Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary: Caspian Pink 🌍 Origin: A legendary heirloom originally sourced from Russia/Kazakhstan. It gained massive fame in North America for reportedly beating the famous Brandywine in taste tests. Russian seed vendors later re-imported it, marketing it heavily as the “Queen of all Pink Tomatoes.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and naturally bushy. It … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Korol Londona (King of London) 🌍 Origin: A famous Russian heirloom name surrounded by confusion. There are at least two completely different varieties sharing this name. The original old strain comes from Russian breeder N.S. Bykhanov and produces large, oblate beefsteaks. Modern commercial seed companies (like Siberian Garden) sell a variety under … 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): Captain Lucky 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern heirloom cross stabilized by American breeder Millard Murdock. Known for its mesmerizing interior colors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) with Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. The vines tend to be somewhat wispy and sparse with foliage. Often tops out around 5.5 feet (1.7 m) in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kristina Vatcheva 🌍 Origin: A fantastic family heirloom originating from Bulgaria. It gained worldwide popularity in the heirloom community after the grower, Kristina Vatcheva, shared her seeds with collectors in the United States. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and highly vigorous. Typically reaches about 5.5 feet (1.7 m) in a greenhouse … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Korallovyi (Coral) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian heirloom. The name translates to “Coral”. However, seed traders have circulated two completely different varieties under this exact name. One is a dark/purplish-pink beefsteak, and the other (distributed by breeder V. Redko) is a carrot-red/orange tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and vigorous. … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Belle du Poitou 🌍 Origin: Vintage heirloom from France. The name translates directly to “Beauty of Poitou” (a historical province in west-central France). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A reliable and strong-growing vine. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, perfectly round red beefsteaks. They are exceptionally uniform and smooth, frequently reaching up to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Boar’s Hoof 🌍 Origin: A rare dark cocktail variety from the USA (Brad Gates; Wild Boar Farms). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A vigorous, highly productive vine. It is widely praised for its incredible disease resistance—specifically its ability to completely shrug off Leaf Mold (Cladosporium) in humid greenhouse conditions. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kyzyl Tau 🌍 Origin: Modern heirloom bred by the famous tomato breeder Vitaly Alifirov from Almaty, Kazakhstan. The name “Kyzyl Tau” translates from Turkic languages to “Red Mountain.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very productive and vigorous plant that performs exceptionally well in a greenhouse when pruned to 2 stems. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Karl 🌍 Origin: A rare Eastern European heirloom passed around by private collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An absolute beast of a plant. Growers report it easily reaching 8-10 feet (2.5-3 m) with the most massive root system they’ve ever seen. It pushes suckers very aggressively, so stay on top … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kolokolchik (Bellflower) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian commercial variety. The name “Kolokolchik” translates to “Bellflower” or “Little Bell.” It is deeply cherished on Russian forums, with a specific heirloom strain being passed around in memory of a legendary grower (Esme). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very vigorous. In a greenhouse, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kosovo 🌍 Origin: A world-famous heirloom whose seeds were originally brought to the US by a former U.N. worker returning from Kosovo. It is now widely grown and loved globally, including by Eastern European collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), easily reaching up to 8.2 feet (2.5 m). It displays classic … Read more