Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaysky Rozovy (Altai Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian heirloom from the famous “Sibirsky Sad” (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates to “Altai Pink,” named after the Altai Mountains region in Siberia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and very vigorous. Known for being a highly productive and heavy yielder. 🍅 … Read more
📌 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): Altayskiy Oranzheviy (Altai Orange) 🌍 Origin: A renowned commercial heirloom from the Altai region in Siberia. The name translates to “Altai Orange”. It is highly sought after by collectors for its incredible texture and flavor. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Some growers report it being a “short” indeterminate, while others see it … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abkhaziya Rozovaya (Abkhazia Pink) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom tomato originating from Abkhazia, a region in the Caucasus Mountains famous for its rich agricultural heritage and outstanding southern tomatoes. The name translates to “Abkhazia Pink”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though it tends to stay somewhat stocky (around 1.5m / 5ft) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pineapple Zebra 🌍 Origin: A stunning stabilized cross, likely originating from a mix of the classic Pineapple and Green Zebra tomatoes. Widely known among US and European growers, it is highly prized by collectors for its adaptability and stunning appearance in colder climates. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and vigorous. Performs … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alisa (Alice) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded heirloom variety with somewhat mysterious origins. While often credited to Russian breeders (like N. Alexandrov or Egorov), some growers trace their seed lines back to Portuguese heirlooms. The name translates to “Alice”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.7–2.0 m (5.5–6.5 ft) in height. … 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): Almaty Red Tulip (Almatinskiy Krasnyi Tyulpan) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic modern heirloom bred in the Almaty region (city of Esik), Kazakhstan, by the highly respected tomato breeder Vitaliy Gennadievich Alifirov. The name translates to “Almaty Red Tulip”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. It notably features Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. … 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): Anna Meyer 🌍 Origin: A beautiful family heirloom variety, highly popularized by the well-known American heirloom seed collector Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Forms a large, vigorous bush with very thick, sturdy stems. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, meaty beefsteaks. It has a very interesting color expression: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abakan Pink (Abakansky Rozovyi) 🌍 Origin: A highly famous Siberian commercial heirloom. It is known for causing widespread confusion among growers because different Russian seed companies (like Siberian Garden, Poisk, and Altai Seeds) sell vastly different strains under this exact same name. Even the official State Register has two different entries … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Amurskiy Tigr (Amur Tiger) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the “Aelita” seed company. ⚠️ The Seed Mystery (Important!): For several years, Aelita accidentally distributed a completely wrong seed (an off-type) under this name. Many early growers ended up with small, red-and-yellow striped cocktail tomatoes with thin skin (suspected … Read more