Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhar Goryashchie Ugli (Heat of Burning Coals) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “Heat of Burning Coals” or simply “Glowing Coals”. (Note: Do not confuse with “Zhar-Ugli” by Siberian Garden, which is a purple anthocyanin variety). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but growth height varies greatly by … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhigalo (Gigolo) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by the Russian seed company “Biotechnica”. Known for its provocative name (Gigolo) due to its distinct, elongated, phallic shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Compact determinate (tree-type dwarf). Usually grows to about 16-24 inches (40-60 cm). Has thick, rugose foliage that looks like a little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Evpator F1 🌍 Origin: A highly reliable commercial F1 hybrid produced by the Russian seed company “Gavrish”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Designed specifically for greenhouse and high-tunnel growing. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Perfectly smooth, oblate (flattened globe) red tomatoes weighing around 4.5-5.3 oz (130-150 g). 🛡️ Disease Resistance: An absolute tank. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Donald F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, staying very compact. Outdoors in open ground, it tops out at around 20 inches (0.5 m). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, perfectly round, and incredibly firm. It has a highly uniform, “commercial” appearance. 👅 Flavor & Use: Standard … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Diplomat 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety popularized by the famous Siberian seed collector, Tamara Yaschenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very strong, vigorous vine that performs exceptionally well outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large to extra-large red beefsteaks. They are very meaty and juicy. 👅 Flavor & Use: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Daryonka 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian heirloom. It was popularized and distributed by the famous Altai seed collector, Tamara Yaschenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate. Grows to a very manageable height of about 4 feet (1.2 m), making it great for greenhouses without taking over the roof. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oval/plum-shaped … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Domate Piramida 🌍 Origin: A rare Eastern European / Balkan heirloom. The name “Domate Piramida” suggests Bulgarian origins (“Domate” means Tomato in Bulgarian, and “Piramida” means Pyramid). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A tall, vigorous plant that grows extremely well in a greenhouse environment. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Long, red, elongated “icicle” or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dyadya Stepa (Uncle Stepa) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial variety. It is famously named after “Uncle Stepa”, an extremely tall, lanky, good-natured policeman from a classic Soviet children’s poem. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-late season. The plant has a thin, vine-like, spindly stem and weeping foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: The … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Detskaya Sladost (Children’s Sweetness) 🌍 Origin: Сommercial variety from the “Gavrish” seed company. The name translates to “Children’s Sweetness”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact bush growing about 20-24 inches (50-60 cm) tall. Suitable for open ground or container growing. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, firm, egg-shaped/oval tomatoes weighing 3.5-4.2 oz (100-120 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dyuiymovochka (Thumbelina) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety famously released by the “Poisk” seed company. The name translates to “Thumbelina” (the tiny fairy tale character). ⚠️ The Great Mix-Up: If you buy or trade seeds for this variety, be aware that there are two completely different strains circulating under this name … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Delta 264 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety bred by the Central Siberian Botanical Garden and officially added to the Russian State Register in 1995. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Described officially as semi-spreading with medium foliage. Performs best in a greenhouse environment. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Smooth, glossy, firm red fruits. There … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Druzhba (Friendship) 🌍 Origin: A widely loved Eastern European heirloom. The word “Druzhba” translates to “Friendship”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. When grown outdoors in open ground, it typically reaches about 5.2-5.5 feet (1.6-1.7 m) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, red beefsteaks that are round but slightly oblate (flattened) with mild … Read more