Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Calabrese Gigante 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom tomato originating from the Calabria region in southern Italy. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very productive and boasts a long harvest window, often producing well into the fall. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Deep red, slightly elongated (almost giant plum or pear-shaped) beefsteaks with light ribbing … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gigante di Carmagnola 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom tomato originating from Italy, specifically from the Turin province near the town of Carmagnola. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very strong, vigorous plant that produces heavy yields, especially when grown in a greenhouse environment. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, incredibly massive beefsteaks. Growers … Read more
.jpg.291843831795f5fa24e3c5ddd94b838e.jpg)
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gigante Farina 🌍 Origin: A spectacular large-fruited Italian heirloom. It is the result of the meticulous breeding work of Rimo Farina from Bleggio, Italy. The name “Farina” is also tied to a town in the Frosinone province. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gigante di Pavia 🌍 Origin: A fantastic large-fruited Italian heirloom originating from Pavia, an ancient city in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Locally in Italy, it is often simply called “Tumatica Giganta” (Giant Tomato). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and mid-season. The vines can reach up to 6 feet (1.8 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Mt. Vesuvius (Piennolo del Vesuvio) 🌍 Origin & History: This is a legendary Italian heirloom storage tomato (Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio). Traditionally grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius in Italy, they are famous for being harvested on the vine, tied into large bunches (piennolo), and hung from ceilings to … Read more
📌 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