Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Yantarnyi Med (Amber Honey) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial heirloom, most famously distributed by the “Uralskiy Dachnik” (Ural Summer Resident) seed company. The name translates to “Amber Honey”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). There is an ongoing debate and mystery regarding its foliage—some seed batches produce Potato Leaf (PL) plants (as usually … Read more
Quick Summary of Yablonka Rossii (Little Apple of Russia) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial and heirloom variety in Russia. There is an ongoing debate among collectors that it is identical to the old East German (GDR) variety Tamina, or closely related to Matina. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (though often behaves as semi-determinate in open … Read more
Quick Summary of Ela 18 🌍 Origin: A recent cross from a Polish breeding line. The lineage is listed as Malinowy nn od przekupki x Albenga (which roughly translates from Polish as “Unknown Pink from a market woman” crossed with “Albenga”). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, vigorous plant. Best suited for greenhouse growing in cooler climates. … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherniy Gigant (Black Giant) 🌍 Origin: A popular commercial Russian heirloom. Some experienced growers note it is practically identical to the well-known variety Cherniy Slon (Black Elephant). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), usually reaching 1.5 – 2 meters (5-6.5 ft). Some growers report it can terminate its own growth (top itself out) … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyi Slon (Black Elephant) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Black Elephant”. It is distributed by several seed companies in Russia (like TomAgros and Gisok). 🌿 Plant Habit: Mostly described as a tall determinate or semi-determinate that eventually tops itself (stops growing upward). Height ranges from 1m … Read more
Quick Summary of Faworyt 7/2 Potato Leaf 🌍 Origin: A new Polish breeding line resulting from a cross between Kuban Black Pepper and Malinowa Sakiewka. The name translates to “Favorite 7/2”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A powerful, well-foliaged plant with a dense canopy of large Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. It shows excellent disease resistance and … Read more
Quick Summary of Unikalnyi Kulchitskogo (Kulchitsky’s Unique) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety bred/selected by amateur vegetable grower M.G. Kulchitsky from Novorossiysk. The name translates to “Kulchitsky’s Unique”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.6 meters (5.2 ft) outdoors and taller in a greenhouse. Features large Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Known for its incredible … Read more
Quick Summary of Ukrainskaya Elena (Ukrainian Elena / Olena) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded heirloom from Ukraine, popularized by the well-known breeder and collector Ruslan Dukhov. The name is often translated and circulated as Ukrainskaya Elena, Ukrainska Olena, or simply Ukrainian Alena. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), powerful but slender plants with Potato Leaf (PL) … Read more
Quick Summary of Tie Feen (Tiffan) 🌍 Origin & The Name Mystery: Known in Russian collections as Tie Feen (Ти Феен), forum members suspect this is actually a localized mispronunciation of the American heirloom “Tiffan”. Tatiana Kouchnareva’s database lists Tiffan as a potato-leaf pink beefsteak from Dorothy Beiswenger (MN). 🌿 Plant Habit & Genetics: Indeterminate, … Read more
Quick Summary of Taiko (Тайко) 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded commercial variety (originally distributed by seed companies like Elkom in Russia). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse. A notable feature is its Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow, smooth plum/icicle-shaped tomatoes. They are … Read more
Quick Summary of Serafima 🌍 Origin: An experimental variety developed by the well-known Latvian tomato breeder Valdis Puliņš. “Serafima” is a traditional Eastern European female name. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but tends to stay on the shorter side for an indet (growers report heights between 1.3m – 1.7m / 4.2 – 5.5 ft in greenhouses). … Read more
Quick Summary of Sakharnyi Bizon (Sugar Bison) 🌍 Origin: A famous Russian amateur selection that has become a commercial classic (popularized by companies like Siberian Garden / SibSad). The name translates to “Sugar Bison” and it is considered the forefather of many modern Russian pink varieties. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly debated! Seed packets often list … Read more