Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: US Northeast gardener Pomidorolubitel (Katya) wraps up her season testing Russian heirlooms, focusing strictly on high-sugar varieties. Top honors go to sugary pinks like Babushkino Neshchechko and Yusupovskiy, ultra-early workhorse Iyunskiy, and sweet Green-When-Ripe discoveries like Malakhitovaya Shkatulka. On the flip side, ochre varieties and tough-skinned cherries were a total miss. Jump … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Fiery Turban (Ognennyy Tyurban) is an indeterminate, mid-season anthocyanin variety bred by Sofia Saakova. It produces stunning truffle-shaped (pleated pear) tomatoes that ripen to yellow-orange with red stripes and heavy antho splashing. Weighing 3.5-10.5 oz (100-300 g) on average—with some hitting over 1 lb (500 g)—these beauties boast a rich, sweet flavor … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Ochre Symphony (Okhrovaya Simfoniya) is a mid-season, indeterminate variety bred by Sofia Saakova. It produces stunning 3.5-7 oz (100-200 g) plum-heart tomatoes that ripen to an earthy ochre color covered in green stripes, sometimes showing a faint antho blush. Growers rave about its incredibly sweet, buttery, nearly seedless flesh and strong yields, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Sofia’s Fiery Comet (Ognennaya Kometa Sofii) is an indeterminate, incredibly striking anthocyanin variety bred by Sofia Saakova. Fruits weigh up to 7 oz (200 g), featuring deep pink flesh, stripes, antho shoulders, and typically long, prominent beaks. Growers rave about its breathtaking appearance in the greenhouse and its exceptional, sweet flavor, though … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Strawberry Sergeant 🌍 Origin: Bred by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. It is a cross between Mrs. Schlaubaugh’s Famous Strawberry and Sgt. Pepper’s. The Russian name is “Klubnichniy Serzhant”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season. The plants are quite sturdy and strong. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Pink fruits with dark anthocyanin splashes on … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Californian Tulip 🌍 Origin: The exact origin and breeder are unknown, but it circulates widely in Eastern European seed-saving networks under the name “Kaliforniyskiy Tyulpan”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-season indeterminate. Stays relatively compact, reaching around 5 feet (1.5 m) in open ground or 5.2 feet (1.6 m) in a greenhouse. Unbelievably … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Klenoviy Sirop (Maple Syrup) 🌍 Origin: Developed and stabilized by breeders Sofia Saakova and Elena Danko. It is an accidental cross between the variety Sweet Horizon and an unknown pollen donor. The name translates to “Maple Syrup”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Strong, vigorous vines that usually reach over 5 feet … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Izumrudnaya Parcha (Emerald Brocade) 🌍 Origin: A modern, highly sought-after collectible variety bred by the Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. The name translates to “Emerald Brocade.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and mid-early season. It displays classic oxheart genetics: the vines are very skinny, frail-looking, and have sparse, weeping foliage. Don’t panic, … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary: Cherry Syrup (Vishnevyi Sirop) 🌍 Origin: An amateur breeding release by Sofia Saakova (Sofia S.). It is a cross between Zuzu’s Cherry and Black Beauty. 🌱 Plant Habit: A tall, slender indeterminate vine that easily exceeds 6.5 ft (2.0 meters) in a greenhouse. Mid-season maturity with an extended fruiting window. 🍅 Fruit … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blazhenstvo (Bliss) 🌍 Origin: A stunning modern variety introduced by Russian breeder and collector Sofia Saakova. The name translates beautifully to “Bliss”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has proven to be quite resistant to Leaf Mold (Cladosporium), staying healthy late into the season. Note: It is a late-season variety in … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Blushing Pineapple Sergeant (Ananasnyi Serzhant Rumyanyi) 🌍 Origin: A specific sister-line bred by Sofia Saakova (Russia). It comes from a complex cross involving Schlumbach’s Strawberry, Pineapple Heart, and Sgt. Pepper’s. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), growing to about 1.8 m (6 ft) in a greenhouse. Mid-season maturity. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: This … Read more
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📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Apelsinovoe Mango (Orange Mango) 🌍 Origin: Another stunning creation by Russian breeder Sofia Saakova. It is a cross between Blue Orange (Siniy Apelsin) and the classic Heart of Ashgabat (Serdtse Ashkhabada). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), early to mid-season. It features a slender, “wispy” foliage structure typical of many oxhearts. Despite … Read more