Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Akademik Sakharov 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom tomato named after the famous Soviet physicist and dissident, Andrei Sakharov. The specific strain discussed in this thread carries a remarkable backstory: the seeds were saved and evacuated by a grandmother fleeing the Donbas region conflict. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, very vigorous, and tall. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aussie (Avstraliets) 🌍 Origin: A legendary heirloom variety originally from Australia, widely known in the US and Europe simply as Aussie, and translated into Russian as Avstraliets (The Australian). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous plant. Reaches up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in a greenhouse and about 1.2m (4 ft) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Carol Chyko’s Big Paste 🌍 Origin: A huge, classic heirloom paste tomato from Pennsylvania, USA. It was named after Carol Chyko. Note on translation: In Russian seed collections, it is frequently traded under the shortened (and slightly mistranslated) name “Большой Кэрол” (Big Carol). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A very tall, powerful, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Coeur de Boeuf de Nice 🌍 Origin: A classic French heirloom originally from the Mediterranean region around Nice. The name translates to “Bull’s Heart from Nice”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous grower. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Medium to large red tomatoes, typically weighing 150-300g (5.3-10.5 oz). The shape is highly variable … Read more
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