Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Avietiniai (Aventuniai) 🌍 Origin: A commercial/heirloom variety from Lithuania. In the Russian seed market, it circulates under the misspelled name Aventuniai (Авентюняй). However, its true Lithuanian name is Avietiniai, which simply translates to “Raspberry” (referring to its crimson-pink color). Often distributed by the Russian seed vendor Valery Popenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
.jpg.2f83fafca69c755504f34aff59cb8fcd.jpg)
Quick Summary of Auermuom Apgue 🌍 Origin: A rare and exotic anthocyanin variety circulating among Russian and Eastern European collectors under this highly unusual name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), Regular Leaf (RL). Known for being exceptionally robust and healthy. Notably, it performs wonderfully during the indoor seedling stage—unlike many “blue” varieties, it is highly … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnyi Med (Amber Honey) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom, most famously distributed by the “Uralskiy Dachnik” (Ural Summer Resident) seed company. The name translates to “Amber Honey”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). There is an ongoing debate and mystery regarding its foliage—some seed batches produce Potato Leaf (PL) plants (as usually … Read more
Quick Summary of Yaponskiy Krab Zheltyi (Japanese Crab Yellow) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom originally distributed by breeder Alexandrov. The name translates to “Japanese Crab Yellow” due to its heavily ribbed, flattened shape resembling a crab. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate / Mid-tall. Usually grows to about 1.5–1.7 m (5–5.5 ft). Known for its extreme … Read more
Quick Summary of Jarson 13 (Ochre Pear) 🌍 Origin & Breeding: A highly sought-after amateur variety bred by a Polish breeder known as Jarson. It was created by crossing two legendary Russian heirlooms: Malakhitovaya Shkatulka (Malachite Box) and Yellow Khurma (Persimmon). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining) with regular foliage. It performs exceptionally well outdoors, reaching … Read more
Quick Summary of Yuwel (Juwel / Jewel) 🌍 Origin & History: A legendary heirloom with a fascinating past. According to Soviet agricultural records, it was one of the most widely grown commercial varieties in the USSR during the 1930s. The name translates to “Jewel” from German (Juwel). 🕵️♂️ The Strain Mystery: There is a popular … Read more
Quick Summary of Crnkovic Yugoslavian 🌍 Origin: A very famous heirloom variety originating from the former Yugoslavia (reportedly brought to the US by Yasha Crnkovic). In Eastern European collections, it is widely traded under the transliterated name “Yugoslavskiy Krnkovicha”. 🌿 Plant Habit: A vigorous indeterminate (tall vining) plant. Growers report excellent results when training the … Read more
Quick Summary of Yusupovskiye / Uzbekskie 🌍 Origin: A legendary heirloom originating from Uzbekistan, highly prized in Eastern Europe. It is named after a famous Uzbek breeder (Yusupov). Often traded simply as “Uzbekskie” (Uzbek). 🌿 Plant Habit: Classic Strain: A vigorous, tall indeterminate vine reaching 1.8m (6 ft) or more, requiring strong support. Dwarf Strain: … Read more
Quick Summary of Yuzhniy Zagar (Southern Tan) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial/heirloom variety from Siberian breeders (Sibirskiy Sad). The name translates to “Southern Tan”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but usually remains quite compact (1-1.2m outdoors, up to 2m in a greenhouse). It features classic “wispy” (weeping) foliage — the seedlings look skinny, frail, and … Read more
Quick Summary of Elberta Peach (Elberta Persikovaya) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful novelty variety known for its fuzzy, silvery-blue “angora” foliage and peach-like fuzzy fruits. Often goes by the name Elberta Girl in some Western collections. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate/Semi-determinate bush type, usually reaching 1 to 1.5 meters (3.2 – 4.9 ft) in height. The foliage … Read more
Quick Summary of Ekkert Polskiy (Eckert Polish) 🌍 Origin: A wonderful heirloom tomato of Polish origin, highly valued in Eastern European and Russian gardening communities. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining) and grows to about 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) tall in a greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large pink beefsteaks that are slightly ribbed. Some growers report … Read more
Quick Summary of EM-Chempion (EM-Champion) 🌍 Origin: A famous Russian commercial variety released by Sibirskiy Sad (Siberian Garden). The name translates to “EM-Champion”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush), reaching about 60–70 cm (24–28 inches) outdoors. It has very sparse, thin, downward-hanging leaves (often described as “wispy” or “weeping willow” type). Because of this, it can … Read more