Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bashkirskiy Krasavets (Bashkir Handsome) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety from the Bashkortostan region. Historically documented in Tatiana’s TOMATObase. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A tall and vigorous plant. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Growers report some variation in fruit shape depending on the seed source. Some describe them as bright raspberry-pink, oblate beefsteaks … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Mamie Brown’s Pink 🌍 Origin: A family heirloom from West Virginia, USA. It was introduced to the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) in 1995 by Alice Brown-Mattes. The seed traces back to her grandmother, Mamie Brown, who grew it in the 1930s. The Russian lineage of this seed often traces through American … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Astana 🌍 Origin: An Eastern European / Central Asian “folk” heirloom (meaning it was passed down through gardeners and named by the community, rather than being a registered commercial seed). Named after Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. 🌿 Plant Habit: Modestly indeterminate. It doesn’t grow into a wild jungle, stopping around … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Andizhanskie (Andizhan) 🌍 Origin: A Central Asian heirloom. The name translates to “From Andizhan,” a major city in Uzbekistan. Uzbek tomatoes are famous across Eastern Europe for their intense sweetness developed under the hot southern sun. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. Very vigorous and highly productive, often out-yielding classic … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alenkiy Tsvetochek (Scarlet Flower) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety. The name translates to “The Scarlet Flower” – a famous classic Russian fairy tale similar to Beauty and the Beast. The specific strain discussed here was sourced from the catalog of Evgeny Fech, a well-known Russian private seed collector. 🌿 Plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Akkordeon Rozovy (Pink Accordion) 🌍 Origin: A visually striking Russian heirloom variety. The name translates exactly to “Pink Accordion,” referring to its heavily pleated shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.8–2 meters (6–6.5 ft) in height. A very vigorous and powerful plant that can be grown both in greenhouses and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaysky Rozovy (Altai Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian heirloom from the famous “Sibirsky Sad” (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates to “Altai Pink,” named after the Altai Mountains region in Siberia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and very vigorous. Known for being a highly productive and heavy yielder. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Andreevsky Syurpriz 🌍 Origin: A renowned Siberian selection. The name translates to “Andreev’s Surprise” (or Andrew’s Surprise). 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially listed as indeterminate and tall (1.6–1.8m / 5.2–5.9 ft) for greenhouses. However, growers note that when planted outdoors in open ground, it often behaves more like a determinate (bush) plant … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Costoluto Colli Euganei 🌍 Origin: A magnificent family heirloom from the Veneto region in Northern Italy. The name translates to “Ribbed of the Euganean Hills”. The Euganean Hills are a national nature reserve known for their incredibly fertile volcanic soil, mild climate, ancient oak and chestnut forests, olive groves, and endless … Read more
Quick Summary of Dwarf Shimofuri (Frost Waterfall) 🌍 Origin & History: An incredibly unique variegated variety created by US tomato breeder and enthusiast Applestar. She crossed the trailing variety Whippersnapper with Faelan’s First Snow. The name “Shimofuri” is a Japanese term meaning “marbled” or “white-veined” (often used to describe premium Wagyu beef), which perfectly describes … Read more
Quick Summary of Siberian Crown (Sibirskaya Korona) 🌍 Origin & Name: A robust commercial variety from the Russian seed company Semena Altaya (Seeds of Altai). The name translates to “Siberian Crown”. 🔍 Shape Discrepancy: The official seed packet often describes this variety as an oxheart (heart-shaped). However, growers report that it actually produces round-cuboid (blocky) … Read more
Quick Summary of Pink Early Ripener (Skorospelka Rozovaya) 🌍 Origin & Name: A commercial Russian variety. The name translates directly to “Pink Early Ripener” or “Pink Early Bird” (Skorospelka Rozovaya). 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (compact bush), moderately branching, reaching a height of 50-70 cm (20-27 inches). Excellent for open ground and temporary film tunnels. 🍅 … Read more