Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Korolevskoe Serdtse (Royal Heart) 🌍 Origin: A stunning Russian heirloom. The name perfectly translates to “Royal Heart”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An absolute workhorse that performs exceptionally well, especially in greenhouse setups. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Large, beautiful oxheart-shaped fruits. The skin is a glowing orange with striking pink marbling. They … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Krupnyi iz Khakasii (Large from Khakassia) – Real Siberian Heirloom. 🌍 Origin: A beloved family heirloom from the Askizsky District of the Republic of Khakassia (Siberia, Russia). The name literally translates to “Large from Khakassia”. It was widely popularized among collectors by Lyudmila Gladilova from Kazakhstan. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Granenyi (Faceted) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic old Russian heirloom. The original breeder is unknown, but the seeds were preserved and passed down for over 30 years by a family in Pyatigorsk (Caucasus region, Russia). The name “Granenyi” translates to “Faceted” or “Ribbed,” perfectly describing its distinct shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Barany (Rams) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom sourced from collector T. Yashchenko. The name “Barany” translates to “Rams” (male sheep)—named because the elongated fruits often curve at the tip, resembling a ram’s horn. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall vine), reaching up to 1.8 m (6 ft). Can be easily pruned and … Read more
Quick Summary of Yuwel (Juwel / Jewel) 🌍 Origin & History: A legendary heirloom with a fascinating past. According to Soviet agricultural records, it was one of the most widely grown commercial varieties in the USSR during the 1930s. The name translates to “Jewel” from German (Juwel). 🕵️♂️ The Strain Mystery: There is a popular … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Sveta (Wonder of the World) 🌍 Origin: A very popular, beautiful Russian commercial variety. The name translates to “Wonder of the World”, though it is sometimes visually compared to a small lemon. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous, and strongly growing plant (reaching over 2 meters / 6.5 ft in greenhouses). … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherry Safari 🌍 Origin: A beautiful and productive cherry tomato variety actively shared and grown among Russian and Eastern European heirloom collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Highly versatile. When grown outdoors in open ground, the plants stay relatively compact, reaching about 80-100 cm (2.5-3.5 ft) in height, and only require pruning up to … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyi Krym (Black Krim / Noire de Crimee) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Russian heirloom from the Crimean Peninsula, introduced to the West in 1990 by Swedish collector Lars Olov Rosenstrom. It is known globally under various names: Black Krim, Noire de Crimee, and Chernyi Krym. 🌿 Plant Habit: Generally indeterminate, though some … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo (Wonderwork) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety originally from breeder V. Kolyakov. The name translates directly to “Miracle” or “Wonderwork”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing to about 1.3–1.7 meters (4.2–5.5 ft) tall. Performs well in both greenhouses and open ground. It shows excellent heat tolerance and doesn’t drop blossoms during hot … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Zemli Orange 🌍 Origin: An orange variant/strain of the famous Russian heirloom “Chudo Zemli” (Wonder of the Earth). Some growers note a strong visual resemblance to the Fox Nose (Liskin Nos) variety, though they behave differently in the garden. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. When grown in a … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyi Prints (Black Prince) 🌍 Origin: A legendary Soviet-era heirloom dating back to the 1960s-1970s. Note: There is a massive issue with modern commercial seed companies selling incorrect strains (off-types). The “true” original Black Prince is highly sought after by collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: The original is indeterminate (tall), typically reaching 1.5–1.8 … Read more
Quick Summary of Tsarskiy Lyubimets (Tsar’s Favorite) 🌍 Origin: A popular Russian commercial and collector’s variety. The name translates to “Tsar’s Favorite” or “Royal Favorite”. Note: There appear to be two distinct strains circulating in the community (a red-orange regular leaf version and a raspberry-pink potato leaf version). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), typically reaching … Read more