Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltye Grebeshki (Yellow Crests) 🌍 Origin: A very popular Russian heirloom variety. The name “Yellow Crests” comes from the unique shape of the fruits, which often feature a pronounced, sharp, curved point (beak) at the blossom end. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and vigorous. Best grown pruned to 2-3 main stems. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhritsa (Priestess) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by “Semena Altaya” (Seeds of Altai), a major Russian seed company operating out of Siberia, known for breeding robust and highly productive tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very productive and performs well even in less-than-ideal, shaded spots in the greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grandma Viney’s Yellow and Pink 🌍 Origin: A legendary American heirloom from Kentucky, widely grown and cherished by Eastern European tomato collectors for its stunning appearance and taste. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though some growers report it staying relatively manageable at 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m). Needs plenty of room to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhar Goryashchie Ugli (Heat of Burning Coals) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “Heat of Burning Coals” or simply “Glowing Coals”. (Note: Do not confuse with “Zhar-Ugli” by Siberian Garden, which is a purple anthocyanin variety). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but growth height varies greatly by … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltaya Dynya (Yellow Melon) 🌍 Origin: A stunning collector’s variety. The name translates exactly to “Yellow Melon”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-sized plant (likely semi-determinate or a shorter indeterminate). Mid-season producer known for heavy yields. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Gorgeous striped bicolors! The shape is an elongated round/blunt heart. The skin is a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltaya Mishen (Yellow Target) 🌍 Origin: A unique collector’s variety. Some growers report sourcing it from Chinese seed banks, while others got it from famous Russian collectors like V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Despite some early descriptions calling it mid-sized, it is a highly vigorous, sprawling vine that easily … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltyi Klyuv (Yellow Beak) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful Russian heirloom. The name translates to “Yellow Beak,” perfectly describing the distinct, elongated pointy tip on the bottom of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Performs exceptionally well in greenhouses (reaching over 6 ft) and does well outdoors (around 5 ft / … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Egipetskaya Ladya (Egyptian Boat) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded Russian collector’s variety. The name “Egipetskaya Ladya” translates to “Egyptian Boat” or “Egyptian Ship”, which perfectly describes the unique, slightly elongated, boat-like shape of the fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very powerful and vigorous plant with thick stems. It produces … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Evgeniya 🌍 Origin: Bred in 2009 by the well-known tomato breeder Ruslan Dukhov. Not to be confused with the commercial determinate variety “Zhenechka”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Very vigorous vines that easily reach over 10 ft (3 m). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive pink strawberry-shaped/oxheart tomatoes. They are very meaty and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yelisey 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial variety from the well-known Russian seed company “Aelita”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). An absolute workhorse of a plant that performs exceptionally well both in greenhouses and outdoors. Height varies from 24-40 inches (60-100 cm) outdoors, up to 5 feet (1.5 m) in a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dey Huanchi 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety with Chinese roots (the name roughly translates to “Big Yellow”), heavily popularized in Eastern Europe and Russia by the SeDeK seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Generally does well grown outdoors without greenhouse protection. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful yellow-orange slicing tomatoes. Average weight … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dragotsennaya Zhemchuzhina (Precious Pearl) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial/heirloom variety. The name translates beautifully to “Precious Pearl”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but stays relatively compact. Exhibits medium vigor and maxes out around 4 feet (1.2 m) tall by the end of the season. Mid-early maturity. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, bright red, … Read more