Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Royal Mantle (Korolevskaya Mantiya) 🌍 Origin: Sourced and popularized by Ukrainian breeder D. Terentiev. The Russian name translates to “Royal Mantle”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Strong, highly productive vines that perform exceptionally well in greenhouses but can also be grown successfully outdoors. It is known as an absolute workhorse variety. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Calvados (Kalvados) 🌍 Origin: Sourced and distributed by prominent Ukrainian seed collector Alexey Kulik. The name refers to the famous French apple brandy, Calvados. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but growth varies heavily by climate. Usually reaches about 4 to 5 feet (1.2-1.5 m) out in the dirt, and can push … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Goat Bag 🌍 Origin: A highly sought-after heirloom circulated in Eastern European seed swaps under the translated name “Koziy Meshok” . 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Strong, powerful vines that easily hit 6.5 feet (2 m). It features dense foliage, very sturdy stems, and thick fruit trusses that don’t kink under … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kot Timofey (Tomcat Timofey) 🌍 Origin: Originally sourced from a private Ukrainian seed collector named Manusha. The name “Kot Timofey” translates to “Tomcat Timofey”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but stays relatively manageable. Usually hits around 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) in open ground. It is an incredibly … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ispanskiy Shokolad (Spanish Chocolate) 🌍 Origin: An unofficial “folk” variety that originated from seed swaps on Russian social media. The name translates directly to “Spanish Chocolate”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching up to 6.5 feet (2 m). Growers report mixed fruiting habits. Some get a long, continuous harvest, while others … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Izumrudnye (Emeralds) 🌍 Origin: Grown from seeds originally sourced from China. The Russian working name translates to “Emeralds”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very vigorous plant that throws a lot of suckers, but uniquely, it sets fruit very well on those unpruned suckers. It has distinctive, heavily serrated foliage. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Italianskie (Italian) 🌍 Origin: Sourced from various Russian seed collectors (like Petrov and Monakhova). Often compared to or suspected to be a strain of Super Italian Paste. 🌿 Plant Habit: Vigorous indeterminate (tall) vines. Growers recommend pruning to 2 or 3 main leaders. Highly resistant to Late Blight and Blossom End … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Izmailskiy Rebristyi (Izmail Ribbed) 🌍 Origin: Sourced from Russian collector Valery Popenko. Named after the city of Izmail. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An aggressive, vigorous vine that can easily support 3 to 4 main leaders. Known to be a very heavy yielder. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Medium-sized red fruits weighing about … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Goldman’s Italian-American 🌍 Origin: Originally discovered at a roadside stand in Italy and popularized in the US by heirloom tomato expert and author Amy Goldman. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and generally a mid-to-late season producer. Very productive vine. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, pear-shaped or bell-shaped tomatoes with very deep ribbing … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Italyanskiy Riflenyi (Italian Ribbed) 🌍 Origin: A “working name” for a variety circulated through Russian seed swaps online. As growers noted, it is highly likely a strain of the famous Costoluto Genovese. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Mid-season maturity with very good yields. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, heavily ribbed (fluted) fruits … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Indian Zebra 🌍 Origin: An American heirloom discovered by Clyde Burson. It is considered a larger, striped cousin of the famous Indian Stripe (which itself is closely related to Cherokee Purple). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Grows well outdoors, reaching around 5.5 feet (1.7 m) in open ground. Very productive. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ivanovskie 🌍 Origin: A regional “folk” heirloom from Russia. The name simply means it originated from or is associated with the Ivanovo region. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but on the shorter side, usually topping out around 5 feet (1.5 m). Great for greenhouses or open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, … Read more