Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Homer’s German Oxheart is an indeterminate, late-season red oxheart. It produces large, slightly ribbed hearts with very few seeds and dense, buttery flesh. Growers note that while it isn’t an extremely heavy producer (averaging around 8 fruits per plant), the sheer size—most weighing around 14 oz (400 g)—and excellent, aromatic flavor make … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hartsack Yellow is an indeterminate, mid-season bicolor beefsteak originating from the US. It is highly praised for being one of the earliest bicolors to ripen, producing gorgeous gold, orange, and pink fruits that rarely crack. Growers love its juicy texture and complex, balanced sweet flavor. An excellent, heavy-yielding slicer, though fruits picked … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hartsack Purple is an indeterminate, mid-season regular leaf slicer. It produces large, dark pink oblate beefsteaks known for their unique shimmering skin and meaty, juicy flesh with tiny seed cavities. Growers report very good, balanced flavor and solid yields, especially in a greenhouse where the vigorous vines will easily reach the roof … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hunk Purple is an indeterminate, mid-season potato leaf variety bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms (USA). It produces meaty, purple-black tomatoes weighing up to 5.3 oz (150 g). Despite slow germination and some early cold damage when grown outdoors, growers report that it reliably sets fruit all season long. It … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Herztomate Riehen is an indeterminate, mid-season red oxheart known for its classic wispy foliage and meaty, medium-to-large fruits. Growers report a nicely balanced, sweet flavor that makes it a perfect slicer for fresh eating. While outdoor yields might be just average, greenhouse growers have seen solid, above-average harvests. Full summary ↓ Growers’ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Helsing Junction Blues is an indeterminate, mid-early anthocyanin cherry tomato bred by Tom Wagner. The vines are sprawling, highly vigorous, and crank out massive clusters of firm, perfectly round blue-to-red fruits. Growers love its disease resistance and heavy yields, noting that while the skin can be a bit thick, the flavor is … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Himmelstürmer (German for “Sky Stormer”) is an insanely vigorous, towering indeterminate vine rumored to be a cross between San Marzano and De Barao. Capable of reaching 10 to 20 feet (3-6 m), it produces huge clusters of firm, 1.5-2 oz (50 g) red plum tomatoes that keep very well post-harvest. Growers note … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Heshpole is a somewhat unusual indeterminate pink oxheart that features sturdy potato leaf foliage instead of the typical wispy vines. It produces plump, uniform 7 to 10.5 oz (200-300 g) hearts with a sweet flavor profile. While not a massive yielder, it shines as an early-season producer, making it an excellent choice … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hay’s is an indeterminate, early-season oxheart believed to originate from Bulgaria. It produces gorgeous raspberry-pink hearts with an elongated tip, weighing anywhere from 7 oz to over a pound. Growers praise it for shrugging off temperature swings, powering through extreme heat, and delivering a phenomenal sweet flavor. A solid producer for both … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Hugo is an indeterminate, mid-late season paste mater bred by the Czech outfit Moravoseed. Pumping out 7 oz (200 g) blocky, red, pepper-shaped fruits, it boasts a solid disease package and crazy shelf life (up to 4-6 months). Growers praise its resilience through heat and drought, as well as its meaty, tender … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Gold Stripes is an indeterminate dark, striped tomato that produces mid-sized fruits. Growers note a surprisingly tangy flavor for a dark variety, though growing in the shade might play a role. The main discussion in this thread revolves around its striking resemblance to the famous Chocolate Stripes, with growers diving into seed … Read more
🍅 Quick take: The USDA strain of Golden Queen is a historic indeterminate heirloom originally introduced by A.W. Livingston in 1882. Over the decades, commercial breeders selected out its distinct pink blush, but the USDA seed bank preserved the original, slightly bicolor genetics. Growers praise its tender, sweet, and low-acid flavor. Be aware that it … Read more