Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: IPK LYC 859 El Salvador is an indeterminate, mid-season, multi-purpose red plum tomato with a distinctive pointed tip. While the flavor is described as mild or slightly bland (making it better suited for processing or canning rather than fresh eating), its main standout feature is its massive yield. Growers report that this … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Indigo Rose is a famous anthocyanin-rich, indeterminate/semi-determinate cocktail tomato bred by Dr. Jim Myers at Oregon State University. It produces stunning dark purple-to-black fruits that weigh 1.2-2.5 oz (35-70 g). In this massive thread, growers debate its merits. While everyone agrees the plants are gorgeous and highly resistant to late blight, opinions … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Ivory Tears is an indeterminate, wispy regular-leaf cherry tomato bred in Belgium by Philippe Vermeulen and Gerd Freyman. It produces stunning translucent ivory-white, teardrop-shaped fruits with an incredibly sweet, fruity flavor. Growers highlight its heavy yields right up until frost, total resistance to BER, and amazing taste that makes them disappear straight … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Homer’s German Oxheart is an indeterminate, late-season red oxheart. It produces large, slightly ribbed hearts with very few seeds and dense, buttery flesh. Growers note that while it isn’t an extremely heavy producer (averaging around 8 fruits per plant), the sheer size—most weighing around 14 oz (400 g)—and excellent, aromatic flavor make … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hartsack Yellow is an indeterminate, mid-season bicolor beefsteak originating from the US. It is highly praised for being one of the earliest bicolors to ripen, producing gorgeous gold, orange, and pink fruits that rarely crack. Growers love its juicy texture and complex, balanced sweet flavor. An excellent, heavy-yielding slicer, though fruits picked … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hartsack Purple is an indeterminate, mid-season regular leaf slicer. It produces large, dark pink oblate beefsteaks known for their unique shimmering skin and meaty, juicy flesh with tiny seed cavities. Growers report very good, balanced flavor and solid yields, especially in a greenhouse where the vigorous vines will easily reach the roof … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hunk Purple is an indeterminate, mid-season potato leaf variety bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms (USA). It produces meaty, purple-black tomatoes weighing up to 5.3 oz (150 g). Despite slow germination and some early cold damage when grown outdoors, growers report that it reliably sets fruit all season long. It … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Herta is a tall, indeterminate, mid-season slicer originating from Austria. It produces fleshy red tomatoes with an incredibly thin, easy-to-peel skin. Growers praise it for being a totally fuss-free, reliable producer that doesn’t drop blossoms in the greenhouse, offering a perfectly balanced, old-fashioned classic tomato flavor. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Herztomate Riehen is an indeterminate, mid-season red oxheart known for its classic wispy foliage and meaty, medium-to-large fruits. Growers report a nicely balanced, sweet flavor that makes it a perfect slicer for fresh eating. While outdoor yields might be just average, greenhouse growers have seen solid, above-average harvests. Full summary ↓ Growers’ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Himmelstürmer (German for “Sky Stormer”) is an insanely vigorous, towering indeterminate vine rumored to be a cross between San Marzano and De Barao. Capable of reaching 10 to 20 feet (3-6 m), it produces huge clusters of firm, 1.5-2 oz (50 g) red plum tomatoes that keep very well post-harvest. Growers note … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Heshpole is a somewhat unusual indeterminate pink oxheart that features sturdy potato leaf foliage instead of the typical wispy vines. It produces plump, uniform 7 to 10.5 oz (200-300 g) hearts with a sweet flavor profile. While not a massive yielder, it shines as an early-season producer, making it an excellent choice … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hay’s is an indeterminate, early-season oxheart believed to originate from Bulgaria. It produces gorgeous raspberry-pink hearts with an elongated tip, weighing anywhere from 7 oz to over a pound. Growers praise it for shrugging off temperature swings, powering through extreme heat, and delivering a phenomenal sweet flavor. A solid producer for both … Read more