Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Janet’s Jacinthe Jewel 📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Janet’s Jacinthe Jewel 🌍 Origin: A stunning bicolor variety bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (California, USA). It was released around 2010 and named in honor of his wife, Janet. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Height varies greatly depending on growing conditions, usually ranging … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Yellow Cherry Potato Leaf 🌍 Origin: A highly sought-after heirloom/collector’s variety circulating among Eastern European growers. Not typically available in commercial seed catalogs. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Features distinctive, large potato-leaf (PL) foliage. A very vigorous and resilient plant that produces right up until the first heavy frosts. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): German Johnson 🌍 Origin: A legendary American heirloom hailing from Virginia and North Carolina. It is incredibly famous in the US for being one of the four parent varieties used by Radiator Charlie to breed the legendary Mortgage Lifter tomato! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous vine with classic Potato Leaf … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Green Giant 🌍 Origin: A legendary green-when-ripe heirloom variety bred by Reinhard Kraft of Neunkirchen, Germany, from a stray potato-leaf plant he found. It has become a gold standard for green tomatoes worldwide. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), featuring vigorous, large Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Known to be highly productive, though … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gogosha 🌍 Origin: A highly regarded old heirloom variety from Ukraine. It made its way into the North American seed-saving community (SSE) years ago and is often compared favorably to other great potato-leaf pinks like Brandywine. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and vigorous. It features classic Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. Grows … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gandolf 🌍 Origin: An American variety bred by Dean Slater. It is highly prized by collectors for its stunning foliage and beautiful fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate / Bush. It grows very compactly, usually staying around 3 ft (0.8–1 m) tall. Standout feature: It has Potato Leaf (PL) foliage that is … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vodoley (Aquarius) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). Often sold under the name “Sozvezdie Vodoley” (Constellation Aquarius) or simply “Vodoley” (Aquarius). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has Potato Leaf (PL) foliage. It is highly recommended for greenhouse growing, where it can easily reach … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vovchik 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from Russia/Ukraine. The name is an affectionate diminutive for Vladimir (Little Vova). 💡 Editor’s Note (The Famous Mix-Up): This thread is a classic example of a happy accident. The official commercial seed packets describe Vovchik as a regular round/oblate tomato. However, a massive batch of … 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): Vinson (Vinson Watts) 🌍 Origin & Name Confusion: This variety circulates in Eastern Europe simply as “Vinson”. However, based on the description (large pink beefsteaks with Potato Leaf foliage), it is almost certainly the legendary American heirloom Vinson Watts, brought over and shortened in translation. Vinson Watts is a famous heirloom … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Mt. Vesuvius (Piennolo del Vesuvio) 🌍 Origin & History: This is a legendary Italian heirloom storage tomato (Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvio). Traditionally grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius in Italy, they are famous for being harvested on the vine, tied into large bunches (piennolo), and hung from ceilings to … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volovye Serdtse (Ox’s Heart) 🌍 Origin & Naming: A classic commercial heirloom from Russia, officially registered in 2000 by “NK-LTD” (Semena NK). Language Note: In Russian, “Volovye” means Ox, and “Bychie” means Bull. While Americans use the term “Oxheart” as a generic shape category, in Russia, Volovye Serdtse (Ox’s Heart) and … Read more