Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Khokhloma 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian commercial variety named after the traditional Russian folk painting style (“Khokhloma”). It is the red “sister” variety to the orange “Chukhloma” tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous, easily exceeding 2.0 m (6.5 ft) in height. Performs best in greenhouses but can be … Read more
Quick Summary of Khali Gali F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial early-season Russian hybrid (F1) developed by breeders in Rostov. Bred specifically for high yields and reliability in open ground. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush), extremely vigorous with medium foliage. It generally reaches about 1 meter (3.3 ft) in height. Very low maintenance—it barely requires pruning, … Read more
Quick Summary of Giante Friulano (Friulian Giant) 🌍 Origin: An Italian heirloom variety from the Friuli region. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Possesses absolutely incredible disease resistance and cold tolerance. Growers report it staying perfectly green and healthy even through late autumn frosts, completely shrugging off severe fungal pressures. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, ribbed plum or … Read more
Quick Summary of Francuzskiy Grozdevoy (French Cluster) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial Russian heirloom, originally popularized by the “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad) seed company, with various lines kept by private collectors. The name translates to “French Cluster”. 🌿 Plant Habit: There are two distinct lines circulating among growers. One is a determinate (bush) topping out … Read more
Quick Summary of Ultraskorospeley (Ultra-Early) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad) seed company. The name translates to “Ultra-Early”. It was specifically bred for the cool, short, and often damp summers of the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) region. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It is genetically programmed to develop extremely quickly, but … Read more
Quick Summary of Uboynaya Sila (Lethal Force) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety bred by the famous “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad) agricultural company. The name translates to “Lethal Force” or “Deadly Power”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It forms a small, compact, slightly sprawling plant that requires minimal fuss. Excellent for open ground and container growing. … Read more
Quick Summary of Utrennyaya Rosa (Morning Dew) 🌍 Origin: A popular Russian variety. Interestingly, there are two distinct variations circulating among growers under this name: a commercial red/pink oxheart (sold by companies like Poisk and Aelita) and a dark, brick-red/brown oxheart (distributed by collectors like Kulik and Syrai, often referred to as “Morning Dew Black”). … Read more
Quick Summary of Unikalnyi Kulchitskogo (Kulchitsky’s Unique) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety bred/selected by amateur vegetable grower M.G. Kulchitsky from Novorossiysk. The name translates to “Kulchitsky’s Unique”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) outdoors and taller in a greenhouse. Features large Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Known for its incredible … Read more
Quick Summary of Utenok (Duckling) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian commercial and collectible variety. The name translates to “Duckling”, likely due to its bright orange color and the characteristic “beak” on the end of the fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, dwarf (tree-type / rugose foliage) bush. Very compact, usually growing 35-50 cm (14-20 inches) … Read more
Quick Summary of Urukhskiy Krasavets (Urukh Beauty) 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety named after the Urukh river region. 🌿 Plant Habit: The classic red version is a determinate (bush) plant growing up to 50 cm (20 inches) tall. It has a beautiful, highly branched spherical shape resembling a small apple tree. Note: Forum growers report … Read more
Quick Summary of Tunido (Тунидо) 🌍 Origin & The American Connection: An interesting “lost” variety. A Russian grower notes that her old, hand-packed seeds stated the variety originated in the USA. Given its appearance, it is highly likely that “Tunido” is a localized Russian name for an American striped paste tomato (such as Striped Roman … Read more
Quick Summary of Taymyr 🌍 Origin: An ultra-early commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Biotechnica” seed company. It is named after the Taymyr Peninsula in the extreme north of Siberia, hinting at its exceptional cold tolerance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Originally bred to be an ultra-compact determinate (dwarf/tree-type) bush, reaching only 30 cm (12 inches) in … Read more