Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Boets (Buyan) Red 🌍 Origin: A super-reliable Siberian commercial variety. In the official registry, it is named “Boets” (Fighter), but it is widely sold by the Siberian Garden seed company under the name “Buyan” (Brawler). 🌿 Plant Habit: A compact, tree-type determinate (micro-dwarf) topping out at just 16–19 inches (42–48 cm). … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bityug F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid bred by the Russian seed company Gavrish. It is officially registered for homesteads and small farms. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but generally well-behaved and medium-tall. Bred specifically for growing under plastic (high tunnels/greenhouses). It boasts a fantastic disease resistance package, including resistance to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Baloven Sudby (Fortune’s Favorite) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company Siberian Garden (Sib-Sad). The name translates to “Fortune’s Favorite” or “Darling of Fate”. 🌿 Plant Habit: The seed packet lists it as an early determinate growing to 28–31 inches (70–80 cm). However, growers note it behaves more … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buy Tur 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial dwarf variety. The name “Buy Tur” roughly translates from old Slavic to “Fierce Wild Bull”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Dwarf / Tree-type (rugose foliage). Stays very compact, reaching only about 60 cm (24 inches) tall. Excellent for small spaces, patios, and container growing. It has … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bonner Beste 🌍 Origin: A historic commercial heirloom originally from Germany (the name translates to “Bonn’s Best”). It has been widely adapted and heavily grown by Russian and Eastern European gardeners for its extreme reliability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous vine. Produces heavy trusses (clusters) of fruit. It is highly … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Burkovskiy Ranniy (Burkov’s Early) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial release, originally bred by VNIIR (Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry) and popularized by the Siberian Garden (Sibsad) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush habit). A true shorty and very compact. No pruning or suckering needed. It’s perfect for container gardening, balconies, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Babushkino Lukoshko (Grandma’s Basket) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial open-pollinated variety introduced by the “Gavrish” seed company. The charming name translates to “Grandma’s Basket”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.5–2.0 meters (5–6.5 ft). It is known for being incredibly rugged, handling poor lighting and cramped greenhouse conditions without losing productivity. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bobcat F1 🧬 Origin: A highly popular commercial F1 hybrid bred by Syngenta. Known worldwide for its ruggedness and adaptability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Generally reaches 60-80 cm (24-32 inches). It is highly vigorous with very dense, dark green foliage that provides excellent canopy cover, completely protecting the fruit from … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Balkonnoe Chudo (Balcony Miracle) 🌍 The Great Seed Mystery: “Balkonnoe Chudo” translates to “Balcony Miracle.” It is arguably the most counterfeited/mislabelled tomato variety in Russia. Because the name is so marketable for apartment growers, seed companies slap this label on almost anything. 🌿 What it SHOULD be: A true micro-dwarf (about … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Zholtyi (Yellow Banana) 🌍 The Controversy: This variety is sold in Russia by the “Poisk” seed company under the name “Yellow Banana.” However, Russian growers who ran side-by-side grow-outs have universally concluded that this is simply a repackaged, renamed version of the famous American heirloom Banana Legs (originally bred by … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Baron Solemacher 🌍 Origin: A unique Eastern European dwarf tomato. (Note: Not to be confused with the famous alpine strawberry variety of the same name!). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Micro-Dwarf. Officially listed at 30 cm (12 inches) tall, though it can reach 45-50 cm (18-20 inches) in ideal conditions. The … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buratino 🌍 Origin & Name: A popular collector’s heirloom. “Buratino” is the Russian version of Pinocchio, and the tomato is aptly named for its distinct, long, pointed “nose.” Note: There is also an official commercial red determinate variety named Buratino in the Russian State Register, but the heirloom community uses this … Read more