Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Large Barred Boar 🌍 Origin: An exotic release from Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (California, USA). It has become highly popular among Russian and Eastern European heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season variety. Typically grows to about 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. It prefers a very sunny, well-ventilated spot … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Beefsteak Albi 🌍 Origin: A famous giant heirloom from Russia. This variety is a known champion at the prestigious annual “Minusinsk Tomato Champion” festival in Siberia, where growers compete to raise the heaviest tomatoes in the country. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. An absolute beast of a plant. Growers describe it as … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bronze Heart of Angel 🌍 Origin: A beautiful and exotic novelty oxheart variety. Known in Russian catalogs as Bronzovoe Serdtse Angela. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An excellent yielder. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic blunt oxheart shape. The color is absolutely stunning—a soft ochre, mustard, or bronze hue. The fruits are medium-sized, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brutus 🌍 Origin: A well-known commercial variety originating from the Czech Republic, famous for its massive size. Note: Some commercial seed companies label it as an “F1 Hybrid,” but many growers suspect this is a marketing trick to discourage seed saving, as saved seeds grow out true to type. 🌿 Plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Basajaun 🌍 Origin: A highly prized family heirloom from the Basque Country (Biscay province, Spain). Introduced to the wider heirloom community by Secret Seed Cartel. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though some greenhouse growers report it staying around 5 feet (1.5m). It is a sturdy but slow-growing plant that absolutely requires … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bucălata de Brebu 🌍 Origin: A very rare and highly sought-after heirloom tomato variety originating from Romania. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The vines are vigorous and can easily reach up to 8 feet (2.5 meters) in height, requiring sturdy staking. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic oxheart shape. The tomatoes are large … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Neves Azorean Red 🌍 Origin: A legendary Portuguese/Azorean heirloom brought to the US by Anthony Neves and popularized by Carolyn Male. Interestingly, in Russia, it was initially mistranslated by some seed sellers as “Azorean Red Under a Canopy” because the name Neves sounds exactly like the Russian word for canopy (навес)! … Read more
📌 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): Amish Paste 🌍 Origin: A legendary American heirloom tomato, famously included in Carolyn Male’s classic book, “100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden.” This thread reviews how the variety performs when grown overseas in Eastern Europe (Russia & Belarus). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous, tall, almost liana-like vine with … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Fog 🌍 Origin: A stunning bicolor variety known among collectors for its exotic appearance and incredible sweetness. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.8m (6 ft) in height. Known for excellent disease resistance and vigor. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Round, cocktail-to-salad sized tomatoes. Officially listed up to 120g (4.2 oz), … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amerikanskoe Vytyanutoe Serdtse (American Elongated Heart) 🌍 Origin & The Naming Mystery: This is where international tomato collecting gets tricky! In Russia, two very similar names circulate: Amerikanskiy Vytyanutyi (American Elongated) and Amerikanskoe Vytyanutoe Serdtse (American Elongated Heart). Many suspect it is the exact same North American heirloom that suffered from … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amerikanskiy Rebristyi (American Ribbed) 🌍 Origin: This is the famous, classic “American Ribbed” heirloom, known and loved in the West (similar to the Costoluto types). It was brought over to Russia and quickly gained popularity among collectors for its stunning appearance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally indeterminate (tall), though some growers report … Read more