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: Creamsicle Grape 🌍 Origin: A relatively new US release, bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms. 🌱 Plant Habit: A vigorous, tall-growing indeterminate vine that can easily reach over 6.5 ft (2.0 m) in height. Highly productive and known for excellent fruit set. 🍅 Fruit & Yield: Produces elongated “grape” or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Barbaris F1 (Barberry) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian cherry hybrid. The name translates to “Barberry”. Warning: There seem to be multiple, highly inconsistent versions of this seed sold by different companies (like Sib-Sad). Some packets produce red, round, tiny 0.4 oz (12 g) cherries, while others produce elongated, pink 1.4 oz … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Balkoni Elo (Balcony Yellow) F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial container variety sold by the Russian seed company “Biotechnika”. Interesting Note: While marketed in Russia as an F1 Hybrid, European growers regularly save seeds and get perfectly uniform plants, proving it is actually an OP (Open-Pollinated) variety. Just a classic seed company … 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): Bychiy Glaz (Bull’s Eye) 🌍 Origin & Naming Confusion: The name translates to “Bull’s Eye”. Important Note: There is a major name collision here! In the North American heirloom community (via Tatiana’s TOMATObase), “Bychiy Glaz” refers to a medium-sized, heart-shaped red tomato sourced from a private Russian collector. However, the commercial … 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
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aligote 🌍 Origin: A commercial French cherry tomato from the well-known seed company, Vilmorin. Often discussed online as an F1 Hybrid, though sometimes sold without the hybrid label. 🌿 Plant Habit: Can reach up to 1.5m (5 ft) tall. The official seed packet suggests severe pruning (topping the plant after just … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Best & Worst Cherry Tomatoes of the Season 🏆 The Sweetest Winners: Summer Sun F1, Blush, and Sweet Cream dominated the summer with incredible, fruit-like sweetness. 😲 The Late Surprise: Yasik was average all summer, but late in the season, the fruits left on the vine turned into an absolute sugar … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aztek (Ацтек) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety popular in Eastern Europe, designed specifically for small spaces. The name translates to “Aztec”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Micro-dwarf (determinate). The plant is extremely compact, reaching only 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) in height. It requires absolutely no pruning or staking. Perfect for balcony containers, patio … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Afro-Cherry 🌍 Origin: A commercial dark-fruited cocktail tomato variety developed by Russian breeders. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The plant grows to about 1.8-2.2 m (6-7.2 ft) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Dark mahogany/cherry-colored cocktail tomatoes weighing 40-50 g (1.4-1.8 oz). They are very glossy, thick-walled, and grow in clusters of … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Accordion Cherry (Akkordeon Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A very unique, heavily ribbed red cherry/cocktail tomato. Extremely popular among Russian heirloom collectors for its striking appearance and long shelf life. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 meters (6.5+ ft) in a greenhouse. The adult plant is powerful and vigorous, though seedlings … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Akrobat (Acrobat) 🌍 Origin: A Russian cascading (trailing) cherry tomato variety bred specifically for container gardening, hanging baskets, and small spaces. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, micro-dwarf/cascading type. It naturally forms a lush, cascading waterfall of foliage and fruit. If staked upright, it reaches about 50 cm (20 inches) in height. Highly … Read more