Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Siberian Troika (Sibirskaya Troyka) 🌍 Origin & Name: A well-known commercial variety from the Russian Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates to “Siberian Troika” (a traditional Russian carriage drawn by a team of three horses). 🌿 Plant Habit: A sturdy, compact determinate (tree-type/semi-dwarf) bush. It typically grows to about 60-100 … Read more
Quick Summary of Saratovskie (Saratov) 🌍 Origin & Name: A Russian heirloom named after the city of Saratov on the Volga River. Ironically (and amusingly), local growers from Saratov note that this variety is completely unknown in the city itself! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. In a greenhouse, it easily exceeds 2 … Read more
Quick Summary of Siberian Miracle (Sibirskoe Chudo) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Siberian Miracle”. 🔍 The Shape Mystery (Seed Segregation): This variety is famous on Russian forums for its extreme genetic inconsistency depending on the seed vendor. Seeds from SibSad (Siberian Garden) typically produce round/oblate fruits. However, seeds from … Read more
Quick Summary of The Very Best (Samye Luchshie) 🌍 Origin & Name: A deeply historical heirloom variety. The name translates directly to “The Very Best” (Samye Luchshie). According to historical records, seeds were given by a resident of Kattakurgan (Uzbekistan) to the famous Soviet tomato breeder I.M. Maslov in 1984. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate to … Read more
Quick Summary of Heart of Compassion (Serdtse Dobroty) 🌍 Origin: An Eastern European heirloom. The name translates beautifully to “Heart of Compassion” (Serdtse Dobroty). Distributed by well-known private seed collectors like Valentina Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It is a late-season variety, requiring a longer growing period to reach full maturity. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
Quick Summary of Supermodel 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (short bush), usually growing to about 70 cm (27 inches). It is highly suited for outdoor growing (open ground). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Designed to be an elongated pinkish-red paste/icicle tomato, roughly 10-15 cm … Read more
Quick Summary of Siberian Giant Pink (Sibirskiy Velikan Rozovyi) 🌍 Origin: A classic large-fruited Russian heirloom. The name translates to “Siberian Giant Pink”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), robust vine reaching about 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse environment. 🍃 Leaf Type Alert: Forum growers note that this variety can sometimes show genetic segregation … Read more
Quick Summary of Solntse Severa (Sun of the North) 🌍 Origin: Distributed by a well-known (and somewhat secretive) Russian seed collector, Kolyakov. The name translates to “Sun of the North”. 🧐 The Naming Irony: As forum growers quickly point out, the name is quite misleading! One would expect a “Northern Sun” to be a yellow … Read more
Quick Summary of Bull’s Heart (Cuor di Bue / Coeur de Boeuf) 🌍 The Global Oxheart: This thread is a massive masterclass on the world’s most famous heirloom tomato. Known as Bychye Serdtse in Russia, Cuor di Bue in Italy, Coeur de Boeuf in France, and Coracao de Boi in Portugal. The forum admin officially … Read more
Quick Summary of Severnoe Siyanie (Northern Lights) 🌍 Origin: This is the Russian-grown lineage of the famous American heirloom “Northern Lights” (translated directly into Russian as Severnoe Siyanie). It has been widely circulated and adapted by Russian seed savers. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). In a greenhouse, it easily reaches up to 2 meters (6.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Serdtse Kenguru (Kangaroo Heart) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial/heirloom variety. The name translates to “Kangaroo Heart”, reflecting the shape and massive size of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.5 – 1.8 meters (5-6 ft). The bush is strong, healthy, and has moderate foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful, perfectly … Read more
Quick Summary of Smilyanskiy Rudasa 🌍 Origin & History: A rare Eastern European heirloom with a great backstory. It was bred by Ukrainian breeder A.P. Rudas. The seeds in this thread took a fascinating journey: bought at a market in Hungary, brought to Germany, and then shared with Russian growers. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). … Read more