Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Konus (meaning “Cone”) is a vigorous indeterminate variety rescued by a dedicated seed saver over 20 years ago. It produces large, red, cone-shaped (oxheart-type) fruits that are meaty, juicy, and packed with old-school tomato flavor. The vine has a unique habit of naturally forking at the main stem. While it occasionally drops … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Red General (Krasnyi General) is a heavy-yielding indeterminate variety that produces large, glossy red tomatoes weighing up to 14 oz (400 g). Known among growers as an absolute workhorse, it boasts a classic, rich tomato flavor. While some seed lines produce oblate (flat-round) beefsteaks, other strains throw large, blunt oxhearts on taller, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Krupnaya Grozd (Large Cluster) is an indeterminate, mid-season red oxheart tomato originating from Eastern Europe. It produces heavy yields of large, meaty, heart-shaped fruits that average around 12 oz (350 g), though some vendor descriptions claim they can reach over 2 lbs (1 kg). Growers appreciate its solid production and great late-summer … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Red Butter Heart 🌍 Origin: Originally tracing back to the USA, this variety became incredibly popular in the Russian heirloom community after being distributed by collector V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall/vine). Exhibits the classic “weeping oxheart” gene with thin, wispy, droopy foliage. Do not be alarmed—the plant is not … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Klubnichnoe Derevo (Strawberry Tree) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety released in 2015 by the Siberian Garden (Sibsad) seed company. Not to be confused with the old European heirloom “German Red Strawberry”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but stays somewhat manageable. Outdoors it reaches about 3.3-4 feet (1-1.2 m), though it … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kyzyl Tau 🌍 Origin: Modern heirloom bred by the famous tomato breeder Vitaly Alifirov from Almaty, Kazakhstan. The name “Kyzyl Tau” translates from Turkic languages to “Red Mountain.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very productive and vigorous plant that performs exceptionally well in a greenhouse when pruned to 2 stems. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zailiyskiy Alatau Red 🌍 Origin: Bred by the famous tomato breeder Vitaliy Alifirov from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Named after the local Trans-Ili Alatau mountain range. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A powerful, heat-tolerant plant that doesn’t drop blossoms during extreme summer heat. Known for being an absolute heavy yielder. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Danko 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian variety (heavily distributed by Siberian Garden / SibSad). Renowned for being an absolute “workhorse” that produces in almost any weather. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially classified as determinate, staying around 2-3 ft (60-90 cm) tall. However, many growers report it behaving like a vigorous semi-determinate or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Giant of Siebenburgen 🌍 Origin: A historic European heirloom originating from the Siebenbürgen region (modern-day Transylvania, Romania). In Russia, it circulates as Gigant Zibenburgena. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching over 6.5 ft (2 m) inside a greenhouse. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, red, classic oxheart-shaped tomatoes. They are very meaty and … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vosymerka (Number Eight) 🌍 Origin: A rare Russian collector’s variety. The name “Vosymerka” translates to “Number Eight” or “Figure Eight”. In this thread, seeds were sourced from the well-known Russian tomato collector V. Monakhova. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and mid-season. It showed great resilience and high productivity even when grown … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zore’s Big Red 🌍 Origin: A renowned heirloom variety. In Russian collections, it is often circulated under the translated name “Bolshoy Krasnyi Zora”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and tall. A notable feature of this specific strain grown by forum members is its Potato Leaf (PL) foliage, which is an interesting trait … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vela Scarlatta 🌍 Origin: A magnificent heirloom variety (the name translates from Italian as “Scarlet Sails”). It is highly prized by collectors of giant oxheart tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and powerful plant that exhibits intensive, fast growth and produces a massive yield. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Giant … Read more