Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Chocolate Stripes (Polosatiy Shokolad) 🌍 Origin: A famous American variety developed in Ohio, USA by breeder John Siegel (a cross between Schimmeig Creg and a pink beefsteak). In Russia, it became incredibly popular under the translated name “Polosatiy Shokolad” (Striped Chocolate). Note: A Russian seed company even controversially trademarked this name in … Read more
Quick Summary of Shokoladniy Zaychik (Chocolate Bunny) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial and collector variety from Russia. The name translates to “Chocolate Bunny”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally an indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous plant. However, growers note it is very sensitive to soil moisture and fertility; in dry, sandy soils, it may act like … Read more
Quick Summary of the Shokoladka F1 (Little Chocolate) Segregants 🌍 Origin & Context: A fascinating community experiment in de-hybridizing a commercial Russian F1 hybrid called “Shokoladka” (Little Chocolate). Growers planted saved seeds from the F1 generation and documented the resulting F2 and F3 segregations (off-types). 🧬 The Segregating Lines: The hybrid split into three distinct … Read more
Quick Summary of Shuntukskiy Velikan (Shuntuk Giant) 🌍 Origin: A robust, traditional Russian heirloom. The name translates to “Shuntuk Giant” (likely originating from the Shuntuk area in Southern Russia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and surprisingly low-maintenance. It is highly praised for its incredible cold tolerance, setting fruit successfully even during unusually cold and … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherri Uralskoe (Ural Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A private, exclusive Russian variety developed over 6 years by breeder Nikolay Alexandrov. It is not sold in commercial stores. 🌿 Plant Habit: An incredibly vigorous, massive indeterminate plant. If left unpruned, its aggressive suckers will grow sideways for meters and even try to root into … Read more
Quick Summary of Chempion Vesa (Weight Champion) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the seed company Aelita. The name translates to “Weight Champion”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 meters (6.5 feet). The bush is very strong, vigorous, and low-maintenance. It can be successfully grown with multiple stems. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
Quick Summary of Chendler (Chandler) 🌍 Origin: A collectible variety popularized by the famous Eastern European tomato collector A. Kulik. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but can remain relatively compact depending on growing conditions. When grown outdoors in open ground, it reached about 1.1 meters (approx. 3.6 feet). Noted for being low-maintenance and highly disease-resistant, … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherolla F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid variety, sometimes marketed under the alternative name “Strawberry Tomato”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Reaches about 2 meters (approx. 6.5 feet) in height. It is a vigorous plant that produces long, cascading trusses with excellent fruit set. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Deep dark red cherry … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernaya Ulybka (Black Smile) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety originally distributed by a collector named Monakhova. The name translates beautifully to “Black Smile”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) variety. When grown in a greenhouse, it typically reaches about 1.8 meters (approx. 6 feet) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oblate (flattened round) … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherniy Baron (Black Baron) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. Important Note: There is significant seed confusion (off-types/mix-ups) on the market depending on the seed company (e.g., Aelita vs. Johnsons). 🍅 Phenotype 1 (The True Baron): From some “Aelita” seed batches, growers get the correct variety—a mid-season indeterminate producing beautiful, oblate (flattened-round) … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Plod (Miracle Fruit) 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom variety originating from Ukraine. The name translates to “Miracle Fruit” or “Wonder Fruit.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, producing tall and quite vigorous, powerful bushes. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, beautiful oval-shaped (or blunt plum-shaped) red tomatoes. The fruits look like heavy “little bombs.” Average … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernomor (Black Sea Man) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial variety (produced by SeDek). The name translates to “Black Sea Man” or “Chernomor” (a character from Russian fairy tales). 🌿 Plant Habit: The seed packet claims it is a semi-determinate (1.3-1.5 m / 4.2-5 ft) variety for greenhouses and open ground. However, … Read more