Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Andreevsky Syurpriz 🌍 Origin: A renowned Siberian selection. The name translates to “Andreev’s Surprise” (or Andrew’s Surprise). 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as indeterminate and tall (1.6–1.8m / 5.2–5.9 ft) for greenhouses. However, growers note that when planted outdoors in open ground, it often behaves more like a determinate (bush) plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Armyanskie (Armenian) 🌍 Origin: A magnificent heirloom bicolor tomato. The name simply translates to “Armenian”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but generally has a somewhat frail, wispy, or “weeping” bush structure. Despite the delicate foliage, it has incredibly strong fruit stems (pedicels), meaning the heavy trusses rarely need extra support. Throws … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Antonovka Medovaya 🌍 Origin & Name: A commercial variety from the Russian company “Premium Seeds”. It is named after the famous Russian winter apple, Antonovka, known for its green-yellow color and ability to be stored in cellars all winter. “Medovaya” means “Honey”. ⚠️ The Big Misunderstanding: The seed packet markets this … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aburida 🌍 Origin: A magnificent heirloom popularized by the well-known Ukrainian breeder and collector V.F. Syrai. Highly sought after by collectors of giant paste tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-late season variety. Reaches 1.8 – 2 meters (6-6.5 ft) in height. The bushes are robust and produce very beautiful, heavy … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): AH Scorpii 🌍 Origin: A relatively new variety created by the famous American heirloom collector and breeder Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). It is a cross between two legendary giant tomatoes: Hoy x Delicious. It is named after AH Scorpii, a red supergiant star in the Scorpius constellation. 🌿 Plant Habit: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aussie (Avstraliets) 🌍 Origin: A legendary heirloom variety originally from Australia, widely known in the US and Europe simply as Aussie, and translated into Russian as Avstraliets (The Australian). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous plant. Reaches up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse and about 1.2m (4 ft) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple (Ananas) 🌍 Origin: The world-famous classic heirloom bicolor beefsteak, originally from the USA, but highly popular and widely grown in Russia under the translated name “Ananas”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), regular leaf (RL). It has proven to be relatively resistant to tomato leaf mold (Cladosporium). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anna German 🌍 Origin: An old, legendary Soviet-era heirloom variety, likely named after the beloved singer Anna German. It is often confused with other yellow multiflora varieties like Wonder of the World and Citrus Garden, but experienced growers confirm it is a distinct, unique strain. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Almatinskiy Tricolor (Almaty Tricolor) 🌍 Origin: A relatively new but already highly sought-after variety bred by the famous tomato breeder Vitaly Alifirov from Almaty, Kazakhstan. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and highly productive. Usually ripens mid-season, though it can lean towards late-season in cooler climates. It keeps setting fruit well … 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): Chianti Rose 🌍 Origin: An American heirloom, reportedly developed from a cross between the legendary ‘Brandywine’ and an unknown Italian heirloom variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large pink beefsteaks, oblate (flat-round) in shape. They are quite massive, typically weighing between 300-500g (10.5–17.5 oz). 👅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cafe Bule 🌍 Origin: An American heirloom variety known for producing masses of dark, pear-shaped cherry tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Growers describe it as “well-behaved” and not overly aggressive in its growth. The foliage is relatively light-colored, taking on a purplish-blue hue in strong sunlight. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, beautiful … Read more