Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Negrillo de Almoguera is a historic Spanish heirloom from Castilla-La Mancha that was saved from extinction by university researchers. An indeterminate vine reaching over 6.5 feet (2 m), it yields hefty 10.5 oz (300 g) dusky brownish-pink beefsteaks with scalloped olive-green shoulders and rich garnet flesh. Gardeners prize it for two exceptional … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Extravagante Rouffiange is a highly unusual, indeterminate mid-season novelty tomato bred by Pascal Moreau. It is famous for its fuzzy, blue-tinted foliage, purple stems, and fuzzy striped fruits. The tomatoes are small, running about 2-2.8 oz (60-80 g). Growers report decent yields and excellent cold tolerance, noting that it doesn’t drop blossoms … Read more
🍅 Quick take: A reliable, mid-season indeterminate vine that produces gorgeous oblate brown-to-dark-purple tomatoes with dark greenish-black shoulders. Known for strong disease resistance and excellent yields even in cold, wet summers, it produces very sweet, delicious slicers averaging 7–9 oz (200–250g). Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3a-6b Experience) P Plena ⭐ … Read more
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🍅 Quick take: Siberian Nastya is a rugged, very early determinate bush variety bred specifically for tough, short-season climates. Reaching just over two feet tall, these highly low-maintenance plants thrive outdoors without any protection, pumping out delicious, all-purpose raspberry-pink tomatoes weighing up to 7 oz (200 g). Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA … Read more
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🍅 Quick take: Moravich is a mid-early, indeterminate pink oxheart hailing from Serbia. Growers are calling it a “flawless” hidden gem. Unlike many wispy pink oxhearts, the vine grows exceptionally sturdy and tall, allowing it to pump out massive yields of dense, meaty hearts weighing up to 14 oz (400 g). It is highly praised … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Leningrad Giant is an early-season, determinate beefsteak tomato bred specifically to produce massive slicers in short, cool northern summers. The compact bush stays under 3 feet (80 cm) but manages to pump out heavy yields of pink fruits averaging 10.5 oz (300 g), with some growers pulling 1.5 lb (685 g) whoppers. … Read more
📌 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): Kot Timofey (Tomcat Timofey) 🌍 Origin: Originally sourced from a private Ukrainian seed collector named Manusha. The name “Kot Timofey” translates to “Tomcat Timofey”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but stays relatively manageable. Usually hits around 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) in open ground. It is an incredibly … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Iyunskiy (June) 🌍 Origin: A legendary ultra-early Russian community heirloom. Note: There is a commercial variety sold by Sedek with the same name, but this thread specifically documents the famous “Forum Iyunskiy” circulated by the grower Sweet from St. Petersburg. 🌿 Plant Habit: Ultra-early dwarf (determinate). A stout, sturdy, compact little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Italian Hearts (Italianskie Serdechki) 🌍 Origin: A variety circulated among Russian tomato collectors under the name “Italianskie Serdechki”. The exact pedigree is unknown, but it is a widely grown, stable open-pollinated oxheart. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indet. An early-season variety known for being highly adaptable. It sets fruit reliably without dropping blossoms … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zelenushka F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid from the Russian seed company Ilyinichna. The name roughly translates to “Little Green One” or “Greenfinch”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Billed as determinate (bush), but forum members report it behaves more like an aggressive indeterminate in a greenhouse, easily shooting past 6.5 feet (2 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zemlyak (Countryman) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety released by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name “Zemlyak” translates to “Countryman” or “Fellow Countryman”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It has a very wide, sprawling growth habit. It requires virtually no maintenance and can be grown without pruning (suckering). 🍅 … Read more