Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
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
Quick Summary of Chudo Sveta (Wonder of the World) 🌍 Origin: A very popular, beautiful Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Wonder of the World”, though it is sometimes visually compared to a small lemon. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and strongly growing plant (reaching over 2 meters / 6.5 ft in greenhouses). … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherniy Gigant (Black Giant) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian heirloom. Some experienced growers note it is practically identical to the well-known variety Cherniy Slon (Black Elephant). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), usually reaching 1.5 – 2 meters (5-6.5 ft). Some growers report it can terminate its own growth (top itself out) … Read more
Quick Summary of My Dancing Green Fingers 🌍 Origin: A relatively new, highly sought-after cherry variety created by Belgian gardener and collector Bart Praet. It took second place among the best tomatoes at the Tomatofest festival in Brussels (Nos Pilifs farm) in 2021. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. The plant produces numerous thin stems … Read more
Quick Summary of Gigant Lary (Giant of Lara) 🌍 Origin: A large-fruited heirloom variety originating from Hungary (Венгрия). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), powerful and vigorous bush reaching over 1.8 meters (6+ feet) in height. Regular leaf foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, heavy pink beefsteaks with slight ribbing/gathering at the shoulders. The skin is not … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherniy iz Tuly (Black from Tula) 🌍 Origin: An old folk selection variety from Tula. Interestingly, it gained massive popularity in the USA (often brought by Ukrainian immigrants) before returning to Eastern Europe as a sought-after commercial heirloom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), regular leaf. Very vigorous and unpretentious. If not topped, … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Zemli (Wonder of the Earth) 🌍 Origin: A very famous Russian heirloom/commercial variety. The name translates to “Wonder of the Earth”. Important Note: There are two distinct strains circulating under this name. The original Siberian strain (“SibSad” company) produces large, flat-round (oblate) pink beefsteaks. Meanwhile, a popular Ukrainian line produces beautiful … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherry Ira F1 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial F1 hybrid from the Russian seed company “Semko”. Often sold at a premium price compared to standard seeds. 🌿 Plant Habit: An extremely vigorous, wildly growing indeterminate. It can easily surpass 3 meters (10 ft) in height. It produces a massive amount of … Read more