Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Sakharnyi Bizon (Sugar Bison) 🌍 Origin: A famous Russian amateur selection that has become a commercial classic (popularized by companies like Siberian Garden / SibSad). The name translates to “Sugar Bison” and it is considered the forefather of many modern Russian pink varieties. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly debated! Seed packets often list … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdtse Lyuby (Lyuba’s Heart) 🌍 Origin: A wonderful Russian collector’s variety. The name translates to “Lyuba’s Heart” (Lyuba is short for Lyubov, which also means “Love” in Russian). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Can grow very vigorous and tall in a greenhouse (some growers report tying it to the ceiling), though its … Read more
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Quick Summary of Salut Viktorii (Victoria’s Salute) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern collectible variety bred by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Performs exceptionally well in greenhouses when pruned to 2 stems. Highly productive with fruits that tend to ripen quite uniformly. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Gorgeous burgundy-brown fruits with striking anthocyanin (dark … Read more
Quick Summary of Rubin Zolotoy (Ruby Gold) 🌍 Origin: A historic American heirloom (Ruby Gold) that became highly popular among Russian and Ukrainian seed collectors (notably popularized by A.I. Kulik) under the translated name “Rubin Zolotoy”. 🌿 Plant Habit: A very powerful, vigorous indeterminate (vining) plant. In a greenhouse, it easily reaches the ceiling (over … Read more
Quick Summary of Raiskoe Naslazhdenie (Heavenly Delight) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian commercial variety, officially included in the Russian State Register in 1999. The name translates to “Heavenly Delight” or “Paradise Delight”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining). While original seed packets claim a height of 1.2 m (4 ft), almost all growers report that … Read more
Quick Summary of Roza Tashkenta (Rose of Tashkent) 🌍 Origin: A collectible heirloom variety. The name translates to “Rose of Tashkent” (Tashkent being the capital of Uzbekistan, a region legendary across the former Soviet Union for its incredibly sweet and meaty market tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining). It is a sturdy, vigorous plant that … Read more
Quick Summary of Reyna 🌍 Origin: A rare and exotic long-fruited heirloom variety popular among Russian collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining) and tall, easily reaching 1.8 m (6 feet). The foliage is average, not overly dense. Pro Tip: Most growers highly recommend pruning this variety strictly to two stems to maximize the yield. 🍅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozamarin Funtovyi (Pound Rosemary) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety (often sold by Gavrish and Johnsons Seeds). The name translates to “Pound Rosemary”, hinting at its large, 1-lb fruits. Note: There is both an open-pollinated (OP) heirloom version and an F1 hybrid version circulating under similar names. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), … Read more
Quick Summary of Raketa Zholtaya (Yellow Rocket) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom variety from the seed company “Semena Altaya” (Seeds of Altai). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-early to mid-season. Reaches about 2 meters (6.5 ft) by the end of the season. Important Note: This plant has an incredibly frail, wispy, and “weeping” structure. The … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovyi Flamingo (Pink Flamingo) 🌍 The Great Name Controversy: “Pink Flamingo” is one of the most fiercely debated names in the Russian tomato community. Several different seed companies and private collectors released entirely different varieties under this exact same name, leading to endless confusion. 🧬 The Different Variants: If you buy or … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovyi Dlinnyi (Minusinsk Long Pink) 🌍 Origin: An authentic Siberian heirloom from the Minusinsk region. Seeds were preserved in old newspaper rolls since the Soviet era by a gardener in Kazantsevo. It originally spread through the tomato community simply as “Long Pink” and was later dubbed “Minusinsk Pepper-shaped Pink” by growers. 🌿 … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovyi Med (Pink Honey) 🌍 Origin: An absolute legend of Russian tomato breeding. Developed by the famous Siberian seed company SibSad (Siberian Garden). It is one of the most widely grown and discussed large pink tomatoes in Russia. 🌿 Plant Habit (The Great Debate): The seed packet lists it as a determinate, … Read more