Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Sara Black (Sara Chernaya) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded dark tomato circulated among Eastern European and Russian collectors (many trace their seed lines back to German or local Ukrainian/Russian sources). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but generally on the shorter side. Depending on whether it’s grown outdoors or in a greenhouse, growers report … Read more
Quick Summary of Sibirskiy Kazak (Siberian Cossack) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety (often sold by the Aelita seed company). The name translates to “Siberian Cossack.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Outdoors in open ground, it usually stops around 1.2–1.3m (4 ft), but in a greenhouse, it easily reaches 1.8m (6 ft). It is a mid-to-late … Read more
Quick Summary of Stan Ley 🌍 Origin: A bit of a mystery! Cultivated and popularized by Russian seed collector Alexey Kulik, who lists its origin as the USA. The name is likely a transliteration of “Stan Ley” (or Stan Lee). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but on the shorter side. Outdoors in open ground, it reaches … Read more
Quick Summary of Soldatovo 🌍 Origin: A highly prized authentic family heirloom from Minusinsk, Siberia (a region famous worldwide for its giant, hardy tomatoes). Originally sourced from local collector Natalia Shcherbinina. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and highly vigorous. Reaches about 1.8–2 meters (6–6.5 ft) in a greenhouse and about 1.5 meters (5 ft) outdoors. It … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdce Mordovii Rozovoe (Heart of Mordovia Pink) 🌍 Origin: An old, unregistered family heirloom originating from the Republic of Mordovia, Russia. Note: Russian breeder Dmitry Gusev sells a “Red” version of this tomato, but the strain featured here is the highly prized Pink/Raspberry version. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and tall. It reaches … Read more
Quick Summary of Sweet Cream 🌍 Origin: An artisan elongated cherry/plum variety, closely related in genetics and appearance to famous varieties like Blush and Candy Sweet Icicle. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In a greenhouse, it typically reaches 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 ft) and can be pruned to multiple stems. The plant has … Read more
Quick Summary of Sladkoe Chudo (Sweet Miracle) 🌍 Origin: A highly prized Russian heirloom. The name translates to “Sweet Miracle.” Warning: This thread reveals that many commercial seed companies sell incorrect, off-type seeds under this name. The “true” variety described here was circulated among collectors (originating from N. Berezhnova). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, reaching about … Read more
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Quick Summary of San Mazzo 🌍 Origin: A unique micro-paste/cherry variety with a highly distinctive elongated shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and highly vigorous. Growers recommend planting it in a well-ventilated area (like near a greenhouse door) with plenty of vertical and horizontal support. For maximum yield, prune the suckers only up to the first … Read more
Quick Summary of Sibirskiy Kivi (Siberian Kiwi) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the “Uralskiy Dachnik” (Ural Summer Resident) seed company. The name translates to “Siberian Kiwi”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and vigorous. Reaches about 1.5 meters (5 ft) in height. Growers recommend pruning it to 2 stems for the best yield. It shows … Read more
Quick Summary of Santa Klaus (Santa Claus) 🌍 Origin: This thread reveals a classic seed mystery! There are actually two distinct versions of the Santa Klaus (Santa Claus) tomato circulating in Russia. One is a commercial release from the “Sibsad” seed company, while the other is a treasured family heirloom from the Nizhny Novgorod region. … Read more
Quick Summary of Solnechnoe Zatmenie (Solar Eclipse) 🌍 Origin: An original breeder’s variety created by Nikolai Zhigalin. It is a stunning cross between Sart Roloise and Dirty Curty Striped. The Russian name translates to “Solar Eclipse”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but relatively compact. In a greenhouse, it typically grows up to 1.5 meters (~5 ft). … Read more
Quick Summary of Black Icicle (Russian: Сосулька чёрная) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial heirloom variety originating from Ukraine/Russia, known natively as “Chornaya Sosulka”. It has gained worldwide fame among collectors as “Black Icicle”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and highly productive. It easily reaches up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. Like … Read more