Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick take: Nonna Antonina (“Grandmother Antonina”) is a traditional family heirloom originating from Italy. It grows as an indeterminate, late-season vine bearing very large, bright red beefsteaks packed with intense, old-world savory flavor. Highly adaptable across both cool northern climates and warm southern zones, growers praise its manageable, well-behaved vine habit and long harvest window. … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lucchese is a classic indeterminate Italian heirloom originating from Lucca in Tuscany. It produces massive, bright red, deeply fluted beefsteaks easily reaching 14 oz (400 g) and larger. The flesh is dense, meaty, and slightly dry with an old-school, slightly tart, balanced flavor. While growers in short northern zones classify it as … Read more
🍅 Quick take: George Detsikas’ Italian Red is an indeterminate heirloom that originated in Italy and was preserved by George Detsikas for 25 years. Growers rave about its outstanding, intense old-fashioned flavor and sweet, meaty, tender flesh. Despite its large size, it ripens surprisingly early, even in cold climates like Siberia. The only noted drawback … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Giganta Zenta Semi (Giant Seedless) is an indeterminate, mid-season Italian heirloom that produces large, heavy red beefsteaks. The name is likely a variation of the Italian Gigante Senza Semi, which perfectly describes its incredibly meaty, low-seed flesh. Growers here praise its solid yields and well-balanced, old-fashioned tomato flavor completely free of fruity … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Fragolone (Strawberry) is an indeterminate heirloom from Italy that produces elongated, pink, pear-shaped tomatoes. Growers report it sets a massive “waterfall” of firm, meaty 5-7 oz fruits that are packed with flavor and have very few seeds, making them excellent for both fresh eating and processing. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Diamante Oppedisano is an indeterminate, mid-season variety known for producing large to giant, meaty beefsteaks. The plants are vigorous, growing up to 6.5 ft (2 m) tall, and the yields are exceptionally heavy, with huge tomatoes growing in clusters. The flavor is described as good, classic tomato flavor. There is some debate … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Piedmont Flask is a late-season, indeterminate heirloom tracing its roots back to Northern Italy. It produces unique, large bottle-shaped fruits weighing up to 14 oz (400 g). Like many classic Italian paste types, it has dense meat and a balanced flavor, making it excellent for dehydrating. However, growers in shorter or cooler … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Cresta di Fuoco #2 (Fire Crest #2) is a distinct, deep brownish-red indeterminate Italian heirloom known for its eccentric, crested, and ribbed fruit forms. While technically a later-maturing variety, it can drop its ripe crop in a concentrated wave, outpacing other late-season varieties. With dense, meaty flesh and moderate sweetness, it stands … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Ocean (Okean) is a vigorous, indeterminate Italian cocktail/cherry variety producing glossy red, globe-shaped fruits up to 0.8 oz (23 g). Known for its distinct, apple-crisp bite, sweet flavor, crack resistance, and exceptionally sparse canopy. Northern greenhouse growers report remarkable resistance to greenhouse leaf mold (Cladosporium), making it a reliable, heavy-setting producer that … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Lago Maggiore is a tall, indeterminate, mid-season variety that produces heavy yields of ribbed, pear-shaped and plum-shaped tomatoes ranging from 3.5 oz to over 1 lb. It’s highly crack-resistant in wet conditions. Flavor is universally praised, though growers report varying results regarding its shelf life and firmness. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes … Read more
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🍅 Quick take: Natalina is a tall, vigorous indeterminate Italian heirloom that produces massive red beefsteaks weighing up to 1-1.5 lbs (500-700 g). Growers rave about its outstanding flavor, meaty texture, and beautiful, smooth appearance (it doesn’t produce gnarly, catfaced fruits). Despite their large size, the fruits are firm and possess excellent keeping qualities, with … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Miele di Saluto Arcobaleno (Honey Rainbow Greeting) is a mid-season, indeterminate Italian heirloom. The vigorous, disease-resistant vine produces massive, flat-round bicolor beefsteaks weighing anywhere from 14 oz up to a whopping 2.2 lbs (400 g to 1 kg). The fruits have very few seeds and feature an incredibly sweet flavor profile with … Read more