Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Dirty Curty is an experimental, potentially unstable anthocyanin line (seeds originally circulated by Valdis Pulins) that produces mid-season, heavy-yielding indeterminate vines. While the intended shape is oblate with dark blue or “dirty gray” shoulders, growers note it can segregate into different shapes, such as elongated “boats.” Regardless of the shape, the consensus … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Daifuku is an original cross by Bunny Hop Seeds (BHN 669 F1 x Black from Tula) bred specifically for intense heat, humidity, and disease pressure. It is an early-season, highly productive variety that pumps out dark purple, 3-5 oz salad tomatoes. Growers rave about its absolute resilience and its incredibly sweet, jammy … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Dana’s Dusky Rose (originating from Dan Gilmore) is an indeterminate but naturally compact tomato variety that produces stunning smoky-pink to dark-purple oblate fruits. Growers on the forum rave about its exceptionally sweet, rich, and unique flavor profile, often calling it one of the best-tasting dark tomatoes they’ve ever grown. Yields can be … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Dwarf Purple Heart is a mid-season, tree-type dwarf variety released in 2015 by the Dwarf Tomato Project (a cross between Brad’s Black Heart and Dwarf Wild Fred). It produces beautiful, dark purple-brown heart-shaped fruits that are generally sweet and meaty. The growers here praise its excellent yields, crack resistance, and ability to … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Ozurs is a mid-season indeterminate variety that produces beautiful, slightly ribbed dark pink-black slicers weighing up to 10.5 oz (300 g). It is highly disease-resistant and sets fruit reliably. While the exact origin of the name remains a mystery, it offers a solid, non-mealy flavor profile that holds its own among dark … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Miss Kennedy is a tall, indeterminate variety that produces dark, chocolate-colored oval/plum tomatoes. It has a very long fruiting season and sets reliable clusters of firm, meaty fruits. While fruit size can vary from a jumbo chicken egg up to 7 oz (200 g), growers agree that the dense, dark flesh and … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Marmeladnaya Lampochka (Marmalade Bulb) is an indeterminate, mid-season dark tomato originating from the Siberian gardening club “Tyapka” in the early 1980s. The fruits are pear- or bulb-shaped, turning a matte burgundy color while keeping a characteristic greenish, puckered blossom end. Growers rave about its heavy yields and its namesake “marmalade” or jelly-like … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Linnie’s Oxheart (also known as Linnaeus Heart) is a highly praised indeterminate USA oxheart variety that produces gorgeous, brick-red to brownish fruits weighing 7 to 14 oz. Known for its meaty texture, almost seedless flesh, and exceptionally sweet, rich flavor, it has become a permanent staple for many growers. The thread below … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kazachka (Cossack Woman) is an indeterminate, late-season dark tomato from Siberian Garden (Sibsad). It produces long, braided clusters of brownish-cherry cocktail/plum fruits weighing 1-3 oz (30-80 g). While growers warn that it ripens late and has tender skin that can split when picked, it is highly praised for its massive yields and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Krem Brule (Creme Brulee) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial dark tomato variety. The name translates to “Creme Brulee”. It is at the center of a famous seed-market confusion, as two major Russian companies (Aelita and Gavrish) sell completely different tomatoes under the exact same name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Reaches around … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kubansky Smuglyi (Dark Kuban) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Kuban Swarthy” or “Dark Kuban” (referring to the Kuban region in Southern Russia and the dark color of the fruit). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). A very compact and well-behaved plant, topping out at around 20 inches … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Korallovyi (Coral) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian heirloom. The name translates to “Coral”. However, seed traders have circulated two completely different varieties under this exact name. One is a dark/purplish-pink beefsteak, and the other (distributed by breeder V. Redko) is a carrot-red/orange tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and vigorous. … Read more