Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vanka (Little Ivan) 🌍 Origin & Name: A private Russian heirloom variety that gained popularity through seed collector Anzhelika Manusha. The name “Vanka” is an affectionate, colloquial diminutive of the name Ivan (essentially meaning “Little Ivan” or “Johnny”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but highly praised for not being an overly … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): White Wonder 🌍 Origin: A classic, well-known American heirloom variety prized for its unique pale color. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Produces an average yield. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, oblate (flattened and round) beefsteaks weighing around 10.5–17.5 oz (300–500 g). They are a creamy white color, developing a faint pink blush on … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bugay Rozovyi (Bugay Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the Siberian Garden (Sib-Sad) seed company. “Bugay” is Russian slang for a large, muscular, towering man. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. Reaches 5–6 ft (1.5–1.8 m) in height. It is an absolute workhorse variety with fantastic heat tolerance—it will continue … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Belyi Velikan (White Giant) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “White Giant”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and highly productive. It reliably sets heavy clusters, typically pushing out 5 to 6 large fruits per truss. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, ivory-white to pale yellow beefsteaks. The shape is noticeably … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bull Sac 🌍 Origin: A giant red paste/oxheart variety circulating among heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall, easily reaching 6.5–7 ft (2–2.2 m). It is a mid-early variety that shows fantastic productivity both outdoors and in the greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive, bright red tomatoes. While some vendor … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bakhchisarayskoe Yabloko (Bakhchisaray Apple) 🌍 Origin: A local market variety from Bakhchisaray. The grower discovered it at a local farmer’s market, so “Bakhchisaray Apple” is likely just a regional or placeholder name for this impressive strain. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The plant has a slender, somewhat wispy growth habit but is … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brazilskiy Velikan (Brazilian Giant) 🌍 Origin: A massive beefsteak variety circulating among Russian heirloom collectors. The name translates to “Brazilian Giant”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and needs serious support. Growers often prune it to two leaders. Like a lot of giant beefsteaks, it can be finicky in extreme heat and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bezrazmernyi (Limitless) 🌍 Origin: A highly controversial commercial variety from the Siberian Garden (Sibsad) seed company. The name translates to “Limitless” or “Boundless”. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics & Controversy: The seed packet famously claims fruits “the size of a 3-liter jar” (cylindrical/elongated). However, almost no one ever gets this shape! Most growers … 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): Bogema (Bohemia) 🌍 Origin: An Eastern European/Ukrainian Open-Pollinated (OP) heirloom. Name translates to “Bohemia”. Crucial Note: Do not confuse this collector’s heirloom with the commercial Russian hybrid “Bogema F1” or the commercial dwarf variety sold under the same name! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous vine. Performs very well both in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yellow Brandywine (Platfoot Strain) 🌍 Origin: A legendary American heirloom from Ohio, popularized by Gary Platfoot. It is fascinating to see how highly prized and widely grown this specific US strain is among Russian and Siberian greenhouse growers! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. True to the Brandywine family, it has Potato Leaf … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bagration 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Ukrainian seed company “Nasko”. Named in honor of Pyotr Bagration, a famous general of the Russian Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate to short indeterminate, reaching about 1.3–1.5 m (4–5 ft). It responds well to staking and suckering, but can … Read more