Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Topklipsa 🌍 Origin: A highly reliable commercial Russian heirloom. Growers note that it is virtually identical to another popular variety called Slavyanka. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and incredibly tall (easily reaches the greenhouse roof), but it has a very distinct “slender vine” habit. It doesn’t grow wide or bushy, which allows for … Read more
Quick Summary of Tolstyi Jack (Fat Jack) 🌍 Origin: A well-known commercial Siberian variety originally introduced by “Sibsad” (Siberian Garden). The name translates to “Fat Jack”. 🌿 The “Red vs. Black” Mystery: This forum thread highlights a fascinating seed mix-up! While the original Tolstyi Jack is a short, red determinate, a rogue “Black” (brown/purple) version … Read more
Quick Summary of Turboreaktivnyi (Turbojet) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (Sibsad). The name literally translates to “Turbojet”, reflecting its insanely fast growth and ripening speed. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). An extremely compact micro-dwarf/bush type, usually topping out at just 40-50 cm (1.3-1.6 ft). It requires absolutely no … Read more
Quick Summary of Tasmanian Chocolate 🌍 Origin: A highly popular release from the international Dwarf Tomato Project. Russian growers affectionately refer to varieties from this project as “Gnomes.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, tree-type dwarf. It has a stout, thick central stalk and typically grows 1.5–2.5 ft (50-80 cm) tall outdoors, though it can reach over … Read more
Quick Summary of Tolstyi Monakh (Fat Monk) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Biotekhnika” seed company. The name humorously translates to “Fat Monk”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 ft) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, uniquely shaped fruits described as “truncated-square” or … Read more
Quick Summary of Sweet Cherry Iskra (Sweet Cherry Spark) 🌍 Origin: Developed by Russian amateur breeder Nikolay Alexandrov from the city of Chelyabinsk. Fun fact: The breeder himself actually chimed in on this very thread to comment on the grower’s results! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, very vigorous, reaching over 2 meters (6.5 ft) in height. … Read more
Quick Summary of Super Runner (Supergonets) 🌍 Origin & Name: A Russian commercial dwarf variety from the SeDek seed company. The name “Supergonets” loosely translates to “Super Runner” or “Super Messenger”, implying speed and earliness. 🌱 Seed Viability Phenomenon: A massive point of interest for seed savers: one forum grower successfully germinated a commercial packet … Read more
Quick Summary of Serbian Oxheart (Serbskoe Byche Serdtse) 🌍 Origin: A traditional heirloom from Serbia. This variety is very well known in international seed-saving circles, having been circulated heavily by the famous North American collector Tatiana Kushnareva (Tatiana’s TOMATObase). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but on the compact side, typically reaching 1 – 1.2 meters (3-4 … Read more
Quick Summary of Snow Leopard (Snezhnyi Bars) 🌍 Origin: A highly reliable Russian commercial variety produced by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Snow Leopard”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly adaptable but behaves differently depending on the environment. In open ground, it stays as a compact determinate bush around 50-60 cm (20-24 inches) tall. … Read more
Quick Summary of Sadovaya Zhemchuzhina (Garden Pearl) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial variety in Russia (from the SeDek company). It is also officially registered and widely sold in Western Europe (particularly Germany) under the name Gartenperle. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, trailing (cascading) type. It only grows to about 40-50 cm (16-20 inches) in height … Read more
Quick Summary of Semko 98 F1 🌍 Origin: A highly reliable commercial F1 hybrid from the Russian agricultural company “Semko”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact and semi-spreading, growing only 50-55 cm (20-22 inches) tall. It is highly adaptable and can be grown in open ground, greenhouses, or even indoors on a windowsill. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
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Quick Summary of Sem Gnomov (Seven Dwarfs) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial/amateur variety. The name translates to “Seven Dwarfs”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It is very short and compact, growing only up to 50 cm (20 inches) tall. Growers note that it does not require any pruning or suckering. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Perfectly round, … Read more