Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Siberian Giant (Sibirskiy Velikan) 🌍 Origin: A classic commercial Siberian variety (this is the traditional red version, not to be confused with Siberian Giant Pink). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous, and powerful. It grows to about 1.5 – 1.7 meters (5-5.5 ft) tall and performs well in both greenhouses and open ground. … Read more
Quick Summary of Lilac Plum (Sirenevaya Sliva) 🌍 Origin: Sourced from the famous Ukrainian tomato breeder and seed collector Aleksey Kulik. The name translates to “Lilac Plum”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. Growers note that the bush is very powerful and can easily support being pruned to 3 main stems to maximize … Read more
Quick Summary of Pink Early Ripener (Skorospelka Rozovaya) 🌍 Origin & Name: A commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Pink Early Ripener” or “Pink Early Bird” (Skorospelka Rozovaya). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (compact bush), moderately branching, reaching a height of 50-70 cm (20-27 inches). Excellent for open ground and temporary film tunnels. 🍅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Sweet Kiss (Sladkiy Potseluy) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian cherry variety produced by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates directly to “Sweet Kiss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly adaptable. In open ground, it behaves as a robust semi-determinate, growing to about 80 cm (31 inches). However, inside a greenhouse, it … Read more
Quick Summary of Pink Plum (Sliva Rozovaya) 🌍 Origin & Name: A Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Pink Plum”. Veteran growers note it is virtually identical to a famous variety bred specifically for harsh climates by the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (compact). In open ground, it typically … Read more
Quick Summary of Surpriz 🌍 Origin & The Translation Mix-Up: There is massive confusion surrounding this name in the Russian seed market! The true Surpriz is a French striped heirloom. However, some Russian seed vendors (like Gusev) took the American bicolor heirloom Serendipity and directly translated its name to “Surprise” (Surpriz) in Russian. 🔍 How … Read more
Quick Summary of Desdemona’s Heart (Serdtse Dezdemony) 🌍 Origin & Name: An heirloom variety sourced from private collector Tamara Yashchenko. The name is a nod to Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, adding a dramatic flair to this beautiful oxheart. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, though it behaves more like a vigorous semi-determinate in many gardens. It typically reaches … 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 Brown Sugar (Sakhar Korichnevyi) 🌍 Origin & Marketing: A dark/brown Russian commercial variety, famously sold by the SeDek seed company. The packet description makes wild marketing claims, calling it a “rejuvenating apple” with anti-cancer and anti-heart-attack properties. The name translates to “Brown Sugar”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as an indeterminate. However, … Read more
Quick Summary of Sweet Carneros Pink 🌍 Origin: Bred by the famous Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms (USA, California). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Growers note that the plant is incredibly healthy, vigorous, and highly productive. It makes a highly decorative addition to any greenhouse or garden. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, round, pink cocktail-sized … 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