Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bakinskie (From Baku) 🌍 Origin: This is a fascinating collector’s variety. Originally, it was a “numbered test line” sent directly from a breeder in Baku, Azerbaijan, to members of the Russian ForumHouse for trial grow-outs. Because it never received an official name, growers simply started calling it “Bakinskie” (From Baku). Note: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bychok (Little Bull) 🌍 Origin: Introduced to North America and popularized by the famous tomato collector Tatiana Kouchnareva (Tatiana’s TOMATObase). The name “Bychok” literally translates to “Little Bull” (a play on the famous “Bull’s Heart” oxheart tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It exhibits the classic “wimpy” oxheart growth habit with thin, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bull’s Heart of Minusinsk 🌍 Origin: A famous local heirloom from Minusinsk, Siberia (the tomato capital of Russia, known for its giant tomato festivals). Also known as Bychye Serdtse Minusinskoe. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but generally tidy, growing up to 1.7m (5.5 ft) in the greenhouse. Like most true oxheart … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bulgarska Hala 🌍 Origin: A magnificent heirloom from Bulgaria, highly prized by seed collectors. The name translates to “Bulgarian Hala” (in Balkan folklore, a Hala is a mythical dragon—a fitting name for such a monstrously large tomato!). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but widely praised for having a very tidy and manageable … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): The “Big Boy” Mystery 🧬 Hybrid vs. Heirloom Controversy: In the US, “Burpee’s Big Boy” is a famous commercial F1 hybrid introduced in 1949. However, in Eastern Europe and Russia, seed collectors have been trading saved seeds of a variety called “Big Boy” for years. It is highly debated whether this … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Big Yellow Zebra 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but the vines aren’t overly aggressive or huge (usually around 1.6m / 5.2 ft). Known for being quite early, especially in difficult or short summer seasons. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oblate (flat-round) bright yellow beefsteaks with very subtle, faint light-yellow stripes (which can sometimes … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Big Rainbow (Bolshaya Raduga) 🌍 Origin: A famous American heirloom originally from Minnesota. In Russia, it is widely grown and traded among collectors under the translated name “Bolshaya Raduga” (Большая радуга). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Usually grows between 1.8 – 2 meters (6-6.5 ft) in a greenhouse, but can be … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buratino 🌍 Origin & Name: A popular collector’s heirloom. “Buratino” is the Russian version of Pinocchio, and the tomato is aptly named for its distinct, long, pointed “nose.” Note: There is also an official commercial red determinate variety named Buratino in the Russian State Register, but the heirloom community uses this … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bizon Oranzhevyi (Orange Bison) 🌍 Origin: A popular Russian commercial variety introduced by the “Poisk” seed company as part of their “Vkusnoteka” (Flavor Library) series. The name means “Orange Bison”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Does well in both greenhouses and out in the garden. It responds great to pruning (a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Huge Lemon Oxheart 🌍 Origin: Known in Russia as “Bolshoye Limonnoye Serdtse” (Big Lemon Heart) or “Limonny Oxheart”. An outstanding yellow/pale heirloom variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very tall and vigorous plant that can easily exceed 8 ft (2.5m) in a greenhouse. Requires aggressive pruning (usually kept to 2 stems) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Apricot Brandywine 🌍 Origin: A beautiful variation within the famous Brandywine family, prized among heirloom collectors for its unique coloration and classic flavor profile. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, PL (Potato Leaf). A very vigorous and sturdy plant that can easily reach 6 ft (1.8m+) in a greenhouse. Responds well to being … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Banan Rozovyi (Pink Banana) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety available from several seed companies, including Aelita and Siberian Garden (SibSad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Like many elongated paste tomatoes, it has a distinct “weeping” or wispy foliage. As a young seedling, the tops can twist and vine aggressively, which is … Read more