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): Dwarf BSP 🌍 Origin: An independent dwarf variety bred in the USA. Seeds in this thread trace back to a well-known grower named Dale, who has been developing a whole family of experimental tree-type dwarfs (including OPO, PPI, ZSO, etc.). 🌿 Plant Habit: Tree-type dwarf with regular leaf (RL) foliage. Despite … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bolshoy Cherniy Volonter (Big Black Volunteer) 🌍 Origin: A dark heirloom variety circulating among seed collectors. The name translates exactly to “Big Black Volunteer”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Height can vary; some growers report it staying relatively compact in a greenhouse, reaching about 1.6 m (5.2 ft). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oval … 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): Fish Lake Oxheart 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Canadian heirloom variety originating from the Fish Lake area in Ontario. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Unlike many wispy, fragile-looking oxheart varieties, this one has a very vigorous, powerful, and robust bush. It easily reaches 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit … 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): Big White Pink Stripes 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom variety. Often traded in Russian seed circles under the translated name “Bolshiye Belye Polosy” (Large White Stripes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A vigorous and robust plant that performs well both in greenhouses and outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Casady’s Folly (Безумие Кэсиди) 🌍 Origin: Bred by the famous American tomato breeder Tom Wagner. It is a stunning, elongated, red-and-gold striped paste/plum tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly Debated! The forum community has discovered two distinct genetic lines circulating in Russia: one is a tall, spindly, wispy-leafed indeterminate (often reaching 5-6.5 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grosse des Marais 🌍 Origin: A rare, endangered old French heirloom from the Champagne region (specifically the Reims area). The name translates to “Large of the Swamp,” as it was historically cultivated in the marshlands. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and vigorous. Regular leaf. Unlike many oxhearts or heirlooms, it has … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Betta (Бетта) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian dwarf/bush variety widely praised for its ultra-early production. 🌿 Plant Habit: A true dwarf/tree-type (штамб). The plants are very compact and sturdy, typically reaching only 16-20 inches (40-50 cm). They feature broad, rugose-type foliage. Despite their sturdy trunks, they usually require staking once loaded … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): White Queen 🌍 Origin: A classic white heirloom beefsteak variety, highly debated among tomato collectors for its unique flavor profile. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, typically reaching 5.2 – 6.5 ft (1.6 – 2.0 m). The plant is described as sturdy and “well-behaved” (not overly aggressive with suckers). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brandywine Red 🌍 Origin: A classic red strain of the legendary Brandywine heirloom family, famous among collectors worldwide for its unmatched flavor. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing to about 6.5 ft (2 m) tall. It features the classic Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. The bush is medium in vigor but very densely … Read more