Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Don Juan 🌍 Origin: A very popular, reliable commercial variety, heavily distributed by the “Sedek” seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, often growing as a sturdy tree-type (rugose) bush. It is very compact, typically maxing out around 20–28 inches (50–70 cm) tall. Exceptionally fuss-free and performs incredibly well in open ground. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dikaya Roza (Wild Rose) 🌍 Origin: A hugely popular commercial Russian variety sold by almost every major seed company (Aelita, Sedek, Sibsad, etc.). The name translates to “Wild Rose”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly variable depending on the seed source! Some growers report massive, sprawling indeterminate vines, while others report sturdy determinates … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Drova (Firewood) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety famously distributed by the “Aelita” seed company. The name translates to “Firewood” or “Logs”, perfectly describing the elongated shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, tree-type (rugose foliage). Extremely compact, stocky, and sturdy, usually maxing out around 16–24 inches (40–60 cm) tall. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dikovinka 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial dark cherry variety from the Russian seed company “Aelita”. The charming name “Dikovinka” translates roughly to “A Rare Marvel” or “Novelty”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. An absolute monster of a plant. Extremely vigorous and fuss-free, performing exceptionally well even outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dora 🌍 Origin: A legendary USA variety bred by Keith Mueller. It is the result of a deliberate cross between two iconic heirlooms: Brandywine and Cherokee Purple. Keith named this potato-leaf beauty after his grandmother, Dora. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Mid-season. A solid producer that reaches about 5 feet (1.5m) when … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gerkules (Hercules) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial determinate variety (seeds distributed by ASK). The name translates to “Hercules.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). While commercial packets claim it stays extremely dwarf (10-16 inches / 26-40 cm), growers report it easily grows to nearly 3 ft (80-90 cm) in good garden soil. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grushka Oranzhevaya (Orange Pear) 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Eastern European commercial variety. The name translates directly to “Orange Little Pear”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Semi-determinate. It has regular leaf foliage and grows to about 3.3 ft (1 m). It can be staked, caged, or simply allowed to sprawl on the ground … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Garetski Rozovyi (Greek Pink) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial/heirloom variety from Bulgaria. The name translates directly from Bulgarian as “Greek Pink” (sometimes spelled Gretski Rozovyi). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Despite being a determinate, it is quite vigorous and tall for a bush-type, reaching about 4 ft (1.2 m) in open … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Galina 🌍 Origin: Commercial/heirloom variety. Note: Do not confuse this with the famous “Galina’s Yellow” cherry tomato from Siberia! This is a completely different, large-fruited red/pink oxheart. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), growing very vigorously up to 8 ft (2.5 m) in a greenhouse. Because the vines are so strong, it … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gelfrut Zolotoy (Golden Gelfrut) 🌍 Origin: A highly productive commercial/heirloom variety from Ukraine, popularized by famous seed collectors like A. Kulik and V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Compact and manageable, usually growing to about 3.3 ft (1 m) tall. Performs beautifully outdoors in open ground even in shorter, cooler … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gigant Sukhanova (Sukhanov’s Giant) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety favored by private collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), growing up to 6 ft (1.8 m). Note on Leaf Type: This variety currently has both Regular Leaf (RL) and Potato Leaf (PL) versions circulating among growers, meaning the strain may still … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dragon Eye (Glaz Drakona) 🌍 Origin: A highly decorative novelty variety circulated among Eastern European collectors (popularized by sellers like V.D. Popenko). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A mid-season variety that performs well even when grown outdoors in open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, cocktail-sized tomatoes that range from oblate (flattened-round) … Read more