Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Babushkin Med (Grandma’s Honey) 🌍 Origin: A Russian collector variety bred by Angelina (Domashniy Pomidor). The name translates to “Grandma’s Honey”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and vigorous. There is some minor variation in leaf type among growers (some report standard Regular Leaf, others mention oversized foliage or even Potato Leaf segregations), … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bolshaya Malina (Big Raspberry) 🌍 Origin: Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “Big Raspberry”. The original seeds in this thread trace back to the well-known Russian tomato collector V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The height varies significantly depending on growing conditions: about 1.1m (3.5 ft) in open ground, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Big Girl (Большая девочка) 🌍 Origin: Often circulated among Russian and Ukrainian collectors under the name “Bolshaya Devochka” (Big Girl) or sometimes incorrectly as “Bonnie Magnificent”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Outdoors it stays relatively compact (around 3 ft / 1 m), but in a greenhouse, it easily reaches 5.5 ft (1.7 … 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): Batyanya (Dad) 🌍 Origin: A famous commercial Russian variety from “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name “Batyanya” translates roughly to “Daddy” or “Pops”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing up to 5 ft (1.5 m) outdoors and 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. Classic oxheart genetics with very delicate, wispy foliage that … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bogatyr Ilyusha 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Hero Ilyusha”, referencing a legendary strongman from Slavic folklore. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Can be grown successfully both in a greenhouse and outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, blunt oxhearts … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Budenovka 🌍 Origin: A legendary, classic Russian heirloom. The name translates to “Budenovka”, which was a distinctively pointed, historical Soviet cavalry hat—perfectly describing the shape of these pointed oxheart tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (though sometimes acts semi-determinate depending on the seed line), usually reaching about 5-5.5 ft (1.5-1.6 m) tall. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Krasnyi (Red Banana) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Red Banana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally a compact determinate (bush) plant growing about 2-2.5 feet (60-80 cm) tall, though some seed lines seem to produce indeterminate vines. Extremely sturdy and known for being highly forgiving … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Black Oxheart (Bych’ye Serdtse Chernoe) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded commercial and family heirloom from Russia. Known in Russian as Bych’ye Serdtse Chernoe. Growers often debate how it compares to the American variety Brad’s Black Heart. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It features the classic “wispy, drooping” oxheart foliage, but the main … 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
2.jpg.796b135949e2da58552aa8058bdb18b6.jpg)
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blazhenstvo (Bliss) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern variety introduced by Russian breeder and collector Sofia Saakova. The name translates beautifully to “Bliss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has proven to be quite resistant to Leaf Mold (Cladosporium), staying healthy late into the season. Note: It is a late-season variety in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Baklazhan (Eggplant) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “Eggplant,” given because of the huge, elongated oval shape of the fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 7 feet (2.2m) in a greenhouse. It is extremely reliable and resilient, setting fruit easily without dropping blossoms even in … Read more