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 of Striped Roman (Rimskiy Polosatyi) 🌍 Origin: A famous American heirloom known in the Russian tomato community as “Rimskiy Polosatyi”. 🍅 The Great Debate (Striped vs. Speckled): This forum thread perfectly captures the classic confusion surrounding this variety. As noted by growers (and Tatiana’s TOMATObase), there are essentially two circulating lines: Striped Roman … Read more
Quick Summary of Dwarf Antho Pink Panther 🌍 Origin: A stunning anthocyanin dwarf variety. In the Russian community, it is known as “Rozovaya Pantera Anto, Gnom”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season dwarf. Unlike most typical sturdy/stocky Dwarf Tomato Project varieties, this one has thin, graceful, wispy foliage. It grows up to 1 meter (about 3.3 ft) … Read more
Quick Summary of Andine Cornue Orange (Rog And Oranzhevyi) 🌍 Origin: An orange variant of the famous Andean/French heirloom (Cornue des Andes). In the Russian tomato community, it is affectionately known as “Rog And Oranzhevyi” (Horn of the Andes Orange) or “Andean Horned Orange”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and highly productive. Performs exceptionally … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovye Krupnye (Large Pink) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian family heirloom. It was popularized by a famous forum member, Ninulia, who has been saving and distributing its seeds since 2002. It often circulates as “Rozovye Krupnye from Ninulia”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching the ceiling in greenhouses. The plant habit is … Read more
Quick Summary of Sofia’s Red Comet (Ryzhaya Kometa Sofii) 🌍 Origin: A magnificent modern breeding line created by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. The name translates to “Sofia’s Red Comet” (or literally “Ginger/Red-haired Comet”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing to about 1.8m – 2m (6 – 6.5 ft). Mid-early ripening. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: The breeder’s description … Read more
Quick Summary of Texas Rose (Roza Tekhasa) 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom circulating among Russian tomato collectors under the translated name Roza Tekhasa (Texas Rose). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season ripening. Unlike many oxheart varieties that tend to have frail, “wispy” foliage, this plant is noted for being highly vigorous with very strong, sturdy … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozov Dar (Pink Gift) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial heirloom from Bulgaria, produced by the “Florian” seed company. The name translates to “Pink Gift”. It is part of a famous family of Bulgarian pink tomatoes, alongside Rozova Mistika (Pink Mystique) and Rozov Ideal. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season to late-ripening. Unlike … Read more
Quick Summary of Robs 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial Russian variety originally distributed by the “Elkom” seed company. Fun fact about the name: Growers eventually figured out that it isn’t named after a guy named Rob! “ROBS” is actually an acronym for ROzovoye Byche Serdse (Pink Oxheart). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 … Read more
Quick Summary of Primadonna F1 🌍 Origin: A very popular early-season F1 hybrid available from several Russian and international seed companies (SibSad, Aelita, Seminis, Prestige). 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally described as a compact or short indeterminate, growing around 1.3m to 2m (4.2–6.5 ft) in a greenhouse depending on feeding. It produces very few suckers, making … Read more
Quick Summary of Paslyon Chernyy (Black Nightshade) 🌍 Origin: A Russian club variety (originally distributed by the St. Petersburg Tomato Club). The name intriguingly translates to “Black Nightshade”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, but a very tall one! It grows to about 1.5–1.7m (5–5.5 ft) before it terminates (self-tops) and stops growing upward. It performs very … Read more
Quick Summary of Pineapple Striped (Polosatyy Ananas) 🌍 Origin: A stunning bicolor heirloom obtained from an amateur tomato collector in Bulgaria. In Russian collections, it circulates under the translated name Polosatyy Ananas. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. Typically grows to about 1.6m (5.2 ft) tall. Performs best when planted in a prime, sunny … Read more
Quick Summary of Pantano (Pantano Romanesco) 🌍 Origin: A classic traditional Italian heirloom variety. It is widely known internationally as Pantano Romanesco, though some seed swappers circulate it simply as Pantano. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but praised for being very sturdy and not prone to getting leggy or stretching. It performs decently outdoors in … Read more