Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gigant Novikova (Novikov’s Giant) 🌍 Origin: Bred by Russian hobby gardener A.I. Novikov. It was introduced to North American heirloom collectors in 2007 by Andrey Baranovski of Minsk, Belarus. According to the original lore, Novikov grew towering vines in his greenhouse and harvested up to 66 lbs (30 kg) from a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Giant of Siebenburgen 🌍 Origin: A historic European heirloom originating from the Siebenbürgen region (modern-day Transylvania, Romania). In Russia, it circulates as Gigant Zibenburgena. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 6.5 ft (2 m) inside a greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, red, classic oxheart-shaped tomatoes. They are very meaty and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gostinets 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety released as part of the “Vkusnoteka” (Tasty Collection) line. The name roughly translates to “A Little Gift” or “Treat”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but growers report it being fairly manageable, reaching about 5 ft (1.5 m) in a greenhouse. Requires staking and pruning. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gigant Svitera (Giant Sweater) 🌍 Origin: Claimed to be from the USA, but circulated in Russia under the translated name “Gigant Svitera”. It is highly likely a renamed or mistranslated classic American paste tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very vigorous and powerful grower that can easily reach the roof of … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Tarasenko Hybrid No. 2 🌍 Origin: A legendary Soviet-era variety developed by the famous amateur breeder Feodosiy Tarasenko (Sumy region, Ukraine) in the late 1980s. Note: Despite the name, this is a stabilized, open-pollinated heirloom, NOT an F1 hybrid! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous. Known for its massive, … 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
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Hawaiian Pineapple 🌍 Origin: A famous, late-season heirloom from North America. Known for its massive size and incredible tropical flavor. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A robust, thick-stemmed plant. It is notoriously a late-season variety that can be a bit stingy with fruit set during extreme heat. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, stunning … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Galaktion 🌍 Origin: A highly sought-after modern anthocyanin (antho) variety popular among Eastern European collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and productive plant that performs exceptionally well both in greenhouses and outdoors. Like most antho varieties, the fruits develop the darkest, most striking purple/black colors when exposed to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volgogradskiy 5/95 🌍 Origin: A legendary old-school Soviet commercial variety. Note: There are two famous “Volgogradskiy” strains. “323” is the early bush variety, while “5/95” is the vigorous, late-season strain bred for the warm, long summers of southern Russia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Vigorous with a very thick, sturdy main stem. Because … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vernaya Lyubov (True Love) 🌍 Origin: A rare Russian heirloom/commercial variety. The name translates beautifully to “True Love”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. It is a sturdy tree-type (rugose) dwarf that stays compact, reaching only about 24 inches (60 cm) tall. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Stunning golden-yellow rounded hearts with a very distinct, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Budenovka Zelenaya (Green Budenovka) 🌍 Origin: A rare Ukrainian winter-keeper variety. “Budenovka” refers to the iconic pointed Soviet cavalry hat, which matches the shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, late-season maturity. It is a sturdy, compact plant with dense foliage cover. In a greenhouse, it tops out at around … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Barkhatnye (Velvet) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety known for its distinctive Angora genetics. The name “Barkhatnye” simply means “Velvet”. Note that this is often confused with other fuzzy varieties like Blue Spruce or Peach, or with non-fuzzy varieties like Barkhatniy Sezon (Velvet Season). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and late-season. Both … Read more