Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Black Icicle (Russian: Сосулька чёрная) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial heirloom variety originating from Ukraine/Russia, known natively as “Chornaya Sosulka”. It has gained worldwide fame among collectors as “Black Icicle”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and highly productive. It easily reaches up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. Like … Read more
Quick Summary of Slivka Bendrika (Bendrik’s Plum) 🌍 Origin: Bred by Alexander Bendrik in Gorodnya (Chernihiv region, Ukraine). It comes in two color variations: Red and Yellow (which often has a deep orange tint). The name translates to “Bendrik’s Plum”. 🌿 Plant Habit: There is some debate about its growth habit. The originator calls it … Read more
Quick Summary of Slavyanka (Slavic Woman) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian commercial/heirloom variety (originally distributed by GISOK seeds). The name translates beautifully to “Slavic Woman” or “Slavic Girl”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and highly vigorous. Growers note that it can grow massive (“like a baobab tree”) and will keep setting fruit relentlessly from … Read more
Quick Summary of Sprut Slivka F1 (Octopus Plum F1) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial F1 hybrid from Russia. It is part of the famous “Sprut” (Octopus) series of hybrids, which were aggressively marketed as being able to grow into massive “tomato trees” under hydroponic commercial conditions. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and exceptionally vigorous. Even … Read more
Quick Summary of Skifeya (Scythian Fairy) 🌍 Origin & Fascinating History: This variety has an incredible backstory. The seeds were discovered by a Russian collector in a remote Siberian village near Abakan, right next to the ruins of Zinkhir—the oldest stone city in the world, once belonging to the ancient Scythian civilization. The local village … Read more
Quick Summary of Skazochnaya Feya (Märchenfee / Fairytale Fairy) 🌍 Origin: A modern, highly decorative variety of German breeding. Part of the “Klewerhof Fairytale” (Klewerhof Märchen) series. The original German name is Märchenfee, which translates to Fairytale Fairy (Skazochnaya Feya in Russian). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Famous for its “hyper-productivity”—it produces massive, overwhelming yields of … Read more
Quick Summary of Sibirskiy Khottabych (Siberian Khottabych) 🌍 Origin: A beloved Russian heirloom originating from the Altai Mountains region. Named “Khottabych” (a famous genie from a Russian fairy tale), likely owing to the magical, bottle-like shape of the fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall (reaching up to 3m / 10ft in a greenhouse). … Read more
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Quick Summary of Slivka Gurman (Gourmet Plum) 🌍 Origin: A stunning novelty striped anthocyanin variety popular among Russian collectors. The name translates to “Gourmet Plum”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but known for being quite slender and well-behaved—it doesn’t produce an overwhelming amount of suckers. It performs very well in cooler greenhouse conditions and is … Read more
Quick Summary of Sliva Ibirapuera (Ibirapuera Plum) 🌍 Origin: A rare and exotic novelty variety with a tropical flair. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly indeterminate, aggressive, and extremely vigorous! Growers describe the vine as a “monster” that will easily reach the roof of a greenhouse and continue growing along the ceiling if not topped. Requires strong … Read more
Quick Summary of Sinyaya Grusha (Blue Pear) 🌍 Origin: A very popular and beautiful anthocyanin variety. Widely grown in Russia as “Sinyaya Grusha”, which literally translates to “Blue Pear”. It is often listed in European catalogs under the English name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, very vigorous, and tall (frequently reaching 2-2.5m / 6.5-8 ft). Despite … Read more
Quick Summary of Sladkiy Kesidi (Sweet Casady) 🌍 Origin: A very popular elongated striped variety. Known globally as “Sweet Casady” (originally bred by Tom Wagner), it is widely grown and traded among Russian and Eastern European collectors under the translated name “Sladkiy Kesidi”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and extremely vigorous! Growers describe the foliage as … Read more
Quick Summary of Skazochnyi Angel (Märchenengel / Fairytale Angel) 🌍 Origin: A modern, highly decorative variety of German breeding. Part of the “Klewerhof Fairytale” (Klewerhof Märchen) series. The original German name is Märchenengel, which translates to Fairytale Angel (Skazochnyi Angel in Russian). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate but moderately tall, reaching about 140 cm (4.5 ft) … Read more