Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 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
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Cosmic Eclipse 🌍 Origin: A visually stunning novelty release from Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms, USA). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Grows to about 1.5–1.7 meters (5-5.5 ft) in a greenhouse, slightly shorter in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small to medium cocktail-sized round fruits (usually under 100g / 3.5 oz). The … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Winterizing Roses & Climate Shifts 🌹 Winterizing Roses: Growers debate the best time to cover roses and other tender perennials for winter. Some prefer getting it done early in mid-October, while others wait for a hard frost in November to naturally kill off pests like whiteflies before covering. 🧅 Checking on … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Church 🌍 Origin: A massive American heirloom from the Church family in Hot Springs, Virginia. It was first introduced to the wider tomato community by the legendary collector Chuck Wyatt. In Russian collections, it is frequently traded under the direct translation “Церковь” (Tserkov). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, regular leaf. A very … 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): 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) 🌍 Origin: A well-known elongated plum/paste tomato variety, often grown for sauces and processing. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Semi-determinate. A mid-late season variety that grows relatively compactly, reaching about 0.8 m (2.6 ft) when grown outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, elongated plum-shaped tomatoes. Grower tip on size: … Read more