Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Shokoladka F1 (Little Chocolate F1) 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid originally released by the Russian seed company “SeDek” (also distributed by Ukrainian private collectors). The name translates to “Chocolate Bar”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, medium-tall. Outdoors it reaches about 1.7 m (5.5 ft). The foliage is somewhat thin and sparse (wispy), … Read more
Quick Summary of Shalun (Playful) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from Siberian breeders. The name translates to “Playful” or “Mischievous”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, reaching about 2 m (6.5 ft). The plant has a very specific structure: it is highly compact with sparse, open foliage (often described as wispy). It takes up very little space, … Read more
Quick Summary of Matt’s Hornet 🌍 Origin: A beautiful artisan-style novelty tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It is a very manageable plant, reaching about 1.3 meters (4.3 ft) when grown in a greenhouse. Pro Tip: Growers recommend letting it branch out freely—after the first flower truss appears, you can completely stop pruning (suckering) the plant. … Read more
Quick Summary of Dwarf Shimofuri (Frost Waterfall) 🌍 Origin & History: An incredibly unique variegated variety created by US tomato breeder and enthusiast Applestar. She crossed the trailing variety Whippersnapper with Faelan’s First Snow. The name “Shimofuri” is a Japanese term meaning “marbled” or “white-veined” (often used to describe premium Wagyu beef), which perfectly describes … Read more
Quick Summary of Shokoladniy Zaychik (Chocolate Bunny) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial and collector variety from Russia. The name translates to “Chocolate Bunny”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally an indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous plant. However, growers note it is very sensitive to soil moisture and fertility; in dry, sandy soils, it may act like … Read more
Quick Summary of the Shokoladka F1 (Little Chocolate) Segregants 🌍 Origin & Context: A fascinating community experiment in de-hybridizing a commercial Russian F1 hybrid called “Shokoladka” (Little Chocolate). Growers planted saved seeds from the F1 generation and documented the resulting F2 and F3 segregations (off-types). 🧬 The Segregating Lines: The hybrid split into three distinct … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherri Uralskoe (Ural Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A private, exclusive Russian variety developed over 6 years by breeder Nikolay Alexandrov. It is not sold in commercial stores. 🌿 Plant Habit: An incredibly vigorous, massive indeterminate plant. If left unpruned, its aggressive suckers will grow sideways for meters and even try to root into … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Sveta (Wonder of the World) 🌍 Origin: A very popular, beautiful Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Wonder of the World”, though it is sometimes visually compared to a small lemon. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and strongly growing plant (reaching over 2 meters / 6.5 ft in greenhouses). … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherry Ira F1 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial F1 hybrid from the Russian seed company “Semko”. Often sold at a premium price compared to standard seeds. 🌿 Plant Habit: An extremely vigorous, wildly growing indeterminate. It can easily surpass 3 meters (10 ft) in height. It produces a massive amount of … Read more
Quick Summary of Black and Brown Boar 🌍 Origin: A famous American variety developed by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms). In Russia, it circulates under the translated name Cherno-Korichnevyi Kaban. It is fascinating to see how this California native performs in the harsh climates of Russia and Siberia! 🌿 Plant Habit: Tall indeterminate, reaching up … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernaya Lakomka (Black Gourmand) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the “Poisk” seed company. The name translates roughly to “Black Gourmand” or “Black Sweet Tooth”, highlighting its dessert-like flavor profile. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tall indeterminate, typically reaching 1.5–2 meters (5–6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. It sets fruit in clusters and has … Read more
Quick Summary of Chainaya Roza (Tea Rose) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name translates to “Tea Rose,” hinting at its delicate pink color. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly variable depending on the seed batch. Some growers report a tall indeterminate plant reaching 1.7 m (5.5 ft), while … Read more