Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Chudo Sada (Garden Wonder) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety prized by collectors. The name translates directly to “Garden Wonder” (or “Miracle of the Garden”). Some growers note a striking resemblance to the famous Minusinsk red flat-round heirlooms. 🌿 Plant Habit: Vigorous, tall indeterminate. It can be a bit slow to get … Read more
Quick Summary of Chervone Solntse (Red Sun) 🌍 Origin: A wonderful heirloom variety. The name translates from Ukrainian/Old Slavic as “Red Sun”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Forms a strong, sturdy bush that performs well in greenhouse environments, though it can drop some blossoms in extreme heat. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, deep-red beefsteaks. They are … Read more
Quick Summary of Khlebosolnyi 🌍 Origin: A very popular, high-yielding commercial heirloom from Siberia (Siberian Garden / SibSad). The name “Khlebosolnyi” translates to “Hospitable” or “Generous Host”, referring to its massive yield. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush) and spreading. It is officially rated for 80 cm (32 inches) in open ground, though it can reach … Read more
Quick Summary of Solntse Severa (Sun of the North) 🌍 Origin: Distributed by a well-known (and somewhat secretive) Russian seed collector, Kolyakov. The name translates to “Sun of the North”. 🧐 The Naming Irony: As forum growers quickly point out, the name is quite misleading! One would expect a “Northern Sun” to be a yellow … Read more
Quick Summary of Family Variety from Zurab Kukhianidze 🌍 Origin & History: An authentic old Georgian family heirloom. The 15-year-old seeds were originally saved by the father of a forum member’s husband (Zurab Kukhianidze) in Georgia. The Russian tomato community successfully germinated these old seeds, saved the strain from extinction, and affectionately nicknamed it “Zurabchik”. … Read more
Quick Summary of Sevryuga (and Severyuga / Pudovik) 🌍 The Naming Mystery: This is one of the most famously debated varieties in the Russian tomato community. Commercially, the Siberian Garden company (SibSad) released it under the names Sevryuga (a type of sturgeon fish) and Pudovik, stating they are the same variety. However, old-school seed savers … Read more
Quick Summary of Sasha 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom distributed by the well-known organic gardener and seed saver Kazarin. 🌿 Plant Habit: While sometimes officially positioned as a determinate (bush) variety, growers unanimously report that it behaves as an indeterminate (tall) vine, easily reaching 1.7 meters (5.6 ft) in both greenhouses and open ground. The … Read more
Quick Summary of Sakharnyi Pudovichok (Sugar Pudovichok) 🌍 Origin: A famous commercial variety from the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name implies a heavy, sugar-fleshed tomato (a “pud” is an old Russian weight measure equal to 16 kg). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It is a vigorous grower that can easily reach the … Read more
Quick Summary of Snegir (Bullfinch) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial variety (often sold by the “Biotechnica” seed company). The name translates to “Bullfinch,” a winter bird with a bright red breast, which perfectly hints at this variety’s cold tolerance. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). The seed packet claims it stays very compact at 45–50 cm … Read more
Quick Summary of Sprint-Timer 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian giant heirloom. It gained massive fame when a grower won the 2016 “Minusinsk Tomato Day” (Russia’s famous giant tomato competition) with a Sprint-Timer fruit weighing a whopping 1.878 kg (4.14 lbs)! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate with thick, robust stems. Typically grows up to 1.5 meters (5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Slastena (Sweet Tooth) 🌍 Origin & The Name Mix-Up: The name “Slastena” translates to “Sweet Tooth”. In Russia, there are actually two different varieties circulating under this name. The one highly prized by heirloom collectors is an old, large-fruited indeterminate variety. However, commercial seed companies registered a completely different, small-fruited determinate (bush) … Read more
Quick Summary of Sto Pudov (A Hundred Poods) 🌍 Origin: A very famous Russian commercial variety (originally released by the seed company Aelita). The name “Sto Pudov” translates to “A Hundred Poods” (a ‘pood’ is an old Russian unit of weight equal to 16.38 kg), hinting at the massive, heavy yields this variety produces. 🌿 … Read more