Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Zhenskaya Grud 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhenskaya Grud 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom oxheart variety. The name “Zhenskaya Grud” translates to “Woman’s Breast”, named for its distinct shape. There is also a very similar (or possibly identical) strain circulating under the name “Devichya Grud” (Maiden’s Breast). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Grows to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltye Slivki ot Borisovny (Borisovna’s Yellow Plums) 🌍 Origin: A highly treasured family heirloom passed down by Natalya Borisovna, a famous tomato grower and forum member from Kazakhstan. The name literally translates to “Yellow Plums from Borisovna.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Classified as a determinate, but it grows incredibly vigorously (more like … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltyi Shar (Yellow Globe) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety. The name translates exactly to “Yellow Globe”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), easily exceeding 6.5 ft (2 m). Performs great outdoors (requires heavy staking) and in greenhouses. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow, perfectly round globes weighing around 5.3 oz (150 g). 👅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zhigalo (Gigolo) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety released by the Russian seed company “Biotechnica”. Known for its provocative name (Gigolo) due to its distinct, elongated, phallic shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Compact determinate (tree-type dwarf). Usually grows to about 16-24 inches (40-60 cm). Has thick, rugose foliage that looks like a little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Donald F1 🌍 Origin: A commercial F1 hybrid variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, staying very compact. Outdoors in open ground, it tops out at around 20 inches (0.5 m). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright red, perfectly round, and incredibly firm. It has a highly uniform, “commercial” appearance. 👅 Flavor & Use: Standard … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Diplomat 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety popularized by the famous Siberian seed collector, Tamara Yaschenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very strong, vigorous vine that performs exceptionally well outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large to extra-large red beefsteaks. They are very meaty and juicy. 👅 Flavor & Use: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Tsarskiy Zholtyi (Royal Yellow De Barao) 🌍 Origin: A highly sought-after commercial variety from Ukraine/Russia, part of the premium “Tsarskiy” (Royal) line of the famous De Barao family. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A tall, aggressive climbing vine. It can reach nearly 10 feet (3 m) in a greenhouse, but … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Detskaya Radost F1 (Children’s Joy F1) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian F1 Hybrid variety. The name translates beautifully to “Children’s Joy”, hinting at its target audience. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. An insanely vigorous, aggressive climber that shoots up like bamboo. Even outdoors, it can easily surpass 8 feet (2.5 m) in … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dina 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. Generally stays compact at around 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) in full sun, but demonstrates extreme shade tolerance. If planted in the shade, it will stretch significantly to reach the light. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow-orange fruits. The packet claims they have … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dieticheskiy Chempion (Dietary Champion) 🌍 Origin: A Ukrainian variety developed by the Institute of Irrigated Agriculture in Kherson. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, mid-season variety. Thrives in both greenhouses and open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Oblate (flattened) beefsteaks weighing 8.8-12.3 oz (250-350 g). They ripen to a stunning dark purple/black-raspberry color. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dvortsovyi (Palace) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Palace”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, but grows vigorously to about 4 feet (1.2 m) tall outdoors, meaning it can easily be grown in a greenhouse as well. It has a long fruiting window. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, red, oblate … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dzhan (Jan) 🌍 Origin: A historic Russian heirloom bred by the famous Voronezh amateur breeder N.S. Bykhanov. He named it “Dzhan” (meaning “friend” or “soul” in Turkic languages) in honor of his friends and the legendary Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, medium vigor with somewhat pale green, regular … Read more