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 Fitous 🌍 Origin: A highly resilient and dependable Russian variety. The name is “Fitous” (Фитоус). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It grows compactly to about 50-60 cm (20-24 inches) tall and features sparse/wispy foliage. It is incredibly rugged, requiring minimal care, and thrives even in poor soil and low-water conditions. Perfect for … Read more
Quick Summary of Fioletovo-Malinovaya Baska 🌍 Origin: A Russian collector variety, originally popularized by seedsman V. Redko. The name translates to “Purple-Raspberry Baska”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The plants are extremely vigorous, powerful, and healthy, easily growing over 1.5m (5 ft) tall outdoors in open ground. It handles aggressive multi-stem pruning (4-5 stems) effortlessly without … 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 Faworyt 9 (Favorite 9) 🌍 Origin: A unique Polish breeding line created by crossing Rebelpik Sakiewka with Malinowa Sakiewka. The name translates to “Favorite 9”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall-growing). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Striking, uniquely shaped tomatoes: they look like elongated truffles (pears) with a pronounced little beak (point) at the blossom … 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 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 Teshchin Yazyk (Mother-in-Law’s Tongue) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom variety originating from Ukraine. The hilarious name translates to “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue”, a playful nod to the long, slightly pointed, “sharp” shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-sized plant (often growing as a compact indeterminate), highly productive, and well-suited for greenhouse cultivation. 🍅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Tigrovyi (Tiger) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Gavrish” seed company. The name translates simply to “Tiger”. 🌿 Plant Habit (Variable Genetics): Officially listed as growing up to 1.5 meters (5 ft). However, grower reports vary wildly. Some report it acting as a semi-determinate (where the main stem self-tops/terminates … Read more
Quick Summary of Terion 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety, heavily marketed as an ultra-productive canning tomato. However, real-world grower reviews are quite mixed. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It grows very compact and requires absolutely no pruning (suckering). Perfect for growing outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, round-oval (plum/paste) tomatoes of medium … Read more
Quick Summary of Taiko (Тайко) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded commercial variety (originally distributed by seed companies like Elkom in Russia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. A notable feature is its Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow, smooth plum/icicle-shaped tomatoes. They are … Read more