Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Pink Siberian Tiger 🌍 Origin: A famous anthocyanin variety that has become an absolute superstar in the Russian tomato community (where it is known as “Rozovyi Sibirskiy Tigr”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, though some growers note it acts more like a semi-determinate, reaching about 1.5 – 2 meters (5 – 6.5 ft) … Read more
Quick Summary of Andine Cornue Orange (Rog And Oranzhevyi) 🌍 Origin: An orange variant of the famous Andean/French heirloom (Cornue des Andes). In the Russian tomato community, it is affectionately known as “Rog And Oranzhevyi” (Horn of the Andes Orange) or “Andean Horned Orange”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and highly productive. Performs exceptionally … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovye Krupnye (Large Pink) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian family heirloom. It was popularized by a famous forum member, Ninulia, who has been saving and distributing its seeds since 2002. It often circulates as “Rozovye Krupnye from Ninulia”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching the ceiling in greenhouses. The plant habit is … Read more
Quick Summary of Texas Rose (Roza Tekhasa) 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom circulating among Russian tomato collectors under the translated name Roza Tekhasa (Texas Rose). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season ripening. Unlike many oxheart varieties that tend to have frail, “wispy” foliage, this plant is noted for being highly vigorous with very strong, sturdy … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozov Dar (Pink Gift) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial heirloom from Bulgaria, produced by the “Florian” seed company. The name translates to “Pink Gift”. It is part of a famous family of Bulgarian pink tomatoes, alongside Rozova Mistika (Pink Mystique) and Rozov Ideal. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season to late-ripening. Unlike … Read more
Quick Summary of Robs 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial Russian variety originally distributed by the “Elkom” seed company. Fun fact about the name: Growers eventually figured out that it isn’t named after a guy named Rob! “ROBS” is actually an acronym for ROzovoye Byche Serdse (Pink Oxheart). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 … Read more
Quick Summary of Pineapple Striped (Polosatyy Ananas) 🌍 Origin: A stunning bicolor heirloom obtained from an amateur tomato collector in Bulgaria. In Russian collections, it circulates under the translated name Polosatyy Ananas. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. Typically grows to about 1.6m (5.2 ft) tall. Performs best when planted in a prime, sunny … Read more
Quick Summary of Pantano (Pantano Romanesco) 🌍 Origin: A classic traditional Italian heirloom variety. It is widely known internationally as Pantano Romanesco, though some seed swappers circulate it simply as Pantano. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but praised for being very sturdy and not prone to getting leggy or stretching. It performs decently outdoors in … Read more
Quick Summary of Podarok Moey Zhene (My Wife’s Gift) 🌍 Origin: A stunning Russian variety. The name translates beautifully to “My Wife’s Gift”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. The bush is surprisingly well-behaved—not overly sprawling, with moderate sucker production. It performs excellently when trained to 2 stems. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Deeply pleated, ribbed … Read more
Quick Summary of Palchiki (Little Fingers) 🌍 Origin: A classic Russian “family heirloom” (folk breeding) originating from the Rostov region. The original poster has maintained this variety in her family collection for over 20 years. The name Palchiki translates to “Little Fingers”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Outdoors in open ground, it grows to about … Read more
Quick Summary of First Mate (Pervyy Pomoshchnik) 🌍 Origin: A stunning tricolor/bicolor heirloom. In the Russian tomato community, it circulates under the direct translation “Pervyy Pomoshchnik” (First Mate). 🌿 Plant Habit: An indeterminate (tall) variety, though some growers describe it as a “short indeterminate” as it often tops out around 1.5–1.8m (5–6 ft) in the … Read more
Quick Summary of Stump of the World (Pen Mira) 🌍 Origin: This is the famous American heirloom from the Ben Quisenberry collection! In the Russian tomato community, it circulates under the direct literal translation “Pen Mira” (Stump of the World). It’s fascinating to see how highly regarded this US classic is among Russian growers. 🌿 … Read more