Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bobcat F1 🧬 Origin: A highly popular commercial F1 hybrid bred by Syngenta. Known worldwide for its ruggedness and adaptability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Generally reaches 60-80 cm (24-32 inches). It is highly vigorous with very dense, dark green foliage that provides excellent canopy cover, completely protecting the fruit from … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bochata (Little Barrels) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Siberian seed company “Semena Altaya”. The name translates to “Little Barrels”, reflecting their blocky, plump shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate. Grows to about 90-110 cm (3-3.5 ft). Performs incredibly well out in the garden (open ground), especially in “hot beds” (manure/compost … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buyan Zheltyi (Buyan Yellow) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, officially registered in the Russian State Register for the West Siberian region. Also known as “Boets Yellow” (Fighter Yellow). 🌿 Plant Habit: Rugose determinate dwarf (tree-type). Extremely compact, sturdy, and short, typically reaching only 30-60 cm (1-2 ft). Seedlings do not … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bochkovoy Zasol (Barrel Pickling) 🌍 Origin & Name: An old heirloom variety originating from the Astrakhan region of Russia. The name translates to “Barrel Pickling” or “Barrel Fermentation.” It is named after the traditional Russian method of fermenting whole vegetables in large wooden barrels for the winter, implying these tomatoes are … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Betta (Бетта) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian dwarf/bush variety widely praised for its ultra-early production. 🌿 Plant Habit: A true dwarf/tree-type (штамб). The plants are very compact and sturdy, typically reaching only 16-20 inches (40-50 cm). They feature broad, rugose-type foliage. Despite their sturdy trunks, they usually require staking once loaded … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Krasnyi (Red Banana) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Red Banana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally a compact determinate (bush) plant growing about 2-2.5 feet (60-80 cm) tall, though some seed lines seem to produce indeterminate vines. Extremely sturdy and known for being highly forgiving … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Azhur F1 (Ажур F1) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian F1 hybrid, commonly sold by the SeDeK seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush), growing to about 80 cm (31 inches) tall. A true workhorse variety. To get the best yield, growers recommend pruning suckers only up to the first flower truss … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Andromeda F1 🌍 Origin: A highly successful Russian commercial F1 hybrid. It comes in three color variations: Red, Pink, and Orange. Usually sold by the Russkiy Ogorod (RO) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact, sturdy, and semi-spreading, reaching up to 70 cm (27 inches). Extremely resilient against harsh weather … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Adamovo Yabloko (Adam’s Apple) 🌍 Origin: A highly reliable Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Adam’s Apple”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing up to 1.8m (6 ft) tall even in open ground. Known for being incredibly disease-resistant and tough. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, very smooth, firm, and thick-walled. The shape … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Neves Azorean Red 🌍 Origin: A legendary Portuguese/Azorean heirloom brought to the US by Anthony Neves and popularized by Carolyn Male. Interestingly, in Russia, it was initially mistranslated by some seed sellers as “Azorean Red Under a Canopy” because the name Neves sounds exactly like the Russian word for canopy (навес)! … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amish Paste 🌍 Origin: A legendary American heirloom tomato, famously included in Carolyn Male’s classic book, “100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden.” This thread reviews how the variety performs when grown overseas in Eastern Europe (Russia & Belarus). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous, tall, almost liana-like vine with … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alye Svechi (Scarlet Candles) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates to “Scarlet Candles” due to its elongated shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and incredibly vigorous. Growers warn that this bush is a monster, easily reaching 2 to 3 meters (6.5–10 ft) tall, requiring serious staking. 🍅 … Read more