Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Ela 03 🌍 Origin: A new Polish breeding line. It is a cross between the variety Kiwi and K/20 (Kozula 20, described in Polish as czekoladowo-wiśniowy, meaning “chocolate-cherry”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season variety. The bush is relatively manageable, reaching a height of about 1.5 meters (5 ft). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, … Read more
Quick Summary of Ela 12 🌍 Origin: A new Polish breeding line. It is a cross between Malinowy Gigant (Pink Giant) and Albenga (a famous Italian pear/heart tomato, spelled “Albenaga” in the original post). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The bush is described as very sturdy, vigorous, and highly disease-resistant. Growers have had excellent results growing … Read more
Quick Summary of Ela 06 🌍 Origin: A spectacular Polish breeding line. It is a cross between Aurija (a famous elongated paste tomato) and Megagroniasty (a legendary Polish cherry tomato known for its massive multiflora trusses). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, extremely vigorous, and disease-resistant. Growers describe it as growing “like a tree” with very thick, … Read more
Quick Summary of Ela 18 🌍 Origin: A recent cross from a Polish breeding line. The lineage is listed as Malinowy nn od przekupki x Albenga (which roughly translates from Polish as “Unknown Pink from a market woman” crossed with “Albenga”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous plant. Best suited for greenhouse growing in cooler climates. … Read more
Quick Summary of Blue Pineapple Lineage 🌍 Origin: A rare collectible variety originally developed in Belgium. Interestingly, in the Russian tomato community, the English word “Lineage” was somewhat lost in translation and it is commonly sold under the name “Epoch of the Blue Pineapple”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall and vigorous. It reaches about 150 … Read more
Quick Summary of Sherkhan (Shere Khan) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. Named “Sherkhan” (after the tiger Shere Khan from The Jungle Book) due to its distinctive striped skin. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The seed packet states a compact height of 60 cm (24 inches). However, greenhouse growers report it can act very vigorously, … Read more
Quick Summary of Shokoladka F1 (Little Chocolate F1) 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid originally released by the Russian seed company “SeDek” (also distributed by Ukrainian private collectors). The name translates to “Chocolate Bar”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, medium-tall. Outdoors it reaches about 1.7 m (5.5 ft). The foliage is somewhat thin and sparse (wispy), … Read more
Quick Summary of Shokoladnaya Amazonka (Chocolate Amazon) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety widely circulated among prominent private seed collectors (such as Popenko and Redko). The name translates to “Chocolate Amazon”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, though some growers describe it as medium-tall, reaching about 1.5 m (5 ft) in greenhouses. The plant is sturdy and … Read more
Quick Summary of Shalun (Playful) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from Siberian breeders. The name translates to “Playful” or “Mischievous”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, reaching about 2 m (6.5 ft). The plant has a very specific structure: it is highly compact with sparse, open foliage (often described as wispy). It takes up very little space, … Read more
Quick Summary of Chocolate Cherry 🌍 Origin: A very popular dark cherry tomato. In this forum thread, Russian growers compare different strains circulating under this name, noting distinct differences from the famous Black Cherry. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), incredibly vigorous, and often described as a “monster” in the greenhouse. It sets fruit continuously until … Read more
Quick Summary of Shimbleng 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom variety grown by Russian collectors. The exact origin of the name “Shimbleng” is unknown, likely a phonetic adaptation. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Greenhouse heights vary from 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 ft) depending on conditions. Growers recommend pruning it to 2 stems for … Read more
Quick Summary of Shchelkovskiy Ranniy (Shchelkovsky Early) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Shchelkovsky Early”. It was widely distributed by the commercial seed company “Russkiy Ogorod” (Russian Garden). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact bush. Seed packets claim a micro-dwarf height of 30–35 cm (12–14 inches), though greenhouse growers report it reaching … Read more