Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zlato (Gold) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Gold”. It is specifically bred and marketed for its high carotene and sugar content. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tall semi-determinate or indeterminate. Typically reaches about 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. Seed companies recommend pruning heavily to a single stem, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotoy Kenigsberg (Golden Königsberg) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial Siberian heirloom from the SibSad (Siberian Garden) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but heights vary widely from 4 feet (1.2 m) outdoors to 6.5 feet (2 m) in a greenhouse. Standout feature: It has extreme “wispy” foliage. The leaves … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotoe Serdtse (Golden Heart) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial Russian variety sold by major seed companies like Aelita and Sedek. The name translates to “Golden Heart”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and cold-tolerant. Usually stays around 24 to 32 inches (60-80 cm) tall in open ground, but can … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotye Kupola (Golden Domes) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial Russian heirloom developed by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates to “Golden Domes”, referencing the shape of Russian Orthodox church roofs. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but often acts semi-determinate depending on the climate. Typically reaches about 4 to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zailiyskiy Alatau Red 🌍 Origin: Bred by the famous tomato breeder Vitaliy Alifirov from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after the local Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A powerful, heat-tolerant plant that doesn’t drop blossoms during extreme summer heat. Known for being an absolute heavy yielder. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, … Read more
Quick Summary of Zolotaya Klusha 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotaya Klusha 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian variety developed by the SibSad (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates roughly to “Golden Broody Hen”. 🌿 Plant Habit: A very compact, sturdy determinate bush (dwarf type). It rarely exceeds 2 ft (60 cm) in height, making it … Read more
Quick Summary of Zoloto Khakasii (Gold of Khakassia) 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zoloto Khakasii 🌍 Origin: A stunning heirloom from the Republic of Khakassia in Siberia. The name translates to “Gold of Khakassia”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vine), mid-season ripening. Vigorous growth typical of Siberian varieties. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, chubby oxhearts (blunt heart … Read more
Quick Summary of Zagadka Prirody (Nature’s Riddle) 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zagadka Prirody 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial Russian bicolor beefsteak introduced by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates to “Nature’s Riddle” or “Enigma of Nature”. 🌿 Plant Habit (Beware of Off-types!): The true variety is a massive, extremely vigorous indeterminate … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltye Slivki ot Borisovny (Borisovna’s Yellow Plums) 🌍 Origin: A highly treasured family heirloom passed down by Natalya Borisovna, a famous tomato grower and forum member from Kazakhstan. The name literally translates to “Yellow Plums from Borisovna.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Classified as a determinate, but it grows incredibly vigorously (more like … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yelisey 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial variety from the well-known Russian seed company “Aelita”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). An absolute workhorse of a plant that performs exceptionally well both in greenhouses and outdoors. Height varies from 24-40 inches (60-100 cm) outdoors, up to 5 feet (1.5 m) in a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Tsarskiy Zholtyi (Royal Yellow De Barao) 🌍 Origin: A highly sought-after commercial variety from Ukraine/Russia, part of the premium “Tsarskiy” (Royal) line of the famous De Barao family. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A tall, aggressive climbing vine. It can reach nearly 10 feet (3 m) in a greenhouse, but … 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