Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Efemer 🌍 Origin: A very popular, reliable, and trouble-free commercial/heirloom variety from Eastern Europe (Ukraine/Russia/Moldova). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush) type. Typically grows to about 60-70 cm (24-28 inches) outdoors, but can reach 1 m (3.2 ft) in a greenhouse. Requires minimal pruning. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Perfectly round, smooth red fruits weighing … Read more
Quick Summary of Elberta Peach (Elberta Persikovaya) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful novelty variety known for its fuzzy, silvery-blue “angora” foliage and peach-like fuzzy fruits. Often goes by the name Elberta Girl in some Western collections. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate/Semi-determinate bush type, usually reaching 1 to 1.5 meters (3.2 – 4.9 ft) in height. The foliage … Read more
Quick Summary of Eros 🌍 Origin: A well-known novelty paste tomato, often considered the “brother” of the famous Auria variety, but with yellow-orange fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining). Known for having “wispy foliage” (thin, delicate-looking vines) despite its tall and vigorous growth. Easily reaches the greenhouse roof. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Elongated, cylindrical (phallic-shaped) fruits, … Read more
Quick Summary of Etual (Etoile) 🌍 Origin: A very popular heirloom in Eastern European collections. The name translates to “Star” in French (Étoile), perfectly matching its stunning ruffled shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining). It can be quite compact outdoors (around 1m / 3.2 ft) but will shoot up vigorously over 2m (6.5 ft) in … Read more
Quick Summary of Ekkert Polskiy (Eckert Polish) 🌍 Origin: A wonderful heirloom tomato of Polish origin, highly valued in Eastern European and Russian gardening communities. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining) and grows to about 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) tall in a greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large pink beefsteaks that are slightly ribbed. Some growers report … Read more
Author: Pomidoroved | Originally published: May 3, 2013 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) Choosing Sets: Bigger is NOT better. Buy small onion sets (about 1 cm / 3/8 inch). Large sets are prone to bolting (going to seed) instead of forming a bulb. Storage: Store your sets in a dry, warm place (like a shoebox on … Read more
Author: Pomidoroved; USDA 5/6 | Originally published: July 14, 2013 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) Dwarf vs Standard: Dwarf trees yield sooner and save space, but require watering. Standard trees live longer, cast great shade, and have deep, drought-tolerant roots. Seedling Selection: Look for a 1-year unbranched whip or a 2-year tree with 3-4 scaffold branches. … Read more
Quick Summary of EM-Chempion (EM-Champion) 🌍 Origin: A famous Russian commercial variety released by Sibirskiy Sad (Siberian Garden). The name translates to “EM-Champion”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush), reaching about 60–70 cm (24–28 inches) outdoors. It has very sparse, thin, downward-hanging leaves (often described as “wispy” or “weeping willow” type). Because of this, it can … Read more
Quick Summary of Elfie 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom variety. The name “Elfie” is a traditional female name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, requires staking. Best grown in a greenhouse in cooler climates, pruned to 2 stems. Yields can vary depending on the region: growers in Central Russia report excellent harvests, while those in Siberia note … Read more
Quick Summary of Ela 09 Red (Czerwony) 🌍 Origin: A fascinating Polish breeding line created by Ela. The lineage is an unnamed American variety (seeds were packed in a “Martha Stewart USA” packet) crossed with Stara Babcina Malinówka (a famous Polish heirloom meaning “Old Grandmother’s Pink”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The breeder notes this is … Read more
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