Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kazabalykskiy Superearly 🌍 Origin: An older commercial variety that has circulated in Russian seed shops since at least the mid-1990s. The name is widely believed to be a slight spelling corruption of the Karabalyk district in Kazakhstan. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). An absolute workhorse of a plant. Usually tops out … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Krasnaya Shapochka (Little Red Riding Hood) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial Russian determinate variety, translated as “Little Red Riding Hood”. Often goes by the German name Rotkäppchen on seed packets. Widely distributed by several Russian seed companies (Sibsad, Aelita, Agros, Poisk). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush) or dwarf. Extremely compact, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Koster 🌍 Origin: A popular Russian commercial heirloom variety. The name translates to “Campfire” or “Bonfire”. Popularized by the Russian seed vendor Valery Medvedev. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and stocky, typically staying between 16 to 27 inches (40-70 cm) tall. Does exceptionally well outdoors but can drop blossoms … Read more
Quick Summary of Zagadka (The Riddle) 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zagadka 🌍 Origin: A classic ultra-early commercial Russian variety. The name translates to “The Riddle” or “Enigma”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact, growing only 12-16 inches (30-40 cm) tall. It does not require pruning or staking; you can just let it sprawl in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhemchuzhinka (Little Pearl) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the GISOK seed company. The name translates to “Little Pearl”. Visually and genetically, it appears to be identical to the well-known western variety Garden Pearl. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It has a trailing/tumbling growth habit, making it an absolute superstar … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhigalo (Gigolo) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by the Russian seed company “Biotechnica”. Known for its provocative name (Gigolo) due to its distinct, elongated, phallic shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Compact determinate (tree-type dwarf). Usually grows to about 16-24 inches (40-60 cm). Has thick, rugose foliage that looks like a little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Demidov 🌍 Origin: A rugged, commercial Russian variety bred specifically for harsh, short-summer climates like Siberia and the Altai Mountains. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact tree-type dwarf (*shtambovyi* in Russian). It typically grows only 24-25 inches (60-64 cm) tall and requires absolutely no pruning or suckering. Excellent for container gardening or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grushovka (Little Pear) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian heirloom name, but be aware: there are multiple distinct strains circulating under this name! The two most famous are the commercial strain bred by N.M. Egorov (a compact bush) and an old family heirloom strain popularized by a grower named Natalya Borisovna (a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grot (Grotto) 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety whose name translates to “Grotto”. There is significant controversy surrounding this seed. Commercial seed companies (like SeDeK) often sell “fake” off-types. The true Grot was scientifically bred by Russian agricultural institutes specifically for high resistance to Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans) using wild tomato genetics. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grushka Polosataya (Striped Pear) 🌍 Origin: A very popular Russian commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Striped Pear”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It stays relatively short, reaching about 2.3-2.6 ft (70-80 cm) tall, but it has a very sprawling, bushy growth habit. Growers highly recommend giving it plenty of … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gulliver – Myazina vs. Siberian Garden 🌍 Origin: Russia. Important Note: There are actually two completely different Russian varieties sold under the name “Gulliver”. One is an early commercial-style plum tomato by breeder L. Myazina. The other is a massive oxheart variety by Siberian Garden (SibSad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gaspacho 🌍 Origin: A very popular and reliable Russian variety named after the famous Spanish cold tomato soup. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It stays relatively compact but produces heavily. Bonus: It has built-in genetic resistance to Verticillium and Fusarium wilt (VF resistance), making it a bulletproof choice for problem soils. … Read more