Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Green Copia is a stunning, indeterminate green-and-red bicolor tomato. Growers rave about its incredibly sweet, fruity flavor that tastes almost exotic. However, it requires patience as it is notably late to ripen, and a few growers reported low yields, susceptibility to sunscald in the greenhouse, and severe vulnerability to late blight if … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Girl Girl’s Weird Thing is a large, indeterminate, dark-striped beefsteak tomato introduced by Jessica Hughes (named after her dog, Girl Girl, who discovered it). It produces massive, sweet, well-balanced slicing tomatoes that frequently reach 1-1.5 lbs. A major topic of discussion among these growers is how similar it is to Chocolate Stripes; … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Elberta Girl is a highly ornamental semi-determinate variety bred by the legendary American breeder Tom Wagner. It is famous for its stunning silvery-grey, angora-type foliage and small 1.4 oz (40 g) fuzzy red tomatoes with bright yellow stripes. While the plant is an absolute showstopper in the garden, the flavor of the … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Dwarf Caitydid is a beautiful Dwarf Tomato Project release bred by Craig LeHoullier (named after his daughter Caitlin). This sturdy, super-compact dwarf stays under 2.5 feet but pumps out impressively large, 10.5 oz bicolor beefsteaks. Growers praise it for its dense foliage and intensely sweet, refreshing flavor, often ranking it as the … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Dwarf Confetti is a gorgeous release from the Dwarf Tomato Project featuring sturdy, rugose-leaf plants that max out around 2 to 3 feet tall. It pumps out large, oblate bicolor beefsteaks (yellow with bright pink stripes) that deliver a deliciously sweet, fruity flavor. While it thrives in the greenhouse, growers in cooler … Read more
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🍅 Quick take: Dwarf Wherokowhai is an indeterminate(?), rugose potato-leaf release from the Dwarf Tomato Project that pumps out stunning yellow-and-red bicolor beefsteaks. While it’s classed as a dwarf, growers warn it can grow like an absolute monster (over 5 feet tall in a greenhouse). The community raves about its intensely sweet, complex, and fruity … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Minusinskoe Mango (Minusinsk Mango) is a mid-season, indeterminate heirloom from the famous Minusinsk region in Siberia. It produces large, oblate, pale yellow fruits with beautiful pink blushing at the blossom end, usually weighing between 7 and 16 oz (200-450 g). Growers rave about its sweet, honey-like, exotic fruit flavor and its buttery … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Californian Tulip 🌍 Origin: The exact origin and breeder are unknown, but it circulates widely in Eastern European seed-saving networks under the name “Kaliforniyskiy Tyulpan”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season indeterminate. Stays relatively compact, reaching around 5 feet (1.5 m) in open ground or 5.2 feet (1.6 m) in a greenhouse. Unbelievably … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zebra 🌍 Origin: Circulated among Eastern European growers simply under the name “Zebra”. Given the massive advertised size and bicolor stripes, it is highly likely this is a localized strain of “Big Zebra” or a similar large striped heirloom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Can be grown successfully outdoors in open ground, though … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotoy Byk (Golden Bull) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom released by the Biotekhnika seed company. The name translates to “Golden Bull”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Regular leaf, but it possesses the classic “wispy” oxheart foliage. The leaves are typically pale green and droopy, making the plant look frail even … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yellow Striped Boar 🌍 Origin: A famous American novelty variety bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (California, USA). It is widely grown and traded among Eastern European and Russian heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A mid-season producer that performs very well in greenhouse environments. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yellow Fire 🌍 Origin: A beautiful striped novelty variety bred by the legendary American tomato breeder Tom Wagner (famous for creating the Green Zebra). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though some growers note it can occasionally terminate its own growth early. A strong bush that performs very well both outdoors (reaching … Read more