Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Kemerovets is a tough, cold-tolerant determinate tomato from Western Siberia. It produces firm, small red oxhearts weighing around 3.5-5.3 oz (100-150 g). Growers report excellent disease resistance and great performance both for fresh eating and canning. While the seed packet boasts up to 100 fruits per plant, forum members note that real-world … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kudesnik (Magician) is a very compact determinate bush tomato that produces uniform, pinkish-red slicing/canning tomatoes weighing 3.5-4 oz (100-110 g). Reaching only 1.5 feet (0.5 m) tall outdoors, it requires almost zero pruning and is highly disease-resistant. Growers prize it for its unexpectedly sweet flavor and its ability to ripen a heavy … Read more
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🍅 Quick take: Canopus (Kanopus) is a rugged, determinate bush variety originally bred for harsh Siberian conditions. Maxing out around 24 inches (60 cm) tall, it requires very little pruning and produces a heavy yield of red, egg-shaped to barrel-shaped tomatoes weighing 3 to 9 oz (80-250 g). Growers highly value it for its extreme … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Krayniy Sever (which translates to “Far North”) is a highly compact, ultra-early tree-type dwarf originally distributed by the Russian seed company Biotekhnika. Bred specifically for extremely short and cold seasons, this rugged little bush produces round, red tomatoes weighing around 1.8-2 oz (50-60 g). It thrives outdoors or in containers and requires … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Caspar F1 is a famous, highly productive determinate F1 hybrid originally bred by the Dutch seed company Seminis. Known as an absolute workhorse paste tomato, it produces heavy yields of firm, red plum/cylinder tomatoes that are ideal for canning, pickling, and dehydrating. Though technically discontinued and replaced by the Hypeel series, it … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kmicic is a compact, determinate paste tomato originating from Poland. It is notable for its potato leaf (PL) foliage and exceptional cold tolerance. The plant produces heavy yields of bright red, plum-shaped fruits weighing around 1.7 oz (50 g), which are firm, store well, and are highly prized for canning and processing. … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Roi Humbert (also known as Re Umberto or King Humbert) is a historic Italian heirloom paste tomato dating back to the late 1800s. It is a determinate, mid-season variety that produces a heavy yield of small, firm, bright red plum tomatoes with a distinct sharp beak, weighing around 1.8-2.8 oz (50-80 g). … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Kibic (sometimes spelled Kibitz or Kibis) is an early, very compact determinate paste tomato originating from Poland. Growing only up to 20 inches (50 cm) tall, it produces an avalanche of small, red, elongated plum tomatoes weighing around 1.7–2.5 oz (50–70 g). It’s highly praised as an ideal, trouble-free bush for outdoor … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Kubyshka 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety distributed by seed companies like Siberian Garden (SibSad) and Agros. The name “Kubyshka” refers to a traditional, chubby little clay pot used for hoarding coins—a perfect name for a short, stocky plant stuffed with fruit! 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (dwarf). It grows as a sturdy, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Karlik Nos (Dwarf Nose) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial dwarf variety bred by L. Myazina. The name translates to “Dwarf Nose,” referencing the tiny pointed beak (nose) on the blossom end of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (dwarf). The seed packet notoriously claims it is the “brother of the Mongolian Dwarf” … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Krasnaya Shapochka (Little Red Riding Hood) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial Russian determinate variety, translated as “Little Red Riding Hood”. Often goes by the German name Rotkäppchen on seed packets. Widely distributed by several Russian seed companies (Sibsad, Aelita, Agros, Poisk). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush) or dwarf. Extremely compact, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Koster 🌍 Origin: A popular Russian commercial heirloom variety. The name translates to “Campfire” or “Bonfire”. Popularized by the Russian seed vendor Valery Medvedev. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and stocky, typically staying between 16 to 27 inches (40-70 cm) tall. Does exceptionally well outdoors but can drop blossoms … Read more