Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Don Juan 🌍 Origin: A very popular, reliable commercial variety, heavily distributed by the “Sedek” seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, often growing as a sturdy tree-type (rugose) bush. It is very compact, typically maxing out around 20–28 inches (50–70 cm) tall. Exceptionally fuss-free and performs incredibly well in open ground. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Gold / Yellow 🌍 Origin: Part of the legendary Russian “De Barao” family. De Barao varieties (which come in Red, Black, Pink, Gold, and Giant) are famous across Eastern Europe for their extreme ruggedness and cold tolerance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A massive, towering vine that can easily reach … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dix Doigts de Naples 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom paste tomato from Italy. It is most commonly found in seed catalogs under its French translation, Dix Doigts de Naples, which means “Ten Fingers of Naples” (in Italian: Dieci Dita di Napoli). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous and highly productive … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Drova (Firewood) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety famously distributed by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Firewood” or “Logs”, perfectly describing the elongated shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, tree-type (rugose foliage). Extremely compact, stocky, and sturdy, usually maxing out around 16–24 inches (40–60 cm) tall. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gerkules (Hercules) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial determinate variety (seeds distributed by ASK). The name translates to “Hercules.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). While commercial packets claim it stays extremely dwarf (10-16 inches / 26-40 cm), growers report it easily grows to nearly 3 ft (80-90 cm) in good garden soil. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grushka Oranzhevaya (Orange Pear) 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Eastern European commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Orange Little Pear”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Semi-determinate. It has regular leaf foliage and grows to about 3.3 ft (1 m). It can be staked, caged, or simply allowed to sprawl on the ground … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gumanitarnyi iz SShA (US Humanitarian Aid) 🌍 Origin: A fascinating piece of Cold War/Post-Soviet history! These seeds were originally distributed to Russian citizens in 1995 in commercial packets as part of United States humanitarian aid programs. The original variety name was lost, so Russian seed savers preserved and circulated it under … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gelfrut Zolotoy (Golden Gelfrut) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial/heirloom variety from Ukraine, popularized by famous seed collectors like A. Kulik and V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact and manageable, usually growing to about 3.3 ft (1 m) tall. Performs beautifully outdoors in open ground even in shorter, cooler … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gibrid Tarasenko No. 7 (Tarasenko Hybrid 7) 🌍 Origin: Bred by the legendary Soviet/Ukrainian breeder Feodosiy Tarasenko. Crucial Note: Despite having “Hybrid” in its name, this is a fully stabilized, open-pollinated (OP) heirloom variety. You absolutely can (and should!) save seeds from it. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It grows very … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Giant Italian Paste 🌍 Origin: A classic Italian heirloom paste variety. Very popular among European and Russian seed collectors (like V. Popenko) for its processing qualities. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Can grow exceptionally tall, with some growers reporting vines reaching 10 ft (3 m) in a greenhouse. Like many heart-shaped or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grushovka (Little Pear) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian heirloom name, but be aware: there are multiple distinct strains circulating under this name! The two most famous are the commercial strain bred by N.M. Egorov (a compact bush) and an old family heirloom strain popularized by a grower named Natalya Borisovna (a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Granenyi (Faceted) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic old Russian heirloom. The original breeder is unknown, but the seeds were preserved and passed down for over 30 years by a family in Pyatigorsk (Caucasus region, Russia). The name “Granenyi” translates to “Faceted” or “Ribbed,” perfectly describing its distinct shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more