Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gardener’s Delight (Vostorg Sadovoda) 🌍 Origin: A world-famous old European commercial variety (originally German/British). In the Russian and Ukrainian seed collector circuits, it often circulates under the translated name “Vostorg Sadovoda” or slightly misspelled as “Gardeneros Delight”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. It produces a relatively sturdy, dependable vine. Growers note that … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vedernitsa 🌍 Origin: A highly productive Russian variety. The name “Vedernitsa” is derived from the Russian word vedro (bucket), implying that this is a plant meant to fill buckets with tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate/Semi-determinate. Out in the open ground, it reaches a very manageable height of about 5.2 feet (1.6 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Hungarian Heart Shaped 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom variety. Judging by the name and characteristics, it belongs to the famous family of Hungarian pink oxhearts. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It matures surprisingly early for such a large tomato. It grows well both in a greenhouse and out in the open … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vechnyi Zov (Eternal Call) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the well-known seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name translates to “Eternal Call”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. The seed packet claims it’s a short 28-inch (70 cm) bush, but growers in this thread report highly variable heights. Depending on pruning … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vechnaya Lyubov (Eternal Love) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful and highly sought-after variety popularized by the famous Ukrainian tomato collector Aleksey Kulik. The name translates romantically to “Eternal Love”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate with Regular Leaf (RL) foliage. It is very adaptable: out in the open ground, it behaves almost like a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vesennyaya Radost (Spring Joy) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial variety from the famous Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name translates to “Spring Joy”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. It has a massive root system and thick foliage. Despite being a tall indet, it does exceptionally well … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vintage Wine 🌍 Origin: A famous commercial heirloom known for its striking looks. In Russia, seeds for this variety were heavily circulated by well-known collector V.D. Popenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mostly an early-to-mid-season determinate/semi-determinate. It naturally has Potato Leaf (PL) foliage, though growers in this thread discuss experiencing Regular Leaf (RL) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volovye Serdtse Polosatoe 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety. The name literally translates to “Striped Oxheart” or “Striped Cow’s Heart”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally classed as an indeterminate, but multiple growers report it behaves almost like a determinate or semi-determinate, abruptly capping its own growth around 2.3 to 4 feet (70-120 cm). … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vzryv (Explosion) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Explosion”. It was developed as an improved, modern version of the classic old Soviet variety Belyi Naliv. Specifically recommended for northern regions and short-season climates. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and sprawling, usually growing only 12-18 inches … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vishnya Zimnyaya (Winter Cherry) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Winter Cherry”. Intended for outdoor growing in middle and northern climates. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The seed packet claims it is a stout, tree-type dwarf that requires zero pruning, but growers report it grows as a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vidimo-Nevidimo (Countless) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from Siberian breeders. The Russian name “Vidimo-Nevidimo” translates to “Countless” or “Invisible Amount,” perfectly describing its incredibly heavy fruit set. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and short-vined, usually topping out around 1.6-3 feet (0.5-1 m). It’s perfect for open ground and outdoor … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vareniki 🌍 Origin & Name: A fantastic commercial heirloom originating from Northern Kazakhstan. The name “Vareniki” translates to traditional Eastern European dumplings (similar to pierogi). It was named this because the ideal fruit shape is supposed to resemble a dumpling – a plump, half-moon or boat shape, often finishing with a … Read more