Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Mandarin (Mandarinka) is an orange, cocktail-sized indeterminate tomato marketed for its heavy clusters and early ripening. However, grower consensus is highly critical: most find it bland, watery, prone to splitting during canning, and failing to meet the yields promised by commercial seed vendors. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Matroskin is a rugged, low-maintenance dwarf tomato that produces beautiful red-and-pale-yellow striped fruits with a slight point. Given its compact size, it is a fantastic candidate for containers or the front of a high tunnel. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 8 Experience) R Rodebielesumer (Elena) 1,832 Posts 📍 … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Pink Monisto is a cocktail-sized pink tomato that seed companies claim will produce massive trusses, but in reality, it often delivers much smaller clusters. While visually attractive and great for canning, growers report average flavor and a somewhat mealy texture. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 8 Experience) R … Read more
🍅 Quick take: The name Michurinets refers to two completely different tomato strains circulating among growers, both featuring potato-leaf (PL) foliage. Strain 1 (The Early Dwarf): A short, rugose tree-type (determinate) bush that produces small, early 3 oz (80-90 g) red tomatoes. Excellent for short-season climates. Strain 2 (The Brandywine Cousin): An indeterminate PL heirloom … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mano is a super compact, early-season determinate bush that thrives in containers. Maxing out around just 16 inches (40 cm), it produces sweet, red cocktail-sized tomatoes weighing 1.4-2.1 oz (40-60 g). Because of its miniature footprint, growers often use it as an understory crop beneath tall vines in the greenhouse. Full summary … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Moravskoe Chudo (Moravian Wonder / Stupice) is an extremely early, potato-leaf indeterminate variety that produces clusters of sweet, red cocktail-sized tomatoes 1.4-2.8 oz (40-80 g). Growers love it for being one of the first tomatoes to ripen in the garden, often beating out other famous early varieties while maintaining a surprisingly sweet, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Liqueur F1 is an early-season, indeterminate orange cocktail tomato from Russian breeder Lyubov Myazina. While the packet says the fruits average 1 oz (25 g), greenhouse growers report them easily doubling in size to 1.5-1.8 oz (45-50 g). The vine is well-behaved with sparse foliage and responds great to being pruned to … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Leningrad Early (Leningradskiy Skorospelyi) is an ultra-early, tree-type dwarf tomato. Originally bred for harsh, short-season climates, it pumps out its entire crop so fast that it completely dodges late season diseases like late blight. Outdoors, it stays a tiny 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) tall and requires zero pruning. However, growers warn that … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lyana Rozovaya (Pink Lyana) is a very early, determinate pink tomato designed for outdoor growing. The compact bush stays around 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) tall and produces uniform, meaty, 3-3.5 oz (90-100 g) fruits that are perfect for whole-fruit canning. While the seed packet claims it needs zero pruning, most growers highly … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Ledenets (which translates to “Lollipop” or “Hard Candy”) is an early-season, very low-maintenance small plum tomato originally from the Russian seed company Biotekhnika. It produces massive amounts of 1.5-1.8 oz (40-50 g) elongated red fruits. Outdoors in cold climates, it behaves like a compact 20-inch (50 cm) bush, but under cover, it … Read more
🍅 Quick take: I Want Larisa Ivanovna (Larisu Ivanovnu Hochu) is an incredibly productive determinate bush tomato named after a famous quote from a classic Soviet movie. It produces a massive abundance of perfectly uniform, round, 2 oz (60 g) red cocktail tomatoes. Growers praise its outstanding sweet flavor, low maintenance, and perfect size for … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lyubasha F1 is an ultra-early determinate hybrid heavily marketed by the Russian seed company Partner. It is bred for heavy yields, disease resistance, and perfectly uniform red fruits weighing 3-5 oz (80-140 g). While it excels as a durable, highly productive canning tomato with a firm texture, growers are deeply divided on … Read more