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 take: A compact, early determinate variety producing sweet, yellow-orange elongated hearts. Known for setting fruit reliably even in cool, wet weather and boasting wispy, weeping foliage. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-4) S Semechka Pro | 23,540 posts 📍 Krasnoyarsk suburbs (USDA Zone 3) D decorshtor (Irina) Beginner | … Read more
🍅 Quick take: A mid-season, potato-leaf indeterminate producing cream-colored, 7 oz (200 g) fruits with a sweet, fruity flavor. Highly praised for taste but notorious for its extremely short shelf life. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4) B borchanochka (Polina) Pro | 9,895 posts 📍 Bor, Nizhny Novgorod region (USDA Zone … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mongolian Dwarf is a unique, extreme micro-dwarf that grows like a creeping ground cover rather than a traditional bush. While it rarely exceeds 12 inches (30 cm) in height, it can sprawl over 24 inches (60 cm) wide. It requires zero pruning or staking and is highly prized for setting early fruit … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mikada Orange is a sweet, meaty, and highly aromatic orange tomato. While the “true” version is a tall, Potato Leaf (PL) heirloom, rampant commercial renaming has flooded the market with Regular Leaf (RL) variants. Regardless of leaf type, growers consistently praise its fantastic fruity flavor and juicy texture. Full summary ↓ Growers’ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Gardener’s Dream (Mechta Ogorodnika) is a determinate, compact red tomato marketed as an early producer. While its fresh flavor is widely considered average, it boasts incredible storage life—allowing some growers to eat fresh tomatoes in January—and works perfectly for juicing and salads. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4 … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mandarin (Mandarinka) is an orange, cocktail-sized indeterminate tomato marketed for its heavy clusters and early ripening. However, grower consensus is highly critical: most find it bland, watery, prone to splitting during canning, and failing to meet the yields promised by commercial seed vendors. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Matroskin is a rugged, low-maintenance dwarf tomato that produces beautiful red-and-pale-yellow striped fruits with a slight point. Given its compact size, it is a fantastic candidate for containers or the front of a high tunnel. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 8 Experience) R Rodebielesumer (Elena) 1,832 Posts 📍 … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Pink Monisto is a cocktail-sized pink tomato that seed companies claim will produce massive trusses, but in reality, it often delivers much smaller clusters. While visually attractive and great for canning, growers report average flavor and a somewhat mealy texture. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 8 Experience) R … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Moscow Delicacy is an indeterminate paste-type tomato intended to produce dense, pepper-shaped fruits. Grower experiences are highly mixed: some praise its yield for canning, while others report sharp/acidic flavors, late ripening, and rampant seed mix-ups from commercial vendors like Russian Garden. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-7 Experience) … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Honey Giant is a sweet, meaty, bi-color (orange skin with pink flesh) indeterminate heirloom that can produce massive fruit. However, growers report rampant seed mix-ups from commercial vendors like Aelita, so trading seeds with trusted growers is highly recommended! Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4-6 Experience) S Sweet … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mary Robinson’s German Bicolor is a tall, indeterminate heirloom that produces absolutely massive yellow-and-red marbled beefsteaks. Known for frequently throwing fruits in the 1 to 2 lb (450-900 g) range, it requires heavy staking and patience, as it tends to focus on pushing out thick foliage early in the season before setting … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Morkovnyi (Carrot) is an early-season, determinate bush variety famous for its striking, finely cut, carrot-like foliage. Staying compact at around 20-32 inches (50-80 cm), it is an excellent choice for outdoor growing and early harvests. The fruits are medium-sized, red, slightly ribbed, and usually weigh around 5-9 oz (150-250 g). While everyone … Read more