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: Korol Rannikh (King of the Earlies) is an early, determinate to semi-determinate variety famous for producing absolutely massive first fruits (up to 28 oz / 800 g) on surprisingly short bushes. While it pumps out impressive early yields with a classic tart tomato flavor, its biggest drawback is poor disease resistance. Growers … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Krokha (which translates to “Crumb” or “Tiny Tot”) is an ultra-early determinate red cherry tomato from Belarus. Originally bred to be a compact, no-prune 1.5 ft (40-50 cm) bush for outdoor growing, it can reach over 3 ft (1 m) in a greenhouse. It produces sweet, glossy 1 oz (25-40 g) fruits … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Korolevich (Prince) is an indeterminate pink oxheart bred by the Russian seed company Semena Altaya. It is a mid-season variety known for producing massive heart-shaped fruits that can weigh up to 28 oz (800 g). Growers praise it for its outstanding flavor and versatility in the kitchen. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Beauty Queen is a stunning striped bicolor indeterminate beefsteak bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. In this thread, Russian growers fiercely debate the differences between Beauty Queen and its sibling variety, Beauty King. While some experienced identical plants, others note that Beauty Queen produces slightly smaller, more orange fruits with … Read more
🍅 Quick take: King Kong is an indeterminate, mid-season red beefsteak that fully lives up to its name. It is highly prized by growers for producing massive, sweet fruits that regularly exceed 2 lbs (1 kg), with one grower hitting 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg). It thrives in greenhouses but requires careful pruning and is best … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kazakhskaya Sliva (Kazakh Plum) is an indeterminate red plum tomato that grows on tall, wispy vines. The fruits average about 5 oz (150 g) and have a tender, sweet flesh. Because of their shape and meaty texture, forum growers highly recommend this variety for making sun-dried tomatoes. It performs well both in … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Canadian Giant (Kanadskiy Velikan) is an indeterminate, potato leaf (PL) variety that produces heavy yields of massive, sweet beefsteaks. Growers should be prepared to give it plenty of room, as the vines are known for their vigorous, sprawling habit. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 4 Experience) I ilja … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Red Striped Furry Hog is a fuzzy (angora-type) indeterminate variety originating from the US, Wild Boar Farms, Brad Gates. Grown in a greenhouse, it proved to be a highly productive, towering vine. The striped fruits are praised for their thick walls, meaty yet juicy texture, and a complex flavor profile that balances … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kiryukha is a dark-fruited (black) semi-determinate variety that grows very compactly, reaching only about 5 feet (1.5 m) in the greenhouse. It produces uniform 5-7 oz (150-200 g) round slicing tomatoes with excellent flavor. Unusually for black tomatoes, it has a decent shelf life and doesn’t get mushy quickly. It sets fruit … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Karmen (Carmen) is an indeterminate pink paste tomato known for its large plum-shaped fruits that can reach up to 8 oz (230 g). Growers praise it for its firm, sugary flesh that makes it perfect for canning, as well as its impressive productivity when grown outdoors in the dirt. Full summary ↓ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kanary (Canaries) is an indeterminate Russian tomato with a bit of an identity crisis. Due to expired seed patents, there are multiple strains floating around the market. The official registry lists it as a mid-season, red round/heart tomato weighing up to 18 oz (500 g). However, a highly popular “rogue” strain circulates … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Katya F1 is a very early determinate hybrid by the Russian seed company Semko. It is known as a reliable “workhorse” variety that pumps out 4 oz (110-130 g) red fruits on compact 20-inch (50 cm) bushes. While growers have mixed feelings about its flavor (most agree it’s better for canning than … Read more