Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Lyana is a very common determinate bush variety popular across Eastern Europe, heavily marketed as an early, reliable producer for outdoor growing. Available in Red, Pink, and Raspberry variants, it produces uniform, slightly faceted fruits perfect for canning. While some growers swear by it as their absolute earliest, most dependable workhorse, others … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lentyayka (which translates to “Lazybones” or “Slacker”) is a highly popular determinate red heart variety bred by Siberian Garden. Marketed as a low-maintenance bush for outdoor growing that requires zero pruning, it produces surprisingly massive fruits weighing up to 1.5 lbs. While some growers praise it as an early, heavy-yielding workhorse, others … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Korall (Coral) is an extremely compact, early-season tree-type (rugose) dwarf tomato. Maxing out around 12 to 18 inches (30-45 cm) tall, it produces a surprisingly heavy yield of small, firm, red plum tomatoes with a little beak, weighing 1.5 to 3 oz (40-80 g). Because of its tiny footprint and shallow root … 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 (TL;DR): Orange Klondike (Klondajk Oranzhevyj) 🌍 Origin: A reliable commercial Russian variety, often distributed by major seed companies like Aelita. 🌿 Plant Habit: A true determinate (bush) variety. It stays extremely compact, maxing out around 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) tall. It is an absolute low-maintenance dream because it requires zero pruning or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cardio 🌍 Origin: An Italian heirloom variety popularized by V. Redko. The name “Cardio” perfectly matches its classic, broad anatomical heart shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Reaches about 6 to 6.5 feet (1.8-2 m) in a greenhouse but adapts excellently to open ground. Known for its fantastic fruit set, rarely … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Korol King-2 (King King-2) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic Russian heirloom variety famously circulated by collectors like Valentina Redko and Vera Monakhova. The name literally translates to “King King”. There are two known variations in circulation: the original “Korol King” and the updated “Korol King-2”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Depending on … 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
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kitayskie Fonariki (Chinese Lanterns) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the “Demeter Siberia – Golden Altai” seed line. The name translates perfectly to “Chinese Lanterns,” which describes the unique shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Officially listed at 22-30 inches (55-75 cm), though it can stretch to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): King of Siberia (Korol Sibiri) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded commercial heirloom from Russia (Siberia). Beware: Due to its popularity, several major Russian seed companies have released completely incorrect seeds under this name (selling yellow plums, round, or striped off-types). Procuring seeds from a trusted private collector is crucial to getting … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Koreyskiy Stelyushiysya (Korean Creeper) 🌍 Origin: A very popular, unique trailing variety shared among Russian growers. The name translates directly to “Korean Creeping” or “Korean Trailer”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Micro-dwarf / creeping determinate. It stays incredibly short, usually around 10-16 inches (25-40 cm) tall. The vines are very flexible and naturally … Read more