Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banzai 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety sold commercially by companies like Gavrish, though some growers have been saving their own family strains of this tomato since the 1990s. 🌿 Plant Habit: The commercial packet lists it as a 5 ft (1.5 m) plant, but growers consistently report it behaves as a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bityug F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid bred by the Russian seed company Gavrish. It is officially registered for homesteads and small farms. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but generally well-behaved and medium-tall. Bred specifically for growing under plastic (high tunnels/greenhouses). It boasts a fantastic disease resistance package, including resistance to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): McClintock’s Big Pink 🌍 Origin: A North American heirloom variety heavily circulated among Eastern European and Russian seed collectors (like V. Redko). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous vines. It features classic Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Known for being highly disease resistant (“bulletproof”) and performing well even in damp, cool conditions. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Biyskaya Roza & Biysky Rozan (Biysk Rose) 🌍 Origin: Siberian commercial heirlooms distributed by the “Semena Altaya” (Seeds of Altai) company. Named after the city of Biysk in Siberia. Growers generally agree that “Roza” and “Rozan” are practically identical strains of the same variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially sold as a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bonner Beste 🌍 Origin: A historic commercial heirloom originally from Germany (the name translates to “Bonn’s Best”). It has been widely adapted and heavily grown by Russian and Eastern European gardeners for its extreme reliability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous vine. Produces heavy trusses (clusters) of fruit. It is highly … Read more
2.jpg.796b135949e2da58552aa8058bdb18b6.jpg)
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blazhenstvo (Bliss) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern variety introduced by Russian breeder and collector Sofia Saakova. The name translates beautifully to “Bliss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has proven to be quite resistant to Leaf Mold (Cladosporium), staying healthy late into the season. Note: It is a late-season variety in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Berberana F1 🌍 Origin: A highly disease-resistant commercial F1 hybrid, popular in Europe and Russia for greenhouse production. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but with short internodes, keeping the plant compact and manageable without having to constantly reach for the greenhouse ceiling. Produces strong, bushy dark green foliage. 🛡️ Disease Resistance: … 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): 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): Albenga Oxheart 🌍 Origin: A classic Italian heirloom from the Liguria region. Popularized among collectors by Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). Important distinction: This is the smooth, classic oxheart version, not to be confused with “Cuore di Bue di Albenga,” which is a deeply ribbed, pear-shaped (pouch) variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cafe Bule 🌍 Origin: An American heirloom variety known for producing masses of dark, pear-shaped cherry tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Growers describe it as “well-behaved” and not overly aggressive in its growth. The foliage is relatively light-colored, taking on a purplish-blue hue in strong sunlight. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, beautiful … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Carol Chyko’s Big Paste Black 🌍 Origin: A rare dark variant of the famous heirloom. According to growers, this specific line emerged as a cross between Black Krim and the original red Carol Chyko’s Big Paste. It is documented in Tatiana’s TOMATObase. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and … Read more