Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Pig 🌍 Origin: A stunning striped bicolor variety bred by the legendary American breeder Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A massive, powerful vine that sets very heavy fruits. Requires strong support, as the trusses can break under the weight. Being a “southern” (California) variety, it can … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Zebra 🌍 Origin: A stunning stabilized cross, likely originating from a mix of the classic Pineapple and Green Zebra tomatoes. Widely known among US and European growers, it is highly prized by collectors for its adaptability and stunning appearance in colder climates. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and vigorous. Performs … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Heart (Ananasnoe Serdtse) 🌍 Origin: An unstable exotic selection created by the well-known breeder A.I. Kulik. It originated as a genetic segregation (off-type) of another variety, and growers are still actively stabilizing it. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-early to mid-late season. Because the variety is still segregating, growers report … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Almatinskiy Tricolor (Almaty Tricolor) 🌍 Origin: A relatively new but already highly sought-after variety bred by the famous tomato breeder Vitaly Alifirov from Almaty, Kazakhstan. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and highly productive. Usually ripens mid-season, though it can lean towards late-season in cooler climates. It keeps setting fruit well … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cherokee Lime Stripes 🌍 Origin: An American heirloom variety discovered by breeder Bill Jeffers. It is believed to be a natural mutation or cross involving ‘Cherokee Green’. Sometimes traded as “Cherokee Lime Stripes (Purple Green)”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In open ground, it can stay relatively compact (around 1 meter / … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Copper River 🌍 Origin: A breathtakingly beautiful tricolor heirloom bred by Lynn Brown in Napa Valley, California. It was later widely distributed by famous tomato collectors (such as Reinhard Kraft). 🌿 Plant Habit: Ranges from semi-determinate to a manageable indeterminate (usually topping out between 1.2m and 1.6m / 4–5.5 ft). It … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful striped variety bred by the famous American tomato breeder Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms). In Russia, it is known in translation as Svetlyi Kaban. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. It grows tall and vigorous, easily reaching 2 meters (6.5 ft) when grown in a greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial Russian/Ukrainian heirloom that has caused a lot of naming controversy! Many growers assume “Black Sea Man” is just a direct translation of the Russian variety Chernomor. However, as documented by growers in this thread who planted both side-by-side, they are completely different varieties. The strain … Read more
Quick Summary of Berkeley Tie-Dye Green 🌍 Origin & Lineage: A breathtaking green variation bred by the legendary Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms) in California. It is a standout member of his iconic Tie-Dye family, which also includes the original Berkeley Tie-Dye, the highly popular Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye, and the beautiful Berkeley Tie-Dye Heart. 🌿 … Read more
Quick Summary of Berkeley Tie-Dye & Berkeley Tie-Dye Heart 🌿 Plant Habit: INDETERMINATE (Tall/Vining). Both the standard and the “Heart” versions are tall, vigorous plants that can easily reach up to 2 m (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. Regular leaf. Be careful not to over-fertilize with nitrogen early on, as they can grow too vegetatively … Read more
Quick Summary of Dwarf Uluru Ochre 🌿 Plant Habit: DWARF (Tree-type/Determinate). A sturdy, stocky plant with thick stems and dark green, rugose (wrinkled) foliage. While categorized as a dwarf, height is highly variable: from 0.6-0.8 m (2-2.5 ft) in pots or outdoors, up to a massive 1.5 m (5 ft) inside a greenhouse. It creates … Read more
Quick Summary of Aunt Ruby’s German Green 🌍 Origin: A famous heirloom variety originating from Germany and popularized in the USA. Very popular among Russian growers as well. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and generally well-behaved. However, it is highly dependent on sunlight and warmth to develop its best flavor. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, oblate, … Read more