Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brandywine Red 🌍 Origin: A classic red strain of the legendary Brandywine heirloom family, famous among collectors worldwide for its unmatched flavor. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing to about 6.5 ft (2 m) tall. It features the classic Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. The bush is medium in vigor but very densely … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Braviy General (Brave General) 🌍 Origin: A rugged commercial variety from the Altai region of Russia, specifically bred for short, cold summers. The name translates to “Brave General”. 🌿 Plant Habit: A compact, short indeterminate. It is very well-behaved and doesn’t require aggressive pruning. Because of its neat, contained growth habit, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buran 🌍 Origin: A Russian family heirloom passed down through a forum member’s mother. The name “Buran” translates to “Blizzard” or “Snowstorm.” Note: There is also a commercial Dutch F1 hybrid called Buran; growers debate whether this heirloom is a stabilized, dehybridized version of it or a completely separate family seed … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Beefsteak Albi 🌍 Origin: A famous giant heirloom from Russia. This variety is a known champion at the prestigious annual “Minusinsk Tomato Champion” festival in Siberia, where growers compete to raise the heaviest tomatoes in the country. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. An absolute beast of a plant. Growers describe it as … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brutus 🌍 Origin: A well-known commercial variety originating from the Czech Republic, famous for its massive size. Note: Some commercial seed companies label it as an “F1 Hybrid,” but many growers suspect this is a marketing trick to discourage seed saving, as saved seeds grow out true to type. 🌿 Plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alenkiy Tsvetochek (Scarlet Flower) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “The Scarlet Flower” – a famous classic Russian fairy tale similar to Beauty and the Beast. The specific strain discussed here was sourced from the catalog of Evgeny Fech, a well-known Russian private seed collector. 🌿 Plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Akkordeon Rozovy (Pink Accordion) 🌍 Origin: A visually striking Russian heirloom variety. The name translates exactly to “Pink Accordion,” referring to its heavily pleated shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.8–2 meters (6–6.5 ft) in height. A very vigorous and powerful plant that can be grown both in greenhouses and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abakanets 🌍 Origin: A stabilized red off-type (mutation) originally discovered in a seed packet of the famous Abakansky Rozovy (Abakan Pink) produced by the Siberian Garden seed company. “Abakanets” roughly translates to “The guy from Abakan.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. Highly productive and will continue fruiting right up … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alesha Popovich 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the “Poisk” seed company. It is part of their “Three Bogatyrs” (Three Epic Knights) series, named after legendary heroes of Russian folklore: Alesha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich, and Ilya Muromets. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.5–1.6m (5–5.2 ft). The bush is … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaysky Rozovy (Altai Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian heirloom from the famous “Sibirsky Sad” (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates to “Altai Pink,” named after the Altai Mountains region in Siberia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and very vigorous. Known for being a highly productive and heavy yielder. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amerikanskiy Rebristyi (American Ribbed) 🌍 Origin: This is the famous, classic “American Ribbed” heirloom, known and loved in the West (similar to the Costoluto types). It was brought over to Russia and quickly gained popularity among collectors for its stunning appearance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally indeterminate (tall), though some growers report … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Accordion Bi-Color 🌍 Origin: This is a known commercial heirloom variety (likely tracing back to the classic American Pink Accordion or Red Accordion lines). In Russia, it was aggressively marketed and sold by the boutique seed seller D. Gusev as “Accordion Bi-Color”. ⚠️ The “Bi-Color” Controversy: Is it actually a bicolor? … Read more