Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Roza Tashkenta (Rose of Tashkent) 🌍 Origin: A collectible heirloom variety. The name translates to “Rose of Tashkent” (Tashkent being the capital of Uzbekistan, a region legendary across the former Soviet Union for its incredibly sweet and meaty market tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining). It is a sturdy, vigorous plant that … Read more
Quick Summary of Reyna 🌍 Origin: A rare and exotic long-fruited heirloom variety popular among Russian collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining) and tall, easily reaching 1.8 m (6 feet). The foliage is average, not overly dense. Pro Tip: Most growers highly recommend pruning this variety strictly to two stems to maximize the yield. 🍅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Rumyanyi (Rosy) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial and collectible variety. The name translates to “Rosy” or “Ruddy”, perfectly describing its glowing pinkish-red skin. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It is a sturdy, compact plant growing about 50-70 cm (20-28 inches) outdoors, and stretching up to 1 meter (3.3 feet) in a greenhouse. … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovyi Sneg (Pink Snow) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety, most famously distributed by the “Aelita-Agro” seed company. The name translates to “Pink Snow”, likely referring to the massive cascades of pink fruit it produces. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially classed as indeterminate (vining), growing over 1.5m (5 ft) tall in greenhouses. However, … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozamarin Funtovyi (Pound Rosemary) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety (often sold by Gavrish and Johnsons Seeds). The name translates to “Pound Rosemary”, hinting at its large, 1-lb fruits. Note: There is both an open-pollinated (OP) heirloom version and an F1 hybrid version circulating under similar names. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), … Read more
Quick Summary of Raketa Zholtaya (Yellow Rocket) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom variety from the seed company “Semena Altaya” (Seeds of Altai). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-early to mid-season. Reaches about 2 meters (6.5 ft) by the end of the season. Important Note: This plant has an incredibly frail, wispy, and “weeping” structure. The … Read more
Quick Summary of Russkaya Krasavitsa (Russian Beauty) 🌍 Origin: Officially included in the Russian State Register of breeding achievements in 2007. A highly sought-after pink oxheart variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. Reaches about 1.5 meters (5 ft) in height. Requires staking and pruning. It has remarkable disease resistance, officially noted for resisting Fusarium wilt … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovaya Stella (Pink Stella) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). Note for Collectors: Some experienced growers believe that “Pink Stella”, “Petrusha Ogorodnik”, and “Supermodel” are virtually identical twin varieties. 🌿 Plant Habit: A true determinate and very compact. Officially listed at 40-50 cm (1.3-1.6 ft) … Read more
Quick Summary of Russkaya Dusha (Russian Soul) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the famous “Siberian Garden” (SibSad) seed company. Designed specifically to perform well in harsh, cold climates. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but usually remains relatively compact outdoors in open ground, reaching about 1 – 1.2m (3.3 – 4 ft) in height. Some … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovyi Spam F1 (Pink Spam) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial F1 hybrid from the Russian seed company “Semko”. (Note: The name “Spam” here is just a quirky commercial marketing name and has nothing to do with canned meat!) Interesting Fact: Several Russian collectors have been saving seeds from this hybrid for … Read more
Quick Summary of Russkaya Roza (Russian Rose) Important Variety Note: Do not confuse this classic heirloom Russian Rose (Russkaya Roza / Русская Роза) — a large, sweet pink beefsteak originating from Novorossiysk, Russia — with Black Russian Rose (a dark, anthocyanin-rich oxheart bred in Latvia by Valdis Puliņš). They are two distinct varieties with completely … Read more
Quick Summary of Rimskaya Svecha (Roman Candle) 🌍 Origin: A strikingly beautiful yellow paste/icicle variety (originally sourced by Russian collectors from the US/Valery Popenko). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and highly productive. The bush has a very distinct, frail/wispy structure right from the seedling stage. As one grower poetically described it: “A flexible, graceful stem … Read more