Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Lee’s Sweet is a mid-season artisan cross created by American breeder Lee Goodwin of J&L Gardens by crossing Pittsburg Potato Top with Chianti Rose. Released as an early-generation line, growers report ongoing genetic segregation: true types throw potato-leaf foliage with dense, pink heart-to-boat shaped slicers weighing 9-17 oz (250-500 g), while rogues throw … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lush Queen is an indeterminate, mid-season novelty beefsteak bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms in California. The vines reach roughly 5.5 ft (1.7 m) in protected greenhouses, producing heavy yields of large, deep oblate slicers painted in deep burgundy-red with intricate metallic striping. Growers highlight its well-balanced, remarkably sweet flavor and … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lover’s Lunch (known in Russian collections as Obed Vlyublyonnykh) is a stunning mid-season indeterminate bicolor slicer originally bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. It produces heavy clusters of round, yellow-and-red striped beefsteaks weighing 9+ oz (250+ g) with sweet, balanced, marbled flesh. Northern growers note it is an aggressive, heavy … Read more
🍅 Quick take: KBX is the famous potato-leaf version of Kellogg’s Breakfast. It is a vigorous, indeterminate vine producing massive, bright orange beefsteaks. In this thread, growers debate its ripening time—some find it significantly earlier than regular Kellogg’s Breakfast, while others consider it a late-season variety. Taste reviews are split: many call it their absolute … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kentucky Beefsteak is a vigorous, indeterminate US heirloom producing large, flat-round orange-apricot beefsteaks. Growers rave about its melting, sweet, buttery flesh and its extremely low seed count. Reports on shelf life vary depending on the growing conditions, ranging from highly perishable to surprisingly good keepers. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kentucky Plate is a mid-late, indeterminate potato-leaf heirloom from the US. It produces large, smooth pink beefsteaks that are very meaty with few seeds. While the flavor is highly rated, growers note that it can struggle with blossom drop and sun-scorched trusses during extreme heatwaves. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kim’s Civil War Oxheart is a historic, mid-season indeterminate heirloom originally dating back to the American Civil War. It produces gorgeous, meaty, and extremely sweet dusky pink hearts weighing 7–14 oz (200–400 g). Known for its robust, vigorous vines and crack-resistant fruit, it delivers a classic, old-fashioned pink tomato flavor with very … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kentucky Cabin is a mid-season, heavy-yielding indeterminate regular-leaf variety. Normally a pale yellow beefsteak with a pink blush, extreme summer heat can cause it to ripen to a deep pink-red. It produces meaty 12–18 oz (350–500 g) slicers with a remarkably sweet, juicy, and fruity flavor profile. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes … Read more
🍅 Quick take: King Pineapple is a massive, incredibly sweet indeterminate bicolor heirloom originally from Indiana. While it can be a bit late to set fruit and finicky depending on the season, when it’s happy, it produces huge 1–3 lb (450–1500 g) slicers with a rich, fruity flavor and thick, sturdy trusses. Full summary ↓ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Julia Child is an early-to-mid season, potato-leaf indeterminate vine that produces gorgeous, thin-skinned pink beefsteaks. It is a reliable, above-average yielder that delivers a classic, well-balanced tomato flavor. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos E ElenaN (Elena) ⭐ Pro Grower (28,513 posts) 📍 Kostroma, Russia (USDA Zone 3/4) This one is … Read more
🍅 Quick take: JD’s Special C Tex is a mid-season, compact indeterminate vine that produces gorgeous, mahogany-red beefsteaks (around 7 oz). It’s a low-maintenance, highly productive variety with a long harvest window and an incredibly rich, sweet, well-balanced flavor profile. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos E ElenaN (Elena) ⭐ Pro Grower (28,513 posts) … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Indigo Rose is a famous anthocyanin-rich, indeterminate/semi-determinate cocktail tomato bred by Dr. Jim Myers at Oregon State University. It produces stunning dark purple-to-black fruits that weigh 1.2-2.5 oz (35-70 g). In this massive thread, growers debate its merits. While everyone agrees the plants are gorgeous and highly resistant to late blight, opinions … Read more