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: Kardinal (Cardinal) 🌍 Origin: A classic Russian/Ukrainian commercial heirloom. The seeds in this thread originally came from the “Narodnaya Selekciya” (People’s Selection) company in Dnepropetrovsk. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) in a greenhouse, requiring strong staking, but generally stays shorter when grown outdoors in open ground. It produces very sturdy trusses that … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cardio 🌍 Origin: An Italian heirloom variety popularized by V. Redko. The name “Cardio” perfectly matches its classic, broad anatomical heart shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Reaches about 6 to 6.5 feet (1.8-2 m) in a greenhouse but adapts excellently to open ground. Known for its fantastic fruit set, rarely … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Cornabel F1 Cornabel F1 is a highly famous French hybrid (bred by Vilmorin) that has taken the Russian gardening community by storm. But is it actually worth buying expensive F1 seeds every year? 🌍 Origin: A commercial French F1 hybrid shaped like a horn (hence the “Corn” in Cornabel). It was bred … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Kilechki (Sprats) Named after the famous tiny forage fish, this unique Russian heirloom is catching the eye of cherry tomato collectors. But is it just a novelty shape, or does it actually perform in the garden? 🌍 Origin: A Russian collector’s variety. The name “Kilechki” translates to “Little Sprats” (tiny fish), perfectly … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kazabalykskiy Superearly 🌍 Origin: An older commercial variety that has circulated in Russian seed shops since at least the mid-1990s. The name is widely believed to be a slight spelling corruption of the Karabalyk district in Kazakhstan. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). An absolute workhorse of a plant. Usually tops out … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kubansky Smuglyi (Dark Kuban) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Kuban Swarthy” or “Dark Kuban” (referring to the Kuban region in Southern Russia and the dark color of the fruit). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). A very compact and well-behaved plant, topping out at around 20 inches … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Casanova 🌍 Origin: Bred by Russian tomato breeder Vladimir Dederko and distributed by the Siberian Garden (Sibirskiy Sad) seed company. It was officially entered into the Russian State Register in 2017. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Can reach over 6.5 feet (2 m) in a greenhouse. If grown outdoors without pruning … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Korol King-2 (King King-2) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic Russian heirloom variety famously circulated by collectors like Valentina Redko and Vera Monakhova. The name literally translates to “King King”. There are two known variations in circulation: the original “Korol King” and the updated “Korol King-2”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Depending on … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cream Sausage 🌍 Origin: Originally bred by the legendary American breeder Tom Wagner under the name “Banana Cream”. It was later renamed “Cream Sausage” without his permission, and this is the name it is most commonly traded under in Russia and Eastern Europe. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Generally reaches about … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Beauty King 🌍 Origin: A legendary modern heirloom bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms in California. It is a cross between Big Rainbow and Green Zebra. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Known for being a bit wimpy and spindly in the seedling stage, but it vigorously stretches to 6-6.5 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Red Butter Heart 🌍 Origin: Originally tracing back to the USA, this variety became incredibly popular in the Russian heirloom community after being distributed by collector V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall/vine). Exhibits the classic “weeping oxheart” gene with thin, wispy, droopy foliage. Do not be alarmed—the plant is not … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kupets-Molodets 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial Russian variety developed and distributed by the Aelita seed company. The name roughly translates to “Fine Merchant” or “Brave Merchant”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The seed packet claims it grows up to 3.3 feet (1 m), but in a greenhouse, it frequently stretches … Read more