Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Welcome to one of the most unique and comprehensive tomato databases on the English-speaking web. This catalog isn’t based on generic seed packet descriptions—it is built entirely on the real, hands-on experience of everyday gardeners.
For over a decade, thousands of growers have shared their successes, failures, and harvest photos on one of the oldest and largest Russian-speaking gardening forums. We have taken this massive, multi-year knowledge base and carefully translated and summarized the very best of it for you.
What you will find in our catalog:
Whether you are looking for a bulletproof hybrid for a short season, an exotic anthocyanin variety, or the sweetest beefsteak you’ve ever tasted, the collective experience of our gardening community will help you find the perfect seed for your next harvest. Browse our subcategories below to explore!
📌 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 (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: An old heirloom variety originating from Japan. It is also widely known among collectors as Barlow Japanese. One of the strains reviewed here was sourced via a seed swap from Slovenia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. Features beautiful Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, oblate (flat-round) pink … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: An interesting and somewhat unstable heirloom paste tomato. Its lineage is linked to crosses involving Amish Paste and Amish Red. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season, indeterminate. The plant has thin, wispy foliage (typical for many paste/oxheart types) but is surprisingly sturdy and not flimsy. Highly productive. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Elongated, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: A well-known early anthocyanin (blue/purple) tomato variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, very tall (often exceeding 2 meters / 6.5 ft). Known for its robust health and strong disease resistance. The foliage stays green and healthy until late in the season. Can be grown both in greenhouses and outdoors. 🍅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Big Golden Delicious 🌍 Origin: A superb golden-yellow heirloom. This particular line was sourced from well-known American tomato grower Dale Thurber. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) with excellent disease resistance. A true workhorse that provides huge yields from the beginning of the season right up until the first frost. It sets fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: A well-known heirloom variety. It is documented in Tatiana’s TOMATObase. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. It features Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Growers note that the seedlings are sturdy and don’t get leggy. It produces a manageable amount of suckers and shows good disease resistance. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful, shimmering … Read more
Quick Summary of Barossa Fest 🌍 Origin & Name: A 2017 release from the Dwarf Tomato Project. It was developed by crossing Golden Dwarf Champion with Green Giant. Fun Fact: It is named after the Barossa Valley, a famous wine-producing region in South Australia known for its annual festival. 🌿 Plant Habit: A tree-type indeterminate … Read more
Quick Summary of Bundaberg Rumball 🌍 Origin & Name: A fantastic release from the Dwarf Tomato Project. Fun Fact: It was named after a popular Australian holiday dessert—rum balls made in the city of Bundaberg, which is famous for its rum. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season, regular leaf dwarf. It grows as a highly vigorous but … Read more
Quick Summary of Bleeding Heart 🌍 Origin & Name: Another masterpiece bred by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms). While the name might sound a bit dramatic, Bleeding Heart is actually the common English name for the beautiful Dicentra flower. The tomato was named for its stunning heart shape and vibrant striping. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. … 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 Black Yum Yum 🌍 Origin & Name: A fantastic dark cocktail/salad variety. True to its name, it is highly prized for its incredibly sweet, dessert-like flavor. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, early to mid-season. Reaches about 5.5 to 6 ft (1.7-1.8 m) in height. It is a very well-behaved plant that doesn’t produce … Read more