Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Bychiy Lob (Bull’s Forehead) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian variety released by the Russian seed company “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name translates to “Bull’s Forehead” in English. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, though some growers report that it occasionally self-tops (terminates with a flower truss) around 6.5 ft (2m) in the greenhouse. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Braviy General (Brave General) 🌍 Origin: A rugged commercial variety from the Altai region of Russia, specifically bred for short, cold summers. The name translates to “Brave General”. 🌿 Plant Habit: A compact, short indeterminate. It is very well-behaved and doesn’t require aggressive pruning. Because of its neat, contained growth habit, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Batyanya (Dad) 🌍 Origin: A famous commercial Russian variety from “Siberian Garden” (SibSad). The name “Batyanya” translates roughly to “Daddy” or “Pops”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing up to 5 ft (1.5 m) outdoors and 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. Classic oxheart genetics with very delicate, wispy foliage that … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Beefsteak Albi 🌍 Origin: A famous giant heirloom from Russia. This variety is a known champion at the prestigious annual “Minusinsk Tomato Champion” festival in Siberia, where growers compete to raise the heaviest tomatoes in the country. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. An absolute beast of a plant. Growers describe it as … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Aly Mustang (Scarlet Mustang) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian variety released by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. The name translates to “Scarlet Mustang.” 📈 Expectation vs. Reality: The seed packet promises giant 20–25 cm (8–10 inch) cigar-shaped fruits and 5 kg (11 lbs) yields per plant. In reality, most growers … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abakanets 🌍 Origin: A stabilized red off-type (mutation) originally discovered in a seed packet of the famous Abakansky Rozovy (Abakan Pink) produced by the Siberian Garden seed company. “Abakanets” roughly translates to “The guy from Abakan.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. Highly productive and will continue fruiting right up … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alye Svechi (Scarlet Candles) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial Russian variety. The name translates to “Scarlet Candles” due to its elongated shape. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and incredibly vigorous. Growers warn that this bush is a monster, easily reaching 2 to 3 meters (6.5–10 ft) tall, requiring serious staking. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Altaysky Rozovy (Altai Pink) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian heirloom from the famous “Sibirsky Sad” (Siberian Garden) seed company. The name translates to “Altai Pink,” named after the Altai Mountains region in Siberia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and very vigorous. Known for being a highly productive and heavy yielder. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Appetitnyi (Appetizing) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Russian seed company Siberian Garden (SibSad). The name translates perfectly to “Appetizing” or “Mouthwatering”. 🌿 Plant Habit: It behaves as a semi-determinate or a compact indeterminate. Outdoors in the open garden, it usually stops around 80-100 cm (31-40″). Inside a poly greenhouse, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Abakan Pink (Abakansky Rozovyi) 🌍 Origin: A highly famous Siberian commercial heirloom. It is known for causing widespread confusion among growers because different Russian seed companies (like Siberian Garden, Poisk, and Altai Seeds) sell vastly different strains under this exact same name. Even the official State Register has two different entries … Read more
Quick Summary of Yaponskaya Roza (Japanese Rose) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian heirloom variety bred for reliability in open ground and unheated greenhouses. The name translates to “Japanese Rose”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (short-growing bush), reaching about 60–80 cm (24–32 inches) in height. Very low maintenance; seed producers recommend pruning suckers only up to the … Read more
Quick Summary of Chudo Altaya (Altai Miracle) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety from the Siberian seed company “Semena Altaya” (Altai Seeds). The name translates directly to “Altai Miracle”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Tall indeterminate. The bush is described as having sparse or wispy foliage (not heavily foliated), which is a common and normal trait for … Read more