Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gruntovyi M-3 🌍 Origin: Bred by the legendary Soviet agronomist P.Ya. Saraev, famous for developing exceptionally cold-hardy and frost-tolerant tomato lines. The name translates roughly to “Outdoor M-3”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It stays very compact, usually growing to about 2 ft (60 cm) tall in open ground. It requires … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gibrid Tarasenko No. 7 (Tarasenko Hybrid 7) 🌍 Origin: Bred by the legendary Soviet/Ukrainian breeder Feodosiy Tarasenko. Crucial Note: Despite having “Hybrid” in its name, this is a fully stabilized, open-pollinated (OP) heirloom variety. You absolutely can (and should!) save seeds from it. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It grows very … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gopak 🌍 Origin: A Ukrainian commercial/heirloom variety named after the traditional high-energy Ukrainian Cossack dance. However, be aware: there are multiple different strains sold under this name by various seed companies! 🌿 Plant Habit: The strain discussed most positively here is an indeterminate plant that adapts very well to open ground, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Herodes 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial heirloom variety originating from the Czech Republic. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Like many classic oxhearts, it has a “wispy” or frail-looking foliage habit. Don’t let the skinny vines fool you—it is highly productive and doesn’t take up much lateral space in a greenhouse. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grushovka (Little Pear) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian heirloom name, but be aware: there are multiple distinct strains circulating under this name! The two most famous are the commercial strain bred by N.M. Egorov (a compact bush) and an old family heirloom strain popularized by a grower named Natalya Borisovna (a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grot (Grotto) 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety whose name translates to “Grotto”. There is significant controversy surrounding this seed. Commercial seed companies (like SeDeK) often sell “fake” off-types. The true Grot was scientifically bred by Russian agricultural institutes specifically for high resistance to Late Blight (Phytophthora infestans) using wild tomato genetics. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Granenyi (Faceted) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic old Russian heirloom. The original breeder is unknown, but the seeds were preserved and passed down for over 30 years by a family in Pyatigorsk (Caucasus region, Russia). The name “Granenyi” translates to “Faceted” or “Ribbed,” perfectly describing its distinct shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Graffiti Pink 🌍 Origin: A commercial European variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but tends to be moderately sprawling and stays relatively manageable outdoors, reaching about 3.6 ft (1.1 m) in open ground. Regular leaf. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, apple-sized round/oblate fruits. Visually stunning: they have a pink/rose base with distinct … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Geisha (Гейша) 🌍 Origin: A commercial heirloom variety popular in Ukraine and Russia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate / Semi-determinate. It grows to about 2.3 ft (70 cm) outdoors, and just over 3.3 ft (1 m) in a greenhouse. Standout feature: It has a very slender, compact footprint, meaning you can plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Brown Flesh Jumbo 🌍 Origin: Originally from Canada. It was introduced to the RU heirloom community under the translated name Gigantskaya Korichnevaya Plot. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and sun-loving. Outstanding heat tolerance! Even in extreme summer heat waves, it continues to set fruit without dropping blossoms. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grightmire’s Pride 🌍 Origin: A famous heirloom originally from Yugoslavia. It was introduced to the North American heirloom tomato community by Fred Grightmire of Ohio, USA. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching up to 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. It exhibits the classic oxheart “wispy” or weeping foliage (drooping … 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