Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Loving Heart (Lyubyaschee Serdtse) is a semi-determinate oxheart variety that produces highly uniform, blunt-tipped pink and red hearts weighing between 7 and 17.5 oz (200-500 g). Growers praise it for its vigorous growth, heavy yields, and classic sugary heirloom flesh. It performs exceptionally well outdoors and boasts a long, extended harvest window. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ilona 🌍 Origin: A reliable variety named “Ilona”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Vigorous vines that reach around 5 feet (1.5 m) when grown outdoors. Known to be a very heavy yielder. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic red, perfectly round tomatoes. They are on the smaller mid-size spectrum, averaging about 3 to 4 oz … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Iyunskiy (June) 🌍 Origin: A legendary ultra-early Russian community heirloom. Note: There is a commercial variety sold by Sedek with the same name, but this thread specifically documents the famous “Forum Iyunskiy” circulated by the grower Sweet from St. Petersburg. 🌿 Plant Habit: Ultra-early dwarf (determinate). A stout, sturdy, compact little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Ivan Ivanych 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name “Ivan Ivanych” is a traditional and respectful Russian first name and patronymic combination. 🌿 Plant Habit: A mid-sized plant with potato leaf (PL) foliage. It is a very early season variety known for uniform ripening, meaning the fruits tend to flush … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Imperator Chu Fu (Emperor Chu Fu) 🌍 Origin: Circulated in the seed market as a commercial heirloom of Chinese origin. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season, indeterminate. A very resilient plant that performs well outdoors in open ground. Growers note it recovers easily if topped or damaged during the seedling stage. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotaya Andromeda F1 (Golden Andromeda) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial F1 hybrid. The original breeder and patent holder is A.A. Mashtakov, though the seeds are mass-marketed by multiple seed companies like Semko and Siberian Garden (Sibsad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very versatile and compact. It stays around 2.3 to 2.6 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zefir 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name “Zefir” translates to “Zephyr” but actually refers to a popular Eastern European marshmallow-like confection, which perfectly describes the sweet, puffy, pale appearance of this tomato. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate to semi-determinate. A compact and bushy plant that generally stays between 2.6 to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Sun Gold F1 (Sold as “Cherry Zlato”) 🌍 Origin: Originally bred in Japan, this is the legendary Sun Gold F1 hybrid. However, Russian seed companies (repackaging Johnsons Seeds) mistakenly labeled and sold it as an open-pollinated (OP) variety under the translated name “Cherry Zlato” (Gold). 🌿 Plant Habit: A very vigorous, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Golden Sweet 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial yellow grape/cherry tomato variety widely grown for its reliability and sweetness. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall/vine). A vigorous grower that requires tall staking or a trellis. Known to be highly productive even in less-than-ideal outdoor conditions. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow-gold, oval or grape-shaped … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotoy Mandarin (Golden Mandarin) 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety popularized by private seed collector Valya Redko. The name translates to “Golden Mandarin” (or Golden Tangerine), which perfectly matches its bright color and size. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and well-behaved. Typically stays around 20 to 32 inches (50-80 cm) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zefir v Shokolade (Marshmallow in Chocolate) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the “Poisk” seed company’s “Vkusnoteka” (Flavor Library) line. The name playfully translates to “Marshmallow in Chocolate”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Usually reaches around 6 feet (1.9 m) in open ground. It sets fruit consistently without dropping blossoms. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zub Drakona (Dragon’s Tooth) 🌍 Origin: An Eastern European heirloom variety. The name translates perfectly to “Dragon’s Tooth”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very vigorous, strong plant that performs exceptionally well both in a greenhouse and outdoors in open ground. Mid-season maturity. Highly praised for its excellent disease resistance. 🍅 … Read more