Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Early Love (Rannyaya Lyubov) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian variety. The name translates to “Early Love”. The most highly regarded strain of this variety traces its roots back to Syzran (a Russian city famous for its historical, exceptionally tasty heirloom tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit & Leaf Type: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.7 … Read more
Quick Summary of Rio Grande 🌍 Origin: A world-famous commercial paste variety originally developed for hot climates, but widely adapted and heavily grown by Russian and Eastern European gardeners for winter canning. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Grows compactly to about 70-90 cm (2.3 – 3 ft) tall. Excellent for open ground and field growing. … Read more
Quick Summary of Pink Siberian Tiger 🌍 Origin: A famous anthocyanin variety that has become an absolute superstar in the Russian tomato community (where it is known as “Rozovyi Sibirskiy Tigr”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, though some growers note it acts more like a semi-determinate, reaching about 1.5 – 2 meters (5 – 6.5 ft) … Read more
Quick Summary of Striped Roman (Rimskiy Polosatyi) 🌍 Origin: A famous American heirloom known in the Russian tomato community as “Rimskiy Polosatyi”. 🍅 The Great Debate (Striped vs. Speckled): This forum thread perfectly captures the classic confusion surrounding this variety. As noted by growers (and Tatiana’s TOMATObase), there are essentially two circulating lines: Striped Roman … Read more
Quick Summary of Dwarf Antho Pink Panther 🌍 Origin: A stunning anthocyanin dwarf variety. In the Russian community, it is known as “Rozovaya Pantera Anto, Gnom”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season dwarf. Unlike most typical sturdy/stocky Dwarf Tomato Project varieties, this one has thin, graceful, wispy foliage. It grows up to 1 meter (about 3.3 ft) … Read more
Quick Summary of Andine Cornue Orange (Rog And Oranzhevyi) 🌍 Origin: An orange variant of the famous Andean/French heirloom (Cornue des Andes). In the Russian tomato community, it is affectionately known as “Rog And Oranzhevyi” (Horn of the Andes Orange) or “Andean Horned Orange”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and highly productive. Performs exceptionally … Read more
Quick Summary of Palchiki (Little Fingers) 🌍 Origin: A classic Russian “family heirloom” (folk breeding) originating from the Rostov region. The original poster has maintained this variety in her family collection for over 20 years. The name Palchiki translates to “Little Fingers”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Outdoors in open ground, it grows to about … Read more
Quick Summary of Streak Lightning (Polosa Molnii) 🌍 Origin: A stunning striped and anthocyanin (purple-splashed) variety. In Russian collections, it circulates under the translated name Polosa Molnii. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.4–1.8m (4.5–6 ft). Seedlings can look remarkably spindly and fragile (wispy foliage), but the plant gains moderate vigor once planted out. Avoid … Read more
Quick Summary of Priz Ispytaniy (Prize of the Trials) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic Russian variety. The name translates to “Prize of the Trials”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. Typically grows to about 1.6–1.8 meters (5.2–6 ft). It is highly reliable and sets fruit perfectly without dropping blossoms (no blossom drop). It may take … Read more
Quick Summary of Purpurny from China (Purple from China) 🌍 Origin: An heirloom variety originating from China, circulating in the Russian seed-saving community under the name “Purpurny iz Podnebesnoy” (Purple from the Celestial Empire / Purple from China). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but relatively compact and manageable. When grown in a greenhouse and pruned to … Read more
Quick Summary of Paris 🌍 Origin: A beautiful and highly productive dark beefsteak variety known simply as “Paris”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but relatively manageable in height. Growers report it reaching about 1.4 meters (~4.5 ft) in a greenhouse. The bush is strong and sturdy. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Produces large, dark/brown beefsteak tomatoes weighing 200-400g … Read more
Quick Summary of PPI Note: This variety is frequently grown and compared alongside its “sister” variety, OPO. 🌍 Origin & Type: A rare variety from the USA. It is classified as a “Dwarf”, but behaves more like a semi-determinate or a compact indeterminate (tree-type). In a greenhouse, it easily reaches heights of 5 – 5.5 … Read more