Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Sweet Pea is a vigorous, wild currant tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium) bearing huge sprays of pea-sized, sweet red berries. Renowned for near-bulletproof disease immunity and unstoppable production up to 6.5 lbs (3 kg) per plant, these rampant indeterminate vines laugh off bad weather, self-sow readily as garden volunteers, and serve as perfect gap-fillers … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Purple Smudge is a vintage indeterminate heirloom and one of the early pioneers of anthocyanin genetics. Vines climb vigorously to the rafters, bearing 3-4.5 oz (80-130 g) round red saladette fruits. Prized as an unfussy “workhorse” that sets fruit through both heatwaves and cold snaps, growers emphasize that its signature purple shoulder … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Punta Banda is a rare, rugged semi-indeterminate heirloom originating from the arid coastal peninsula of Baja California, Mexico (popularized by Native Seeds/SEARCH). Growing as a manageable 4.3 ft (1.3 m) compact vine, it yields heavy clusters of round, bright red, large cherry-to-cocktail fruits known for their rich juice and classic, well-balanced old-school … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Provenzano (also grown as Provenzano Heart) is a legendary indeterminate Italian heirloom known for pumping out gargantuan red beefsteaks and blunt oxhearts that routinely weigh between 28 oz and over 2 lbs (800-1000 g+). While fruit count per plant is typically modest (4 to 6 fruits), the interior is packed with solid, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Potimar is a powerhouse indeterminate European heirloom beefsteak whose name evokes the ribbed, pumpkin-like contours of a French potimarron squash. The vigorous vines produce monster, flat-round red slicers weighing 17.6 to 28 oz (500-800 g) with minimal seeds. Defying descriptions of “grainy, watermelon-like” meat, growers confirm the interior is exceptionally dense, juicy, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Moneymaker is a classic indeterminate, mid-season English heirloom (introduced by F. Stonor of Southampton around 1913) known for heavy trusses of uniform, medium-sized red tomatoes. Growers praise its hybrid-like reliability, strong disease and weather resistance, and balanced sweet-tangy flavor that works equally well for fresh slicing and whole-fruit pickling. Full summary ↓ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lehrertomate (German for “Teacher’s Tomato”) is a traditional German indeterminate heirloom bred for producing massive, scarlet-red beefsteaks tipping the scales between 14-25 oz (400-700 g). The fruit are dense, meaty, and lightly ribbed with remarkably few seeds and a rich, old-fashioned balanced flavor. While it sets fruit reliably in cool northern summers, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: La-chan-y-ha is a compact, determinate bush paste tomato of Chinese origin, highly valued in cold Siberian regions for its reliability. Plants stay under 32 inches (80 cm) tall while pumping out dense clusters of elongated scarlet plums measuring up to 3 inches (8 cm) long. Unlike many rubbery commercial processing types, the … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Herztomate Riehen is an indeterminate, mid-season red oxheart known for its classic wispy foliage and meaty, medium-to-large fruits. Growers report a nicely balanced, sweet flavor that makes it a perfect slicer for fresh eating. While outdoor yields might be just average, greenhouse growers have seen solid, above-average harvests. Full summary ↓ Growers’ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Grosse Hative d’Orleans Bush is a semi-determinate, early-season red variety known for its sparse foliage and highly concentrated harvest. Growers appreciate it as a low-maintenance outdoor plant that delivers above-average yields of very juicy, seed-dense fruits. While the flavor is a basic, classic tomato taste, it is considered very good for such … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Great Divide is an indeterminate red beefsteak that produces juicy, oblate fruits with an excellent, sweet flavor. Growers highlight its thin skin and high seed count, noting that it performs very well outdoors and delivers solid yields. While some seed catalogs boast sizes up to 21 oz (600 g), everyday garden results … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Grandfather Ashlock is a mid-season, indeterminate heirloom. It’s an old Ashlock family heirloom from Kentucky. The true variety features potato leaf foliage and produces large, highly uniform, oblate pink beefsteaks. Growers praise its outstanding, sweet, and tender flavor. Keep an eye out for regular leaf off-types in seed batches, which tend to … Read more