Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bakinskie (From Baku) 🌍 Origin: This is a fascinating collector’s variety. Originally, it was a “numbered test line” sent directly from a breeder in Baku, Azerbaijan, to members of the Russian ForumHouse for trial grow-outs. Because it never received an official name, growers simply started calling it “Bakinskie” (From Baku). Note: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bychok (Little Bull) 🌍 Origin: Introduced to North America and popularized by the famous tomato collector Tatiana Kouchnareva (Tatiana’s TOMATObase). The name “Bychok” literally translates to “Little Bull” (a play on the famous “Bull’s Heart” oxheart tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It exhibits the classic “wimpy” oxheart growth habit with thin, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Big Rainbow (Bolshaya Raduga) 🌍 Origin: A famous American heirloom originally from Minnesota. In Russia, it is widely grown and traded among collectors under the translated name “Bolshaya Raduga” (Большая радуга). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Usually grows between 1.8 – 2 meters (6-6.5 ft) in a greenhouse, but can be … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Buyan Zheltyi (Buyan Yellow) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety, officially registered in the Russian State Register for the West Siberian region. Also known as “Boets Yellow” (Fighter Yellow). 🌿 Plant Habit: Rugose determinate dwarf (tree-type). Extremely compact, sturdy, and short, typically reaching only 30-60 cm (1-2 ft). Seedlings do not … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Baba Nadya (Grandma Nadya) 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Latvian “folk selection” (family heirloom). It was popularized in the tomato community by the well-known breeder and collector Valdis Pulins. The name translates to “Grandma Nadya”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Reaches about 1.4-1.6 meters (4.5-5.2 ft) in height. Recommended pruning is to 2 main … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zore’s Big Red 🌍 Origin: A renowned heirloom variety. In Russian collections, it is often circulated under the translated name “Bolshoy Krasnyi Zora”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and tall. A notable feature of this specific strain grown by forum members is its Potato Leaf (PL) foliage, which is an interesting trait … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Babushkina Radost (Grandma’s Joy) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded heirloom variety circulated by Russian and Ukrainian private seed collectors (originally sourced from a Ukrainian grape growers’ forum and popularized by Vera Monakhova). The name translates to “Grandma’s Joy”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A tall, vigorous plant that easily reaches 2 meters … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bochkovoy Zasol (Barrel Pickling) 🌍 Origin & Name: An old heirloom variety originating from the Astrakhan region of Russia. The name translates to “Barrel Pickling” or “Barrel Fermentation.” It is named after the traditional Russian method of fermenting whole vegetables in large wooden barrels for the winter, implying these tomatoes are … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bychie Serdtse Kanarskoe (Canary Oxheart) 🌍 Origin: The exact history and origin of this variety are unclear. The name translates to “Canary Oxheart.” It is circulated among Russian growers from domestic private seed collections (such as Ananyeva’s line). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Shows average vigor and reaches about 5.5 ft (1.7 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Large Barred Boar 🌍 Origin: An exotic release from Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (California, USA). It has become highly popular among Russian and Eastern European heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season variety. Typically grows to about 5 feet (1.5 m) tall. It prefers a very sunny, well-ventilated spot … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Accordion Cherry (Akkordeon Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A very unique, heavily ribbed red cherry/cocktail tomato. Extremely popular among Russian heirloom collectors for its striking appearance and long shelf life. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 2 meters (6.5+ ft) in a greenhouse. The adult plant is powerful and vigorous, though seedlings … Read more
Quick Summary of Yaponec (Japanese Man) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety whose name translates to “Japanese Man” (or “The Japanese”). It is often compared to the famous pink variety ‘Yaponka’ (Japanese Girl). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It is typically grown in greenhouses and pruned to 2 stems. Note that it can be sensitive to … Read more