Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Akrobat (Acrobat) 🌍 Origin: A Russian cascading (trailing) cherry tomato variety bred specifically for container gardening, hanging baskets, and small spaces. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, micro-dwarf/cascading type. It naturally forms a lush, cascading waterfall of foliage and fruit. If staked upright, it reaches about 50 cm (20 inches) in height. Highly … Read more
Quick Summary of Bin Pang 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It grows as a compact but sprawling bush up to 70 cm (about 2.3 ft) in height. Because of its spreading nature, it requires only moderate pruning (suckering) to maintain good airflow without sacrificing yield. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, bright yellow cherry tomatoes. The fruits … Read more
Quick Summary of Bing Cherry 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Semi-determinate. Grows to a compact height of about 1.2 m (4 ft) when planted outdoors. Highly praised for its robust health, disease resistance, and cold tolerance. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Gorgeous anthocyanin (blue/purple) cherry tomatoes with a red base. They possess unique color shades that make … Read more
Quick Summary of Atol 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety originally from Poland, also widely sold in Russia by the “Sedek” seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact, typically reaching 50-60 cm (20-24 inches) in height. Extremely rugged, cold-tolerant, and perfectly suited for open ground (outdoors) without any protection. In some regions, it can even … Read more
Quick Summary of Yabloki na Snegu (Apples on the Snow) 🌍 Origin: A popular early-season Russian commercial heirloom variety (frequently sold by “Russkiy Ogorod”). The poetic name translates to “Apples on the Snow”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Grows very compact, typically around 40–80 cm (16–32 inches) tall. Highly suitable for container gardening (thrives in … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnaya Rossyp (Amber Placer) 🌍 Origin: A modern Russian commercial variety bred by the “Tsentr Ogorodnik” / “Poisk” seed company and officially entered into the Russian State Register in 2018. The name roughly translates to “Amber Placer” or “Scattering of Amber”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact, and sturdy (tree-type). It has a … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnyi (Amber) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial/heirloom variety. The name translates to “Amber,” referring to its bright yellow-orange color. Note: It is sometimes sold under variations like “Yantarnyi 530”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush/tree-type). It is highly compact, rugose, and very sturdy. It does not strictly require pruning or suckering, making … Read more
Quick Summary of Elberta Peach (Elberta Persikovaya) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful novelty variety known for its fuzzy, silvery-blue “angora” foliage and peach-like fuzzy fruits. Often goes by the name Elberta Girl in some Western collections. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate/Semi-determinate bush type, usually reaching 1 to 1.5 meters (3.2 – 4.9 ft) in height. The foliage … Read more
Quick Summary of Sherkhan (Shere Khan) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. Named “Sherkhan” (after the tiger Shere Khan from The Jungle Book) due to its distinctive striped skin. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The seed packet states a compact height of 60 cm (24 inches). However, greenhouse growers report it can act very vigorously, … Read more
Quick Summary of Dwarf Shimofuri (Frost Waterfall) 🌍 Origin & History: An incredibly unique variegated variety created by US tomato breeder and enthusiast Applestar. She crossed the trailing variety Whippersnapper with Faelan’s First Snow. The name “Shimofuri” is a Japanese term meaning “marbled” or “white-veined” (often used to describe premium Wagyu beef), which perfectly describes … Read more
Quick Summary of Shtambovyi Krupnoplodnyi (Tree-Type Large-Fruited) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates to “Tree-Type Large-Fruited”, referring to its sturdy, thick-stemmed growth habit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact, and true “tree-type” (stout stem, rugose foliage). It grows up to 60 cm (24 inches) tall. A major bonus for growers: it remains … Read more
Quick Summary of Tsarskiy Podarok (Tsar’s Gift) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad). Interestingly, growers have discovered that it is the exact same genetic variety as Sibsad’s Koroleva Elizaveta (Queen Elizabeth), simply marketed under two different names. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact, and very stocky bush. It grows … Read more