Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vela Scarlatta 🌍 Origin: A magnificent heirloom variety (the name translates from Italian as “Scarlet Sails”). It is highly prized by collectors of giant oxheart tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and powerful plant that exhibits intensive, fast growth and produces a massive yield. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Giant … 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): Costoluto Genovese 🌍 Origin: A legendary Italian heirloom from the Genoa region. It has been a staple in Italian gardens for generations, highly prized for its heavily scalloped, decorative shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and incredibly robust. It is famous for its hardiness, tolerating both heat spells and cooler … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Chilo Della Garfagnana 🌍 Origin: A treasured old family heirloom from the Garfagnana region of Tuscany, Italy. The name loosely translates to “Kilo of Garfagnana”, hinting at the massive potential size of its fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate or short indeterminate. It produces a vigorous, stout bush with regular foliage that … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Costoluto Fiorentino sel. Canestrino di Lucca 🌍 Origin & The Great Seed Mix-Up: A fascinating piece of seed history! Commercial Italian vendors sometimes sold seeds under this long, combined name. However, as Russian growers quickly discovered in this thread, these are actually two different Italian varieties. 1) Costoluto Fiorentino: A small, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cuor di Bue Cavallino Tre Porti 🌍 Origin: A magnificent family heirloom from Italy. Named after Cavallino-Treporti, a picturesque coastal peninsula in the Province of Venice. The name translates to “Oxheart of Cavallino Treporti”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and mid-season. Grower Note: The plant habit is actually quite atypical for … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Costoluto Colli Euganei 🌍 Origin: A magnificent family heirloom from the Veneto region in Northern Italy. The name translates to “Ribbed of the Euganean Hills”. The Euganean Hills are a national nature reserve known for their incredibly fertile volcanic soil, mild climate, ancient oak and chestnut forests, olive groves, and endless … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cosentino sel Claudia 🌍 Origin: A wonderful, highly productive family heirloom from Italy. (“Sel Claudia” likely denotes a specific selection by a grower named Claudia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. Known for being extremely reliable and heat-tolerant, displaying zero blossom drop even when grown in the sunniest spots of the … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cuore Antico di Aqui Terme 🌍 Origin: An outstanding family heirloom from Italy. The name translates to “Ancient Heart of Acqui Terme”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-late season. The plants are vigorous with sturdy, thick main stems. Grower Warning: Avoid overfeeding with nitrogen early on, or the plant will prioritize … Read more
Quick Summary of Antico Canestrino di Luca 🌍 Origin: A classic traditional heirloom from Italy (often spelled Antico Canestrino di Lucca, originating from the Tuscany region). The name translates to “Little Basket of Lucca,” referring to its deeply ribbed, pear-like shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, very sturdy, and tall. Growers in our community report that … Read more
Quick Summary of Adora Tomato (Sweet Marmande type) 🌍 Origin: Originally a commercial variety (branded as Adora / Sweet Marmande type) developed by HM.CLAUSE and grown in Spain/Italy. Its parentage reportedly includes Marmande and Black Krim. This thread documents forum members successfully growing out saved seeds from supermarket fruits (F2/F3 generations). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
Quick Summary of Ciondolo Orange 🌍 Origin: A collector’s variety with Italian roots (“Ciondolo” translates to pendant or charm), widely circulated among Russian heirloom growers under the transliterated name “Chiondollo Oranzhevyi”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). The plants are noted for being very sturdy and strong. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, beautiful orange tomatoes shaped like … Read more