Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Verna 🌍 Origin: A fantastic Eastern European heirloom variety. Seeds are widely passed around among collectors (like Lena Danko mentioned in this thread). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It’s a mid-season variety that does great in a greenhouse or hoop house. Growers recommend pruning it to 2 or 3 main stems … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Val’s Green Striped 🌍 Origin: A rare green-striped tomato, originally introduced by Val McMurray of British Columbia, Canada. 🌱 Plant Habit: An indeterminate vine, highly productive, growing up to 5 ft (1.5m) tall in a greenhouse. Best pruned to 2 stems. 🍅 Fruit & Yield: Small to medium round fruits weighing 2.5 … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary: Cherry Syrup (Vishnevyi Sirop) 🌍 Origin: An amateur breeding release by Sofia Saakova (Sofia S.). It is a cross between Zuzu’s Cherry and Black Beauty. 🌱 Plant Habit: A tall, slender indeterminate vine that easily exceeds 6.5 ft (2.0 meters) in a greenhouse. Mid-season maturity with an extended fruiting window. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Berberana F1 🌍 Origin: A highly disease-resistant commercial F1 hybrid, popular in Europe and Russia for greenhouse production. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but with short internodes, keeping the plant compact and manageable without having to constantly reach for the greenhouse ceiling. Produces strong, bushy dark green foliage. 🛡️ Disease Resistance: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Apelsin (Orange) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial Russian heirloom. The name translates literally to “Orange” (the citrus fruit), perfectly describing its appearance. Distributed by major Russian seed companies like SeDeK, Aelita, and Poisk. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally considered indeterminate (or semi-determinate depending on conditions), mid-season. Growth height varies from 1 … Read more
Quick Summary of Blush 2.0 🌍 Origin: Bred by the renowned American breeder Fred Hempel (Artisan Seeds) and released in 2019. It is a cross between Lucky Tiger and Green Zebra Cherry. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate but very compact. It is noticeably shorter and sturdier than the original Blush, making it an outstanding choice for … Read more
Quick Summary of Aurora Blue 🌍 Origin: A beautiful anthocyanin variety popularized by the well-known Latvian tomato breeder and collector, Valdis Puliņš. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.7–1.8 meters (5.5–6 ft). Very vigorous and productive, known to keep setting fruit right up until the first frost. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Medium-to-large slicing tomatoes weighing … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnyi Kubok (Amber Cup) 🌍 Origin: A popular Russian commercial heirloom variety (famously distributed by the “Aelita” seed company). The name translates to “Amber Cup”. 🌿 Plant Habit: There is a well-known seed mix-up in the market. The original, true strain is Determinate (bush), growing stout and compact around 70–100 cm (2.3–3.3 … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernoe Yabloko (Black Apple) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive Russian commercial/collector’s variety. The name translates to “Black Apple”. It is widely distributed by prominent Russian seed collectors like V. Popenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall. In a greenhouse, it easily reaches 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) and requires sturdy trellising. It … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernaya Lakomka (Black Gourmand) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the “Poisk” seed company. The name translates roughly to “Black Gourmand” or “Black Sweet Tooth”, highlighting its dessert-like flavor profile. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tall indeterminate, typically reaching 1.5–2 meters (5–6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. It sets fruit in clusters and has … Read more
Quick Summary of Chukhloma (Orange Icicle/Paste) 🌍 Origin: A highly successful Russian commercial variety from the Gavrish seed company. It is the orange sibling to the red variety Khokhloma. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous, easily exceeding 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. Growers note its distinct foliage: the leaves are very … Read more
Quick Summary of Finik (Date) Tomato Series 🌍 Origin: A hugely popular Russian commercial series (which includes Yellow, Orange, Red, and Striped variants), commonly sold by “Russian Ogorod” (often as an F1 hybrid) and heirloom vendors like “Batatovy Kusty”. The name “Finik” translates to “Date”, referencing their shape and intended sweetness. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more