Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Antoshka 🌍 Origin: A fantastic early-season Russian commercial variety. The name “Antoshka” is a friendly, diminutive form of the name Anton (often associated with a cheerful cartoon character in Russia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush/dwarf type). Extremely compact and sturdy, growing only 30-60 cm (12-24 inches) tall. It requires zero pruning … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Albenga Oxheart 🌍 Origin: A classic Italian heirloom from the Liguria region. Popularized among collectors by Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). Important distinction: This is the smooth, classic oxheart version, not to be confused with “Cuore di Bue di Albenga,” which is a deeply ribbed, pear-shaped (pouch) variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amarillo & Amarillo Armadillo 🌍 Origin: This thread covers experimental/numbered breeding lines sent to Russian growers simply as “Amarillo”, as well as the named exotic variety Amarillo Armadillo. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), regular leaf. Very vigorous and highly productive. The Armadillo variant grows to about 1.6 m (5.2 ft) when … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cow’s Tit 🌍 Origin: A famous and slightly cheekily named heirloom from Russia, originally known as Korovye Vymya (Cow’s Udder) or Sisechka. Widely popularized among collectors by Russian seed seller V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Performs well both in greenhouses and outdoors, though yields can vary depending on sun … Read more
🌿 In Loving Memory of Stas (Forum Pioneer) Stas was one of the founding pillars of our gardening community. A true innovator, he was building custom LED grow lights and experimenting with light spectrums years before it became mainstream. Though he lived a quiet and solitary life, he generously shared his brilliant DIY mind and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dwarf Chocolate Lightning 🌍 Origin: A fantastic release from the international Dwarf Tomato Project. It was developed from a cross between ‘Beauty King’ and ‘Dwarf Wild Fred’. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tree-type dwarf. A very vigorous plant with dark green rugose (crinkled) foliage and thick, sturdy central stems. Indoors or in a … Read more
Quick Summary of Blaue Kasachstan 🌿 Plant Habit: INDETERMINATE (Tall/Vining). It reaches about 1.9 m (6.2 ft) but remains relatively compact for an indeterminate. It features potato leaf foliage. 🌍 Origin: Despite the name “Blue Kazakhstan”, little is known about its exact origins, though it is believed to have been introduced via Hartman (Germany) around … Read more
Quick Summary of Anna Russian 🌍 Origin: A legendary heirloom variety with Russian roots that became highly popular in the USA. It is famous for its classic oxheart shape and exceptional taste. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) with classic wispy, drooping foliage typical of heart-shaped varieties. It adapts surprisingly well to container growing! 🍅 Fruit … Read more
Quick Summary of African Vining 🌍 Origin: A renowned heirloom variety highly valued by our community for its exceptional eating qualities. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season, growing up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) tall. It features classic “wispy” or weeping foliage. Because the plant is slender, growers recommend planting it in the sunniest spots of … Read more
Quick Summary of Abrica Zebra 🌍 Origin: A striking striped variety originally from the USA, highly rated by our community. It is sometimes spelled as Abrika Zebra. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season. It typically reaches 1.5–2 meters (5–6.5 ft) in a greenhouse, though some growers reported more compact growth (around 1.3m / 4.3 ft) when … Read more
Quick Summary of Yaponskiy Krab Zheltyi (Japanese Crab Yellow) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom originally distributed by breeder Alexandrov. The name translates to “Japanese Crab Yellow” due to its heavily ribbed, flattened shape resembling a crab. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate / Mid-tall. Usually grows to about 1.5–1.7 m (5–5.5 ft). Known for its extreme … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnaya Rossyp (Amber Placer) 🌍 Origin: A modern Russian commercial variety bred by the “Tsentr Ogorodnik” / “Poisk” seed company and officially entered into the Russian State Register in 2018. The name roughly translates to “Amber Placer” or “Scattering of Amber”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, compact, and sturdy (tree-type). It has a … Read more