Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Landshuter Riese is an indeterminate German heirloom that produces massive, incredibly tender pink oxhearts. Originally from Lower Bavaria and popularized by legendary seed collector Reinhard Kraft, this tall vine is praised for its long harvest window, excellent disease resistance, and nearly seedless, sweet flesh. While it can be a bit slow to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): German Pink Strawberry 🌍 Origin: A classic German heirloom that became highly popular among Eastern European collectors under the translated name “Zemlyanika Nemetskaya Rozovaya”. It is often confused or cross-listed with the famous heart-shaped “German Red Strawberry,” but this pink variant is distinct for its rounder shape and Potato Leaf genetics. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zilbert 🌍 Origin: A fascinating case of mixed-up heirloom history! There was once a pink Soviet beefsteak named Zilbert bred in the Ural mountains. However, the variety circulating today under the name “Zilbert” is actually a dark mahogany/black heirloom originating from Germany. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. An incredibly resilient workhorse that … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Mr. Underwood’s Pink German Giant 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom variety originating from the USA, tracing back to German roots. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Grows to about 5.6 ft (1.7 m) in a greenhouse. Known for being a very reliable setter that doesn’t drop blossoms or skip trusses. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volf Zossi (Wolf Zossi) 🌍 Origin: A variety originating from Germany. It was introduced to the Russian heirloom community by seed collector Vyacheslav Feldman. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), regular leaf (RL), mid-season maturity. Growers report it yields very well when pruned to 2 or 3 stems. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Tante Gretels Magische Hüte – Aunt Gretel’s Magic Hats 🌍 Origin: A stunning heirloom variety with a German name, translating to “Aunt Gretel’s Magic Hats.” 🌱 Plant Habit: A tall, indeterminate vine that requires staking. It is a very reliable producer with a long fruiting window. It sets fruit exceptionally well, even … 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
Quick Summary of Peruanische Beuteltomate (Peruvian Bag) 🌍 Origin: A variety with a confusing but fascinating history. Known in Russia as “Peruvianskiy Meshochek”, it traces back to German heirloom collections where it is known as Peruanische Beuteltomate or possibly Beuteltomate aus El Salvador. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall (easily exceeding 2 meters / 6.5 ft … Read more