Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Rozovye Torbochki (Pink Pouches) 🌍 Origin: A visually stunning Russian/Eastern European heirloom. The name translates to “Pink Pouches” or “Pink Little Bags”, perfectly describing its unique ribbed, pear-like shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. It easily reaches 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. It sets fruit reliably all … Read more
Quick Summary of Early Love (Rannyaya Lyubov) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian variety. The name translates to “Early Love”. The most highly regarded strain of this variety traces its roots back to Syzran (a Russian city famous for its historical, exceptionally tasty heirloom tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit & Leaf Type: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.7 … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovaya Bomba (Pink Bomb) 🌍 Origin & History: This is a highly sought-after community heirloom with a fascinating backstory. It originally appeared in a Russian grower’s garden as an off-type (segregation) of the famous Pink Sgt. Pepper. Instead of producing typical heart-shaped fruits, this rogue plant produced massive oblate beefsteaks. The Russian … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovye Krupnye (Large Pink) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian family heirloom. It was popularized by a famous forum member, Ninulia, who has been saving and distributing its seeds since 2002. It often circulates as “Rozovye Krupnye from Ninulia”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching the ceiling in greenhouses. The plant habit is … Read more
Quick Summary of Texas Rose (Roza Tekhasa) 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom circulating among Russian tomato collectors under the translated name Roza Tekhasa (Texas Rose). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season ripening. Unlike many oxheart varieties that tend to have frail, “wispy” foliage, this plant is noted for being highly vigorous with very strong, sturdy … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozov Dar (Pink Gift) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial heirloom from Bulgaria, produced by the “Florian” seed company. The name translates to “Pink Gift”. It is part of a famous family of Bulgarian pink tomatoes, alongside Rozova Mistika (Pink Mystique) and Rozov Ideal. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season to late-ripening. Unlike … Read more
Quick Summary of Robs 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial Russian variety originally distributed by the “Elkom” seed company. Fun fact about the name: Growers eventually figured out that it isn’t named after a guy named Rob! “ROBS” is actually an acronym for ROzovoye Byche Serdse (Pink Oxheart). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 … Read more
Quick Summary of Stump of the World (Pen Mira) 🌍 Origin: This is the famous American heirloom from the Ben Quisenberry collection! In the Russian tomato community, it circulates under the direct literal translation “Pen Mira” (Stump of the World). It’s fascinating to see how highly regarded this US classic is among Russian growers. 🌿 … Read more
Quick Summary of Pani Yana (Lady Yana) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the popular “SibSad” (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates to “Lady Yana” or “Mrs. Yana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially classified as an early, super-determinate bush variety designed to stay compact (around 50-60 cm / 1.6-2 ft). However, some growers report … Read more
Quick Summary of In Memory of Korneev (Pamyati Korneeva) 🌍 Origin: A celebrated Russian heirloom. The name translates to “In Memory of Korneev.” Note: It is often confused with another variety called “Korneevskie.” According to growers, true Pamyati Korneeva has regular foliage (RL), while the Ukrainian Korneevskie has potato leaf (PL) foliage. 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more
Quick Summary of Podarok Monakhini (Nun’s Gift) 🌍 Origin: An old heirloom variety originating from a monastery in the Novosibirsk region (Siberia). It was gifted to a gardener by a nun with a blessing, giving the variety its beautiful name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. Produces a powerful, vigorous bush up to 1.7 m (5.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Priamurskiy Krupnoplodniy (Amur Large-Fruited) 🌍 Origin: A reliable Soviet-era heirloom bred by the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture. Seeds were widely distributed to Russian collectors in 2003. The name translates to “Amur Large-Fruited”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall (around 1.5–1.8 m / 5–6 ft), and vigorous, but not overly aggressive. Performs … Read more