Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Oduvanchik (which translates to “Dandelion”) is a determinate, mid-season heirloom that produces flawless, round orange globes. It is highly praised for its rugged stress tolerance, setting fruit effortlessly in both scorching heat and chilly weather. The flavor is a massive hit with growers, and the fruits boast a surprisingly long shelf life … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Nepas 14 (also known as Nepas 14 Sugar) is an ultra-rugged, mid-early determinate bush variety designed for pure neglect. It grows to about 2.5 feet tall and requires absolutely zero pruning. Growers praise it for its ability to survive without watering or weeding, all while pumping out impressive harvests of sweet, 3-3.5 … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mikado Shtambovyi (Mikado Dwarf) is an incredibly rugged, early-season tree-type dwarf with thick potato-leaf foliage. A legend since the Soviet era for its ability to produce early crops in cold northern regions, this variety thrives completely unprotected outdoors. It produces heavy yields of uniform, 4-5 oz (120-140 g) red fruits that fully … Read more
🍅 Quick take: A mid-early, determinate variety producing large, perfectly round, bright orange tomatoes with sweet, low-acid flesh. Highly regarded for its taste, but watch out for commercial seed packets (SibSad) that frequently contain pink heart-shaped off-types. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-5) S Sweet (Svetlana) Pro | 8,792 posts 📍 … Read more
🍅 Quick take: A compact, early determinate variety producing sweet, yellow-orange elongated hearts. Known for setting fruit reliably even in cool, wet weather and boasting wispy, weeping foliage. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 3-4) S Semechka Pro | 23,540 posts 📍 Krasnoyarsk suburbs (USDA Zone 3) D decorshtor (Irina) Beginner | … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mano is a super compact, early-season determinate bush that thrives in containers. Maxing out around just 16 inches (40 cm), it produces sweet, red cocktail-sized tomatoes weighing 1.4-2.1 oz (40-60 g). Because of its miniature footprint, growers often use it as an understory crop beneath tall vines in the greenhouse. Full summary … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Medok (which translates to “Little Honey”) is an early-season, determinate red paste tomato. The compact bush maxes out around 2 feet (60 cm) tall, making it a great candidate for underplanting beneath taller vines. It produces sweet, meaty, finger-like “icicle” tomatoes that hold up well for transport and canning. While yields can … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Moonlight Delight (Lunnyi Vostorg) is a heavy-yielding yellow oxheart tomato. While plant heights seem to vary (some report compact determinate bushes, others indeterminate vines), it consistently produces massive, meaty slicers weighing up to 19 oz (550 g) with a sweet, mild, low-acid flavor. The main drawback reported by growers is its incredibly … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Leningrad Early (Leningradskiy Skorospelyi) is an ultra-early, tree-type dwarf tomato. Originally bred for harsh, short-season climates, it pumps out its entire crop so fast that it completely dodges late season diseases like late blight. Outdoors, it stays a tiny 10-12 inches (25-30 cm) tall and requires zero pruning. However, growers warn that … 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 take: Lyana Rozovaya (Pink Lyana) is a very early, determinate pink tomato designed for outdoor growing. The compact bush stays around 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) tall and produces uniform, meaty, 3-3.5 oz (90-100 g) fruits that are perfect for whole-fruit canning. While the seed packet claims it needs zero pruning, most growers highly … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Luch (which translates to “Ray” or “Beam”) is an early-season, determinate paste tomato. It is highly praised for being extremely low-maintenance—thriving outdoors with zero pruning required. The compact bush produces very thick-walled, meaty, elongated tomatoes that are noticeably sweet. Because it ripens so early and handles cold well, it is a favorite … Read more