Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aburida 🌍 Origin: A magnificent heirloom popularized by the well-known Ukrainian breeder and collector V.F. Syrai. Highly sought after by collectors of giant paste tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-late season variety. Reaches 1.8 – 2 meters (6-6.5 ft) in height. The bushes are robust and produce very beautiful, heavy … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Almaty Yellow Tulip (Almatinskiy Zheltyi Tyulpan) 🌍 Origin: The gorgeous yellow sister-variety to the Red Tulip, bred in the Almaty region (city of Esik), Kazakhstan, by the highly acclaimed breeder Vitaliy Gennadievich Alifirov. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and mid-season. Just like its red counterpart, it features Potato Leaf (PL) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anna German 🌍 Origin: An old, legendary Soviet-era heirloom variety, likely named after the beloved singer Anna German. It is often confused with other yellow multiflora varieties like Wonder of the World and Citrus Garden, but experienced growers confirm it is a distinct, unique strain. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aquarelle (Akvarel) 🌍 Origin: A reliable Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Watercolor”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (short bush). Specifically, it is a “tree-type” (shtamb) dwarf with a very sturdy, thick central stem that requires minimal staking. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, plum-shaped paste tomatoes. They are on the smaller side … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anastasia Ushakova 🌍 Origin: A fantastic Russian heirloom variety highly prized for its reliability and beautiful shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and incredibly vigorous. It has a very long fruiting period, producing right up until the frost. Standout feature: Exceptional heat tolerance. Growers in hot, southern climates report that it … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Costoluto Genovese 🌍 Origin: A legendary Italian heirloom from the Genoa region. It has been a staple in Italian gardens for generations, highly prized for its heavily scalloped, decorative shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and incredibly robust. It is famous for its hardiness, tolerating both heat spells and cooler … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cascade Lava 🌍 Origin: A stunning novelty variety bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (USA). Highly sought after by heirloom collectors for its unique appearance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The plant has a rather compact, wispy foliage structure but grows very vigorously, easily reaching 2 meters (6.5 feet) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Carol Chyko’s Big Paste 🌍 Origin: A huge, classic heirloom paste tomato from Pennsylvania, USA. It was named after Carol Chyko. Note on translation: In Russian seed collections, it is frequently traded under the shortened (and slightly mistranslated) name “Большой Кэрол” (Big Carol). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very tall, powerful, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cosentino sel Claudia 🌍 Origin: A wonderful, highly productive family heirloom from Italy. (“Sel Claudia” likely denotes a specific selection by a grower named Claudia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. Known for being extremely reliable and heat-tolerant, displaying zero blossom drop even when grown in the sunniest spots of the … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: A productive heirloom beefsteak variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Proves to be exceptionally hardy and performs wonderfully when grown outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, classic beefsteak-type tomatoes with a bright, vibrant color. Unlike some beefsteaks that are dry and dense, this variety is wonderfully juicy. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: A striking dark-striped cherry tomato variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. Interestingly, while classified as indeterminate, it behaves quite compactly. When grown outdoors in open ground, it only reached about 0.8 meters (2.6 ft) in height, making it a great candidate for smaller spaces or containers. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR) 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom yellow pear-shaped cherry tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. A vigorous grower that performs excellently in a greenhouse environment. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow, small pear-shaped cherry tomatoes. They have a firm texture that holds up well. 👅 Flavor & Use: The flavor is described … Read more