Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Mikada Orange is a sweet, meaty, and highly aromatic orange tomato. While the “true” version is a tall, Potato Leaf (PL) heirloom, rampant commercial renaming has flooded the market with Regular Leaf (RL) variants. Regardless of leaf type, growers consistently praise its fantastic fruity flavor and juicy texture. Full summary ↓ Growers’ … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mandalay is a highly unique indeterminate variety known for its fuzzy (pubescent) foliage and upright branches that resemble a date palm. It produces dense, meaty, orange fruits (often with a reddish interior) weighing 7-17.5 oz (200-500 g). Most growers praise its sweet, rich flavor and excellent disease resistance. However, it is extremely … Read more
At a Glance: Meat Breakfast Tomato (Myasnoy Zavtrak) 🍅 Quick take: Myasnoy Zavtrak (Meat Breakfast) is a mid-season, indeterminate orange beefsteak variety. It produces massive, oblate, meaty fruits that can reach over 2 lbs (1 kg). Growers praise its phenomenal sweet flavor and vigorous vines, though experiences with yield and storage shelf life are somewhat … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Summer Apricot (Letniy Abrikos) is a moderately tall indeterminate vine that produces massive, bright orange beefsteaks weighing anywhere from 14 oz to over 2 lbs (400 g – 1 kg). Known for its tender, melt-in-your-mouth flesh and very few seeds, it is widely considered an excellent fresh-eating slicer, though its flavor can … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dieticheskiy Zdorovyak (Dietary Big Guy) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from Siberian Garden (SibSad). The name translates to “Dietary Big Guy”, referencing both its massive fruit size and its orange color (which in Russia is often marketed as “dietary” or hypoallergenic). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Reaches about 3 feet (1 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Hawaiian Pineapple 🌍 Origin: A famous, late-season heirloom from North America. Known for its massive size and incredible tropical flavor. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A robust, thick-stemmed plant. It is notoriously a late-season variety that can be a bit stingy with fruit set during extreme heat. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, stunning … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volf Zossi (Wolf Zossi) 🌍 Origin: A variety originating from Germany. It was introduced to the Russian heirloom community by seed collector Vyacheslav Feldman. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), regular leaf (RL), mid-season maturity. Growers report it yields very well when pruned to 2 or 3 stems. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altayskiy Oranzheviy (Altai Orange) 🌍 Origin: A renowned commercial heirloom from the Altai region in Siberia. The name translates to “Altai Orange”. It is highly sought after by collectors for its incredible texture and flavor. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Some growers report it being a “short” indeterminate, while others see it … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Catwell 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded heirloom beefsteak prized by collectors for its vibrant color and excellent storage capabilities. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but tends to be quite manageable in height (around 1.7m / 5.5 ft in a greenhouse). It features good foliage cover, which helps protect the fruits. Early … Read more
Quick Summary of Bigly 🌍 Origin: A stunning striped orange variety closely associated with the lines bred by Fred Hempel (Artisan Seeds), sharing many characteristics with Orange Jazz. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and mid-season. Known to be highly productive. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Massive orange beefsteaks with plump shoulders and light yellow stripes. Fruits are … Read more
Quick Summary of Big Yellow Simpson 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom tomato. Often cataloged in seed databases (like Tatiana’s TOMATObase) as Big Yellow, Simpson. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Can be grown successfully both in open ground and in greenhouses. Typically pruned to 2 stems for the best balance of fruit size and yield. Mid-season to … Read more