Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Chernyi Maslyanistyi (Black Buttery) 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Eastern European heirloom variety. The name translates directly to “Black Buttery” (or “Buttery Black”), hinting at its texture and color. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In a greenhouse, it easily exceeds 2 meters (6.5 ft), but stays more compact (about 1.2–1.7 m / 4–5.5 ft) when … Read more
Quick Summary of Chervone Solntse (Red Sun) 🌍 Origin: A wonderful heirloom variety. The name translates from Ukrainian/Old Slavic as “Red Sun”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Forms a strong, sturdy bush that performs well in greenhouse environments, though it can drop some blossoms in extreme heat. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, deep-red beefsteaks. They are … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyy Radzha (Black Raja) 🌍 Origin: A relatively new commercial variety sold by the seed company “NK Elit”. Not much is known about its true pedigree. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In open ground, it reaches about 1.5 meters (5 ft). The plant is of medium build/vigor with regular leaves (RL). Highly disease-resistant. … Read more
Quick Summary of Brad’s Black Heart (Chernoe Serdtse Breda) 🌍 Origin: A famous American variety bred by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms, California), which found its way into the hands of Russian and Eastern European collectors. It is fascinating to see how this Californian heirloom performs in harsh climates like Siberia and the Urals! 🌿 … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernosliv (Prune / Black Plum) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian variety. The name translates to “Prune” (dried plum). Widely distributed by companies like Biotekhnika and kept pure by heirloom collectors. Note: Growers suspect it might be genetically identical to “Black Roma”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but very space-saving. The foliage … Read more
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Quick Summary of Chernigovskiy 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom variety hailing from Eastern Europe (named after the historic city of Chernigov). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching around 2 meters (6.5 feet). Known for its excellent disease resistance and striking dark green foliage. Performs exceptionally well both in greenhouses and outdoors. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyy Russkiy (Black Russian) 🌍 Origin: A famous old heirloom variety, highly popular among Eastern European gardeners. Interestingly, it is considered a “folk” variety, as growers note it isn’t even listed in the official Russian State Register of Seeds. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but its vigor heavily depends on the seed … Read more
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Quick Summary of Chinook Tomato 🌍 Origin: A gorgeous release from the renowned Canadian tomato breeder Karen Olivier. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous. The vines are strong and easily reach the roof of a standard greenhouse (over 6.5 feet / 2 meters). It requires heavy-duty staking and tying due to the massive … Read more
Quick Summary of Borisovna’s Black Heart with a Spout 🌍 Origin: A legendary forum-born heirloom! Discovered by grower Natalya (Borisovna) from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, from a market tomato. It has since spread worldwide. Also known as Black with a Spout, Black Oxheart from Borisovna, or Chernoe Serdtse s Nosikom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.5–2.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Zemli Orange 🌍 Origin: An orange variant/strain of the famous Russian heirloom “Chudo Zemli” (Wonder of the Earth). Some growers note a strong visual resemblance to the Fox Nose (Liskin Nos) variety, though they behave differently in the garden. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. When grown in a … Read more
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Quick Summary of Dwarf Black Wizard 🌍 Origin: A beautiful dark-striped variety from the dwarf tomato family (often circulated among Russian collectors as “Gnom Chernyi Volshebnik”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate dwarf (tree-type). It has a very sturdy, strong central stem and light-green rugose foliage. Perfect for small spaces or large containers, though it requires some … Read more
Quick Summary of Ananas Noire (Black Pineapple) 🌍 Origin: A famous variety discovered in Belgium by Pascal Moreau (originally named Ananas Noire). It is widely grown by Russian collectors under the translated name “Chernyi Ananas”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), typically reaching 1.2–1.8 m (4–6 ft). It has regular leaf (RL) foliage. It is generally … Read more