Topklipsa Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Topklipsa 🌍 Origin: A highly reliable commercial Russian heirloom. Growers note that it is virtually identical to another popular variety called Slavyanka. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and incredibly tall (easily reaches the greenhouse roof), but it has a very distinct “slender vine” habit. It doesn’t grow wide or bushy, which allows for … Read more

Tikla Sundari (Fragrant Beauty) Indian Heirloom Tomato

Quick Summary of Tikla Sundari 🌍 Origin: A rare and exotic heirloom variety originating from India. Its name translates beautifully to “Fragrant Beauty”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A vigorous vine that reaches up to 1.8 meters (6 ft) in height. Growers recommend pruning and maintaining the plant in 2-3 main stems for optimal yield … Read more

Fat Monk (Tolstyi Monakh) Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Tolstyi Monakh (Fat Monk) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Biotekhnika” seed company. The name humorously translates to “Fat Monk”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 ft) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, uniquely shaped fruits described as “truncated-square” or … Read more

Sultan’s Slippers (Tufelki Sultana) Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Tufelki Sultana (Sultan’s Slippers) 🌍 Origin: Another highly sought-after artisanal variety developed by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. The name translates to “Sultan’s Slippers”, perfectly describing its unique shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and highly productive vine. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Pink, elongated, pepper-shaped paste tomatoes with a distinct curve and a pointy … Read more

Tegucigalpa Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Tegucigalpa 🌍 Origin: A globally known heirloom variety named after the capital city of Honduras. Highly valued by seed savers for its incredible reliability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but with a very slender, elegant (wispy) vine structure. Because the plant isn’t overly bushy, growers successfully prune it to 4-5 stems to … Read more

Red-Pink Truffle (Tryufel Krasno-Rozovyi) Heirloom Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Tryufel Krasno-Rozovyi (Red-Pink Truffle) 🌍 Origin: A legendary “folk” heirloom circulated widely among Russian seed savers. It was originally distributed by a grower named Galya-64 around the year 2000. Because it had no official name, it spread across the internet under various names: Galya’s Truffle, Raspberry Truffle, or Folk Truffle (Narodnyi). 🌿 … Read more

Raspberry Cigar (Sigarovidnyi Malinovyi) Paste Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Sigarovidnyi Malinovyi (Raspberry Cigar) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Raspberry Cigar” (or Crimson Cigar), perfectly describing its shape and color. Amazing seed saver fact from this thread: A grower successfully germinated seeds that had expired 13 years prior! 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more

Super Banana (Superbanan) Long Paste Tomato

Quick Summary of Superbanan (Super Banana) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety whose name literally translates to “Super Banana”. It is highly sought after by growers who specialize in preserving and canning. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It is a vigorous plant reaching over 2 meters (6.5 ft) in height. The manufacturer specifically recommends it … Read more

Sugar Gem F1 (Samotsvet Sakharnyi) Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Sugar Gem F1 (Samotsvet Sakharnyi F1) 🌍 Origin & Name: Another popular commercial hybrid from the Russian SeDek seed company’s “Gem” (Samotsvet) series. The name translates to “Sugar Gem”. Note: Some Ukrainian private collectors sell “de-hybridized” open-pollinated (OP) versions under similar names. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and incredibly vigorous. Growers consistently … Read more

Super Balcony Orange Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Super Balcony Orange (Superbalkonnyi Oranzhevyi) 🌍 Origin & Name: Sourced from the collection of Ukrainian tomato breeder Denis Terentyev. The name translates to “Super Balcony Orange”. 🌿 Plant Habit (The Paradox): Despite the word “Balcony” in its name, which usually implies a tiny micro-dwarf, this variety is actually an indeterminate (tall) vine! … Read more

Lilac Plum (Sirenevaya Sliva) Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Lilac Plum (Sirenevaya Sliva) 🌍 Origin: Sourced from the famous Ukrainian tomato breeder and seed collector Aleksey Kulik. The name translates to “Lilac Plum”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. Growers note that the bush is very powerful and can easily support being pruned to 3 main stems to maximize … Read more

Sweet Kiss (Sladkiy Potseluy) Siberian Cherry Tomato Review

Quick Summary of Sweet Kiss (Sladkiy Potseluy) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian cherry variety produced by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates directly to “Sweet Kiss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly adaptable. In open ground, it behaves as a robust semi-determinate, growing to about 80 cm (31 inches). However, inside a greenhouse, it … Read more