Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bochata (Little Barrels) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Siberian seed company “Semena Altaya”. The name translates to “Little Barrels”, reflecting their blocky, plump shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate. Grows to about 90-110 cm (3-3.5 ft). Performs incredibly well out in the garden (open ground), especially in “hot beds” (manure/compost … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buyan Zheltyi (Buyan Yellow) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, officially registered in the Russian State Register for the West Siberian region. Also known as “Boets Yellow” (Fighter Yellow). 🌿 Plant Habit: Rugose determinate dwarf (tree-type). Extremely compact, sturdy, and short, typically reaching only 30-60 cm (1-2 ft). Seedlings do not … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bochkovoy Zasol (Barrel Pickling) 🌍 Origin & Name: An old heirloom variety originating from the Astrakhan region of Russia. The name translates to “Barrel Pickling” or “Barrel Fermentation.” It is named after the traditional Russian method of fermenting whole vegetables in large wooden barrels for the winter, implying these tomatoes are … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Rozovyi (Pink Banana) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety available from several seed companies, including Aelita and Siberian Garden (SibSad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Like many elongated paste tomatoes, it has a distinct “weeping” or wispy foliage. As a young seedling, the tops can twist and vine aggressively, which is … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banana Legs (Bananovye Nogi) 🌍 Origin: Originally bred by Tom Wagner (USA) in 1984. It was introduced to the Russian forum community around 2012 by collector Yaroslavna, where it became wildly popular (and highly debated). Interestingly, a commercial Russian seed company later patented it under the translated name “Bananovye Nogi”. 🌿 … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Oranzhevyi (Orange Banana) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian variety (widely distributed by seed companies like Gavrish and Aelita). The name translates to “Orange Banana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mostly indeterminate (growing over 6.5 ft / 2 m in greenhouses), though some growers report shorter determinate strains. It has a characteristic … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Casady’s Folly (Безумие Кэсиди) 🌍 Origin: Bred by the famous American tomato breeder Tom Wagner. It is a stunning, elongated, red-and-gold striped paste/plum tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly Debated! The forum community has discovered two distinct genetic lines circulating in Russia: one is a tall, spindly, wispy-leafed indeterminate (often reaching 5-6.5 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Purple Pear Brandywine 🌍 Origin: A fantastic dark pear/plum variation in the famous Brandywine family. Known for combining the legendary Brandywine flavor with a unique shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very robust and vigorous, usually grown to 2 stems in the greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Dark raspberry/purple pear-shaped fruits. Sizes … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Krasnyi (Red Banana) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Red Banana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally a compact determinate (bush) plant growing about 2-2.5 feet (60-80 cm) tall, though some seed lines seem to produce indeterminate vines. Extremely sturdy and known for being highly forgiving … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Baklazhan (Eggplant) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “Eggplant,” given because of the huge, elongated oval shape of the fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 7 feet (2.2m) in a greenhouse. It is extremely reliable and resilient, setting fruit easily without dropping blossoms even in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Adamovo Yabloko (Adam’s Apple) 🌍 Origin: A highly reliable Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Adam’s Apple”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing up to 1.8m (6 ft) tall even in open ground. Known for being incredibly disease-resistant and tough. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, very smooth, firm, and thick-walled. The shape … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aly Mustang (Scarlet Mustang) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian variety released by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates to “Scarlet Mustang.” 📈 Expectation vs. Reality: The seed packet promises giant 20–25 cm (8–10 inch) cigar-shaped fruits and 5 kg (11 lbs) yields per plant. In reality, most growers … Read more