Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Scabitha 🌍 Origin: An exotic novelty variety bred by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms, USA). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, predominantly round tomatoes weighing up to 100g (3.5 oz). They are red, heavily adorned with striking gold and … Read more
Quick Summary of Tiger Plum (Sliva Tigrovaya) 🌍 Origin & Name: An Eastern European striped heirloom, also known in international circles as Plum Tigris. Translates from Russian directly as “Tiger Plum” (Sliva Tigrovaya). It is sometimes confused with “Striped Plum”, though growers note they are genetically different. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly versatile. When grown outdoors … Read more
Quick Summary of Solokha 🌍 Origin & Name: A popular Eastern European variety. “Solokha” is a female name, famously known as the lively, mischievous village witch in Nikolai Gogol’s classic tale “The Night Before Christmas”. 🔍 The “Two Strains” Mystery: Forum discussions reveal there are at least two distinct genetic lines circulating under this name: … Read more
Quick Summary of Superekzotik (Super Exotic) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Eastern European/Russian commercial heirloom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It is a very vigorous vine, with growers reporting heights anywhere from 1.7 m to almost 2.5 m (5.5 to 8 ft) in a greenhouse. The foliage is relatively sparse/airy, allowing good light penetration. 🍅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Santa Cruz 🌍 Origin: Often circulated by Russian seed collectors (like V. Popenko). It is widely positioned in the community as an “improved De Barao” (referencing the legendary Eastern European canning variety). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall), easily reaching 2.5 meters (8+ ft). Growers describe the bush as a “monster”—very vigorous … Read more
Quick Summary of Solntse Severa (Sun of the North) 🌍 Origin: Distributed by a well-known (and somewhat secretive) Russian seed collector, Kolyakov. The name translates to “Sun of the North”. 🧐 The Naming Irony: As forum growers quickly point out, the name is quite misleading! One would expect a “Northern Sun” to be a yellow … Read more
Quick Summary of Sibirskiy Malakhit (Siberian Malachite) 🌍 Origin: A well-known commercial variety from Siberian Garden (SibSad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In open ground, it usually reaches 1.2-1.4 meters (4-4.5 ft), and slightly taller in greenhouses. The bush is regular, not overly spreading. Growers note it exhibits excellent disease resistance (particularly against leaf mold / … Read more
Quick Summary of Bull’s Heart (Cuor di Bue / Coeur de Boeuf) 🌍 The Global Oxheart: This thread is a massive masterclass on the world’s most famous heirloom tomato. Known as Bychye Serdtse in Russia, Cuor di Bue in Italy, Coeur de Boeuf in France, and Coracao de Boi in Portugal. The forum admin officially … Read more
Quick Summary of Severnoe Siyanie (Northern Lights) 🌍 Origin: This is the Russian-grown lineage of the famous American heirloom “Northern Lights” (translated directly into Russian as Severnoe Siyanie). It has been widely circulated and adapted by Russian seed savers. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). In a greenhouse, it easily reaches up to 2 meters (6.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdtse Kenguru (Kangaroo Heart) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial/heirloom variety. The name translates to “Kangaroo Heart”, reflecting the shape and massive size of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.5 – 1.8 meters (5-6 ft). The bush is strong, healthy, and has moderate foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful, perfectly … Read more
Quick Summary of Sadovaya Zhemchuzhina (Garden Pearl) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial variety in Russia (from the SeDek company). It is also officially registered and widely sold in Western Europe (particularly Germany) under the name Gartenperle. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, trailing (cascading) type. It only grows to about 40-50 cm (16-20 inches) in height … Read more
Quick Summary of Smilyanskiy Rudasa 🌍 Origin & History: A rare Eastern European heirloom with a great backstory. It was bred by Ukrainian breeder A.P. Rudas. The seeds in this thread took a fascinating journey: bought at a market in Hungary, brought to Germany, and then shared with Russian growers. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). … Read more