Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Black Emperor 🌍 Origin: A beautiful and productive dark plum tomato variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and tall. Generally considered a mid-season variety, though some growers in colder climates note that it begins ripening quite early for them. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Medium-sized, plum-shaped fruits that ripen to a deep purple/brownish-black color. 👅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Bananu 🌍 Origin: A very attractive elongated yellow/orange paste tomato. Seeds are widely distributed by European and Russian seed vendors (e.g., R. Kraft, A. Kulik). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-early (often leaning towards early). The plant is characteristically wispy, with thin stems and sparse, delicate foliage. Despite looking fragile, it is remarkably … Read more
Quick Summary of Blush 2.0 🌍 Origin: Bred by the renowned American breeder Fred Hempel (Artisan Seeds) and released in 2019. It is a cross between Lucky Tiger and Green Zebra Cherry. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate but very compact. It is noticeably shorter and sturdier than the original Blush, making it an outstanding choice for … Read more
Quick Summary of Brad’s Atomic Grape 🌍 Origin: A highly popular, exotic, and multi-colored variety created by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms, USA). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The seedlings are notoriously wimpy, scrawny, and slow-growing. Adult plants are very productive but have extremely brittle stems that can snap easily under the weight of the … Read more
Quick Summary of Blush (Artisan Blush Tiger) 🌿 Plant Habit: INDETERMINATE (Tall/Vining). The bush features delicate, thin, and wispy “weeping” foliage that often looks wilted or fragile, even when perfectly healthy. Despite its delicate appearance, it is highly vigorous and can reach over 2 m (6.5 ft). It produces a massive amount of suckers and … Read more
Quick Summary of Bella 🌿 Plant Habit: INDETERMINATE (Tall/Vining). The plant is slender and relatively compact for an indeterminate, typically reaching around 1.5 m (5 ft) in a greenhouse. The foliage is sparse and wispy, not overly dense. 🌍 Origin: A stunning striped heirloom variety, popular among Russian collectors for its striking appearance. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
Quick Summary of Andenhorn 🌍 Origin: A highly prized heirloom variety originating from the Andes mountains, brought to Europe and made famous in France (often known as Cornue des Andes or Andes Horn). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Can be grown successfully outdoors even in challenging, rocky soils. Plants are somewhat wispy but sturdy, reaching about … Read more
Quick Summary of Atol 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety originally from Poland, also widely sold in Russia by the “Sedek” seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact, typically reaching 50-60 cm (20-24 inches) in height. Extremely rugged, cold-tolerant, and perfectly suited for open ground (outdoors) without any protection. In some regions, it can even … Read more
Quick Summary of Abbattista 🌍 Origin: A treasured heirloom variety. Some international collectors have recently started spelling it “Abbittista”, but it remains widely known and grown as Abbattista. (Note: Not to be confused with “Abbattista Paste,” which is a smaller, semi-determinate cocktail type). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season, and very tall (reaching up to 2.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Yabloki na Snegu (Apples on the Snow) 🌍 Origin: A popular early-season Russian commercial heirloom variety (frequently sold by “Russkiy Ogorod”). The poetic name translates to “Apples on the Snow”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Grows very compact, typically around 40–80 cm (16–32 inches) tall. Highly suitable for container gardening (thrives in … Read more
Quick Summary of Yablonka Rossii (Little Apple of Russia) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial and heirloom variety in Russia. There is an ongoing debate among collectors that it is identical to the old East German (GDR) variety Tamina, or closely related to Matina. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (though often behaves as semi-determinate in open … Read more
Quick Summary of Yablochnyi Spas (Apple Feast) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial/heirloom variety often distributed by well-known seed vendors like Valeriy Medvedev and Ilya Korolev. The name “Yablochnyi Spas” translates to “Apple Feast” (or Apple Savior), a traditional Russian agricultural holiday in August. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, very tall and vigorous, easily reaching over 2 … Read more