Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Jaguar F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid originally produced by the Dutch seed company Seminis (which later became part of Monsanto/Bayer). It is now largely discontinued or very hard to find in retail seed catalogs. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Grows to about 1.6 m (5.2 ft). It is a strongly “vegetative” … Read more
Quick Summary of Yabloki na Snegu (Apples on the Snow) 🌍 Origin: A popular early-season Russian commercial heirloom variety (frequently sold by “Russkiy Ogorod”). The poetic name translates to “Apples on the Snow”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Grows very compact, typically around 40–80 cm (16–32 inches) tall. Highly suitable for container gardening (thrives in … Read more
Quick Summary of Yablonka Rossii (Little Apple of Russia) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial and heirloom variety in Russia. There is an ongoing debate among collectors that it is identical to the old East German (GDR) variety Tamina, or closely related to Matina. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (though often behaves as semi-determinate in open … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnaya Rossyp (Amber Placer) 🌍 Origin: A modern Russian commercial variety bred by the “Tsentr Ogorodnik” / “Poisk” seed company and officially entered into the Russian State Register in 2018. The name roughly translates to “Amber Placer” or “Scattering of Amber”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact, and sturdy (tree-type). It has a … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnyi (Amber) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial/heirloom variety. The name translates to “Amber,” referring to its bright yellow-orange color. Note: It is sometimes sold under variations like “Yantarnyi 530”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush/tree-type). It is highly compact, rugose, and very sturdy. It does not strictly require pruning or suckering, making … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnaya Komnata (Amber Room) 🌍 Origin: An exotic Russian commercial/heirloom variety, originally distributed by breeder Valeriy Medvedev. The name translates to “Amber Room,” referring to the amber-yellow blush the green skin develops when fully ripe. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous, and tall. In a greenhouse, it easily reaches up to 2.5 meters … Read more
Quick Summary of Yablochnyi Lipetskiy (Apple Lipetsk) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian heirloom from the Lipetsk region. It was saved from a single tomato given to a gardener in 1996 and popularized on Russian tomato forums years later. The name translates to “Apple of Lipetsk”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate with moderate vigor. It grows well … Read more
Quick Summary of Yaponskiy Krab (Japanese Crab) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial Russian variety originally registered by “Demetra-Sibir” (Altai region). The name translates to “Japanese Crab”, referring to the ribbed, somewhat flattened shape of the original strain that supposedly resembles a crab. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous, and tall (typically 1.5–2 meters / 5–6.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Yaponka (Japanese Girl) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian/Eastern European internet heirloom. The name translates to “Japanese Girl” or “Japanese Woman”. It is believed to be closely related to the famous ‘Cardinal’ variety but features a distinct pointed tip. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, typically growing 1.5–2 meters (5–6.5 ft) tall. It has … Read more
Quick Summary of Elegant 🌍 Origin & Naming Confusion: “Elegant” is a name shared by several completely different tomato strains in the Russian/Ukrainian seed market. This forum thread is highly valuable because it breaks down the differences between the commercial version and the private collector versions. 🍅 Strain 1 (Commercial / SibSad variety): A mid-early … Read more
Quick Summary of Efemer 🌍 Origin: A very popular, reliable, and trouble-free commercial/heirloom variety from Eastern Europe (Ukraine/Russia/Moldova). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush) type. Typically grows to about 60-70 cm (24-28 inches) outdoors, but can reach 1 m (3.2 ft) in a greenhouse. Requires minimal pruning. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Perfectly round, smooth red fruits weighing … Read more
Quick Summary of EM-Chempion (EM-Champion) 🌍 Origin: A famous Russian commercial variety released by Sibirskiy Sad (Siberian Garden). The name translates to “EM-Champion”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush), reaching about 60–70 cm (24–28 inches) outdoors. It has very sparse, thin, downward-hanging leaves (often described as “wispy” or “weeping willow” type). Because of this, it can … Read more