Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Kronprinz (Crown Prince) is an indeterminate, mid-season heirloom that produces massive multiflora-style trusses of firm, red tomatoes weighing 2.8 to 4 oz (80-110 g). It is highly prized for whole-fruit canning and is historically significant as one of the parent lines for the famous Tarasenko hybrids. Note that there is also a … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Red Cluster Pear (Kist Krasnykh Grush) is an indeterminate cherry tomato that produces absolutely massive, multiflora-style trusses of small, red, pear-shaped fruits. Known for its wonderfully sweet flavor and a very long harvest window, it is a highly productive and visually stunning variety for greenhouse or trellis growing. Full summary ↓ Growers’ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Krasa Dlinnaya Kosa (which translates to “Beauty With a Long Braid”) is an extremely vigorous, indeterminate red cherry tomato sold by the Russian seed company Biotekhnika. It is famous for its massive, double fan-shaped blossom clusters that produce a heavy yield of sweet, good-sized cherry tomatoes. It thrives outdoors and handles growing … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotaya Kanareyka (Golden Canary) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular European variety. The name translates to “Golden Canary”, which perfectly describes its bright yellow color and bird-like “beak” on the blossom end. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and relatively low maintenance. It can easily reach 6.5 feet (2 m) in a greenhouse. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yellow Mimi F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial Japanese F1 hybrid cherry tomato, frequently repackaged and sold by various Eastern European seed distributors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Produces heavily branched, “coral-like” flower trusses (multiflora type). Easily reaches 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, yellow, teardrop-shaped cherry … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Tarasenko Hybrid No. 2 🌍 Origin: A legendary Soviet-era variety developed by the famous amateur breeder Feodosiy Tarasenko (Sumy region, Ukraine) in the late 1980s. Note: Despite the name, this is a stabilized, open-pollinated heirloom, NOT an F1 hybrid! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous. Known for its massive, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vishnya Zholtaya (Yellow Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial Russian cherry variety, often distributed by the “Gavrish” seed company. The name directly translates to “Yellow Cherry”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and incredibly vigorous. Growers warn that if not strictly pruned, it will pump out excessive foliage and turn into a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vodopad (Waterfall) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Aelita”, officially entered into the Russian State Register in 2001. The name perfectly translates to “Waterfall”, describing how the massive flower trusses cascade down the plant. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but generally medium-height compared to wilder … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vesennyaya Kapel (Spring Drop) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial/heirloom variety. The name translates to “Spring Drop” (referencing a drop of melting snow in spring). Grower’s Note: There are two known strains circulating among collectors. One produces small pear-shaped fruits with a little beak (spout), originating from the Russian breeder Brizhan. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Barbaris F1 (Barberry) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian cherry hybrid. The name translates to “Barberry”. Warning: There seem to be multiple, highly inconsistent versions of this seed sold by different companies (like Sib-Sad). Some packets produce red, round, tiny 0.4 oz (12 g) cherries, while others produce elongated, pink 1.4 oz … Read more
Quick Summary of Amber Keyes 🌍 Origin: A fantastic multiflora cherry tomato from breeder Michael Keyes (part of the famous Keyes multiflora series). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, regular leaf. When grown outdoors in open ground, it tends to stay relatively compact, reaching about 1 meter (3.3 ft). It is incredibly resilient, showing excellent resistance to … Read more
Quick Summary of Ela 06 🌍 Origin: A spectacular Polish breeding line. It is a cross between Aurija (a famous elongated paste tomato) and Megagroniasty (a legendary Polish cherry tomato known for its massive multiflora trusses). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, extremely vigorous, and disease-resistant. Growers describe it as growing “like a tree” with very thick, … Read more