Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Serdce Mordovii Rozovoe (Heart of Mordovia Pink) 🌍 Origin: An old, unregistered family heirloom originating from the Republic of Mordovia, Russia. Note: Russian breeder Dmitry Gusev sells a “Red” version of this tomato, but the strain featured here is the highly prized Pink/Raspberry version. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and tall. It reaches … Read more
Quick Summary of Samokhval (The Boaster) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad). The name translates to “The Boaster” or “Show-off.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season, indeterminate plant. Reaches heights of 1.2–1.7 meters (4 to 5.5 ft) depending on whether it is grown outdoors or in a greenhouse. It … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdce Tibeta (Heart of Tibet) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive Russian collector’s variety (seeds originally distributed by breeder Gusev). The name translates to “Heart of Tibet”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It exhibits classic oxheart traits, meaning the bush is not overly vigorous and has delicate, “wispy” foliage. Outdoors it grows to about … Read more
Quick Summary of Sprint-Timer 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian giant heirloom. It gained massive fame when a grower won the 2016 “Minusinsk Tomato Day” (Russia’s famous giant tomato competition) with a Sprint-Timer fruit weighing a whopping 1.878 kg (4.14 lbs)! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate with thick, robust stems. Typically grows up to 1.5 meters (5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Sakharnaya Nastasya (Sugar Nastasya) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Gavrish” seed company. The name translates to “Sugar Nastasya” (Nastasya is a traditional, folksy diminutive of the name Anastasia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very vigorous. While the seed packet claims it grows up to 1.5m (5 ft), real … Read more
Quick Summary of Heart of Ashgabat (Сердце Ашхабада) 🌍 Origin & Variations: A famous old Soviet-era heirloom (Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan). Interestingly, modern seed networks circulate two distinct shapes under this name: a classic pointed orange oxheart, and a flattened-round orange beefsteak. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing to about 1.5 – 1.8 meters … Read more
Quick Summary of Cuore di Dronero 🌍 Origin: A magnificent traditional Italian heirloom (translates to “Heart of Dronero”). It has become highly prized among Russian growers under the translated name “Serdtse Dronero”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, very tall, and vigorous. It easily reaches the greenhouse ceiling and will keep growing along the roof. Despite the … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdtse Pustyni (Desert Heart) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern variety developed by Vitaly Alifirov, a well-known breeder from Almaty, Kazakhstan. The name translates to “Desert Heart”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. The bush is compact, not overly leafy (“well-behaved”), and highly disease-resistant. It sets fruit reliably from bottom to top without … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdtse Buyvola (Buffalo Heart) 🌍 Origin & Name Confusion: There are actually two distinct varieties circulating among Russian growers under the translated name “Buffalo Heart” (Serdtse Buyvola). 1) The Siberian version (SibSad): A pink, smooth oxheart that is usually determinate or semi-determinate. 2) The European version: An imported French/Spanish variety (Corazon de … Read more
Quick Summary of Sto Pudov (A Hundred Poods) 🌍 Origin: A very famous Russian commercial variety (originally released by the seed company Aelita). The name “Sto Pudov” translates to “A Hundred Poods” (a ‘pood’ is an old Russian unit of weight equal to 16.38 kg), hinting at the massive, heavy yields this variety produces. 🌿 … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdtse Lyuby (Lyuba’s Heart) 🌍 Origin: A wonderful Russian collector’s variety. The name translates to “Lyuba’s Heart” (Lyuba is short for Lyubov, which also means “Love” in Russian). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Can grow very vigorous and tall in a greenhouse (some growers report tying it to the ceiling), though its … Read more
Quick Summary of Sparkling Purple Fire (Sverkajushiy Purpurnyj Ogonek) 🌍 Origin: A modern variety developed by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. It is the result of crossing the famous Rebel Starfighter (Zvezdnyi Istrebitel) with Night Star (Nochnaya Zvezda). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vining). Grows into slender vines around 1.8 meters (6 ft) tall in a … Read more