Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Rozovyi Gay (Pink Grove) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic early commercial Russian variety. The name translates to “Pink Grove” (though English speakers often mistakenly read it as “Pink Guy”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). In a greenhouse, it typically stays compact around 60-70 cm (2 – 2.3 ft), though in very rich, heavily … 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 Raiskie Svechi (Paradise Candles) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful variety popularized by Ukrainian breeder Alexey Kulik. The name translates to “Paradise Candles”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, early season. It grows up to about 1 meter (3.3 ft) tall. A key characteristic is its extremely delicate, drooping, and “wispy” foliage. It is highly shade-tolerant—many … 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 Rozovye Krupnye (Large Pink) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian family heirloom. It was popularized by a famous forum member, Ninulia, who has been saving and distributing its seeds since 2002. It often circulates as “Rozovye Krupnye from Ninulia”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching the ceiling in greenhouses. The plant habit is … Read more
Quick Summary of Paslyon Chernyy (Black Nightshade) 🌍 Origin: A Russian club variety (originally distributed by the St. Petersburg Tomato Club). The name intriguingly translates to “Black Nightshade”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, but a very tall one! It grows to about 1.5–1.7m (5–5.5 ft) before it terminates (self-tops) and stops growing upward. It performs very … Read more
Quick Summary of Pantano (Pantano Romanesco) 🌍 Origin: A classic traditional Italian heirloom variety. It is widely known internationally as Pantano Romanesco, though some seed swappers circulate it simply as Pantano. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but praised for being very sturdy and not prone to getting leggy or stretching. It performs decently outdoors in … Read more
Quick Summary of Pani Yana (Lady Yana) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety from the popular “SibSad” (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates to “Lady Yana” or “Mrs. Yana”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially classified as an early, super-determinate bush variety designed to stay compact (around 50-60 cm / 1.6-2 ft). However, some growers report … Read more
Quick Summary of Paul Robeson (Pol Robson) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Soviet-era heirloom named in honor of the American singer, actor, and civil rights activist Paul Robeson. Some sources claim it was bred in the 1930s, while others point to breeder M. Danilenko in the 1960s. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally behaves as a vigorous semi-determinate … Read more
Quick Summary of Peterhof 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety originally released by the “Russian Ogorod” (Russian Garden) seed company. Named after the famous imperial palace near St. Petersburg. Bred specifically for harsh Siberian conditions. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (dwarf). While official specs claim 40-42 cm (16 inches), growers report it typically reaches around 70 … Read more
Quick Summary of Podarok Muzha (Husband’s Gift) 🌍 Origin: An old, highly productive collectible heirloom variety from Siberia. The name translates to “Husband’s Gift”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and very vigorous. It produces such heavy loads of fruit that it requires extra-strong staking and support, even when grown outdoors in partial shade. 🍅 Fruit … Read more