”, reflecting their blocky, plump shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate. Grows to about 90-110 cm (3-3.5 ft). Performs incredibly well out in the garden (open ground), especially in “hot beds” (manure/compost … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Boni MM (Boney M) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial Russian variety, primarily distributed by the Gavrish seed company. Named in honor of the popular disco group Boney M. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate rugose dwarf (tree-type). Extremely compact, usually topping out around 40-50 cm (1.5 ft). Highly prized because the seedlings … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buyan Zheltyi (Buyan Yellow) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, officially registered in the Russian State Register for the West Siberian region. Also known as “Boets Yellow” (Fighter Yellow). 🌿 Plant Habit: Rugose determinate dwarf (tree-type). Extremely compact, sturdy, and short, typically reaching only 30-60 cm (1-2 ft). Seedlings do not … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Black John (Blek Dzhon) 🌍 Origin: A dark Russian variety circulated by domestic seed vendors (like Brizhan and L. Myazina). Note: Some growers report older seed lines segregating, producing a mix of Potato Leaf (PL) and Regular Leaf (RL) plants. The original, stable strain should be PL. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tall … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dwarf BSP 🌍 Origin: An independent dwarf variety bred in the USA. Seeds in this thread trace back to a well-known grower named Dale, who has been developing a whole family of experimental tree-type dwarfs (including OPO, PPI, ZSO, etc.). 🌿 Plant Habit: Tree-type dwarf with regular leaf (RL) foliage. Despite … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Betta (Бетта) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian dwarf/bush variety widely praised for its ultra-early production. 🌿 Plant Habit: A true dwarf/tree-type (штамб). The plants are very compact and sturdy, typically reaching only 16-20 inches (40-50 cm). They feature broad, rugose-type foliage. Despite their sturdy trunks, they usually require staking once loaded … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Krasnyi (Red Banana) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Red Banana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally a compact determinate (bush) plant growing about 2-2.5 feet (60-80 cm) tall, though some seed lines seem to produce indeterminate vines. Extremely sturdy and known for being highly forgiving … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bozhya Korovka (Ladybug) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Ladybug”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly debated! The seed packet claims it is a compact determinate (12-20 inches / 30-50 cm). However, almost all forum growers report it growing huge—up to 5-6.5 feet … Read more