Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bityug F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid bred by the Russian seed company Gavrish. It is officially registered for homesteads and small farms. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but generally well-behaved and medium-tall. Bred specifically for growing under plastic (high tunnels/greenhouses). It boasts a fantastic disease resistance package, including resistance to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bakhchisarayskoe Yabloko (Bakhchisaray Apple) 🌍 Origin: A local market variety from Bakhchisaray. The grower discovered it at a local farmer’s market, so “Bakhchisaray Apple” is likely just a regional or placeholder name for this impressive strain. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The plant has a slender, somewhat wispy growth habit but is … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Baloven Sudby (Fortune’s Favorite) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company Siberian Garden (Sib-Sad). The name translates to “Fortune’s Favorite” or “Darling of Fate”. 🌿 Plant Habit: The seed packet lists it as an early determinate growing to 28–31 inches (70–80 cm). However, growers note it behaves more … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bonner Beste 🌍 Origin: A historic commercial heirloom originally from Germany (the name translates to “Bonn’s Best”). It has been widely adapted and heavily grown by Russian and Eastern European gardeners for its extreme reliability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous vine. Produces heavy trusses (clusters) of fruit. It is highly … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Burkovskiy Ranniy (Burkov’s Early) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial release, originally bred by VNIIR (Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry) and popularized by the Siberian Garden (Sibsad) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush habit). A true shorty and very compact. No pruning or suckering needed. It’s perfect for container gardening, balconies, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Babushkino Lukoshko (Grandma’s Basket) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial open-pollinated variety introduced by the “Gavrish” seed company. The charming name translates to “Grandma’s Basket”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.5–2.0 meters (5–6.5 ft). It is known for being incredibly rugged, handling poor lighting and cramped greenhouse conditions without losing productivity. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bobcat F1 🧬 Origin: A highly popular commercial F1 hybrid bred by Syngenta. Known worldwide for its ruggedness and adaptability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Generally reaches 60-80 cm (24-32 inches). It is highly vigorous with very dense, dark green foliage that provides excellent canopy cover, completely protecting the fruit from … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Balkonnoe Chudo (Balcony Miracle) 🌍 The Great Seed Mystery: “Balkonnoe Chudo” translates to “Balcony Miracle.” It is arguably the most counterfeited/mislabelled tomato variety in Russia. Because the name is so marketable for apartment growers, seed companies slap this label on almost anything. 🌿 What it SHOULD be: A true micro-dwarf (about … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): The “Big Boy” Mystery 🧬 Hybrid vs. Heirloom Controversy: In the US, “Burpee’s Big Boy” is a famous commercial F1 hybrid introduced in 1949. However, in Eastern Europe and Russia, seed collectors have been trading saved seeds of a variety called “Big Boy” for years. It is highly debated whether this … Read more
📌 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): Boni MM (Boney M) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial Russian variety, primarily distributed by the Gavrish seed company. Named in honor of the popular disco group Boney M. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate rugose dwarf (tree-type). Extremely compact, usually topping out around 40-50 cm (1.5 ft). Highly prized because the seedlings … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bychiy Glaz (Bull’s Eye) 🌍 Origin & Naming Confusion: The name translates to “Bull’s Eye”. Important Note: There is a major name collision here! In the North American heirloom community (via Tatiana’s TOMATObase), “Bychiy Glaz” refers to a medium-sized, heart-shaped red tomato sourced from a private Russian collector. However, the commercial … Read more