Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotaya Andromeda F1 (Golden Andromeda) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial F1 hybrid. The original breeder and patent holder is A.A. Mashtakov, though the seeds are mass-marketed by multiple seed companies like Semko and Siberian Garden (Sibsad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very versatile and compact. It stays around 2.3 to 2.6 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zolotoy Mandarin (Golden Mandarin) 🌍 Origin: A Russian variety popularized by private seed collector Valya Redko. The name translates to “Golden Mandarin” (or Golden Tangerine), which perfectly matches its bright color and size. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Very compact and well-behaved. Typically stays around 20 to 32 inches (50-80 cm) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zlato Skifov (Scythian Gold) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety marketed for its high carotene content. The name “Zlato Skifov” translates to “Scythian Gold”, a nod to the ancient nomadic tribes and their famous gold artifacts. 🌿 Plant Habit: Classified as an indeterminate, but generally behaves more like a semi-determinate. Rarely … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dey Huanchi 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety with Chinese roots (the name roughly translates to “Big Yellow”), heavily popularized in Eastern Europe and Russia by the SeDeK seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Generally does well grown outdoors without greenhouse protection. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful yellow-orange slicing tomatoes. Average weight … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dina 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. Generally stays compact at around 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) in full sun, but demonstrates extreme shade tolerance. If planted in the shade, it will stretch significantly to reach the light. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow-orange fruits. The packet claims they have … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dusya Zholtaya (Yellow Dusya) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety originally released by Siberian Garden (SibSad). It was only on the market for a year or two before disappearing, but was kept alive by private seed collectors! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but stays relatively short and compact. Usually tops out around 3.5-4 … Read more
Quick Summary of Yantarnyi Kubok (Amber Cup) 🌍 Origin: A popular Russian commercial heirloom variety (famously distributed by the “Aelita” seed company). The name translates to “Amber Cup”. 🌿 Plant Habit: There is a well-known seed mix-up in the market. The original, true strain is Determinate (bush), growing stout and compact around 70–100 cm (2.3–3.3 … Read more
Quick Summary: Abrikosovye ot Gulzhanat (Gulzhanat’s Apricot) 🌍 Origin: A rare amateur heirloom variety tracing back to a collector named Gulzhanat. The name translates directly to “Apricot from Gulzhanat.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall (easily reaches the roof of a standard greenhouse). Despite its height, growers note it performs well even when planted … Read more
Quick Summary of Chukhloma (Orange Icicle/Paste) 🌍 Origin: A highly successful Russian commercial variety from the Gavrish seed company. It is the orange sibling to the red variety Khokhloma. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous, easily exceeding 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. Growers note its distinct foliage: the leaves are very … Read more
Quick Summary of Khurma (Persimmon) 🌍 Origin: A legendary and highly commercialized Russian variety. The name translates to “Persimmon” because the true fruits resemble the persimmon fruit in color and shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly controversial! According to the Russian State Register, the true Khurma is a determinate (bush) plant. However, due to seed company … Read more
Quick Summary of Sanka Zolotoy (Golden Sanka) 🌍 Origin: A golden-yellow variation of “Sanka”, one of the most famous and widely grown ultra-early commercial heirlooms in Russia and Ukraine. The name translates to “Golden Sanka” or “Sanka Gold”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). It grows to about 1 meter (3.3 ft) tall outdoors. It is … Read more
Quick Summary of Sofia’s Red Comet (Ryzhaya Kometa Sofii) 🌍 Origin: A magnificent modern breeding line created by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. The name translates to “Sofia’s Red Comet” (or literally “Ginger/Red-haired Comet”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing to about 1.8m – 2m (6 – 6.5 ft). Mid-early ripening. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: The breeder’s description … Read more