Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Sweet Cream 🌍 Origin: An artisan elongated cherry/plum variety, closely related in genetics and appearance to famous varieties like Blush and Candy Sweet Icicle. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In a greenhouse, it typically reaches 1.5 to 2 meters (5 to 6.5 ft) and can be pruned to multiple stems. The plant has … Read more
Quick Summary of Solar Flare (Solnechnaya Vspyshka) 🌍 Origin: Known in Russia as “Solnechnaya Vspyshka,” this is the famous Solar Flare variety originally bred by Brad Gates at Wild Boar Farms (USA). However, this thread reveals a fascinating mystery: many seeds circulating among Russian vendors turned out to be heavily crossed or genetically unstable! 🌿 … Read more
Quick Summary of Solnechnoe Zatmenie (Solar Eclipse) 🌍 Origin: An original breeder’s variety created by Nikolai Zhigalin. It is a stunning cross between Sart Roloise and Dirty Curty Striped. The Russian name translates to “Solar Eclipse”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but relatively compact. In a greenhouse, it typically grows up to 1.5 meters (~5 ft). … Read more
Quick Summary of Magia Serbia (Serbian Magic) 🌍 Origin: A very rare and visually stunning variety. Despite its name (which translates to Serbian Magic), it was reportedly sourced from Romania. Information about it online is very scarce. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but on the shorter side, usually growing up to 1.5 – 1.6m (5 ft). … Read more
Quick Summary of Sladkiy Kesidi (Sweet Casady) 🌍 Origin: A very popular elongated striped variety. Known globally as “Sweet Casady” (originally bred by Tom Wagner), it is widely grown and traded among Russian and Eastern European collectors under the translated name “Sladkiy Kesidi”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and extremely vigorous! Growers describe the foliage as … Read more
Quick Summary of Russkiy Kazak (Russian Cossack) 🌍 Origin: Originally a US-bred variety (likely by Tom Wagner) that became highly popular among Russian seed collectors (like V. Redko and V. Popenko) under the translated name “Russkiy Kazak”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Semi-determinate to indeterminate. Generally stays relatively compact, with most growers reporting a medium height of … Read more
Quick Summary of Rozovyi Flamingo (Pink Flamingo) 🌍 The Great Name Controversy: “Pink Flamingo” is one of the most fiercely debated names in the Russian tomato community. Several different seed companies and private collectors released entirely different varieties under this exact same name, leading to endless confusion. 🧬 The Different Variants: If you buy or … Read more
Quick Summary of Raiskie Svechi (Paradise Candles) 🌍 Origin: A beautiful variety popularized by Ukrainian breeder Alexey Kulik. The name translates to “Paradise Candles”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate, early season. It grows up to about 1 meter (3.3 ft) tall. A key characteristic is its extremely delicate, drooping, and “wispy” foliage. It is highly shade-tolerant—many … Read more
Quick Summary of Striped Roman (Rimskiy Polosatyi) 🌍 Origin: A famous American heirloom known in the Russian tomato community as “Rimskiy Polosatyi”. 🍅 The Great Debate (Striped vs. Speckled): This forum thread perfectly captures the classic confusion surrounding this variety. As noted by growers (and Tatiana’s TOMATObase), there are essentially two circulating lines: Striped Roman … Read more
Quick Summary of Pineapple Striped (Polosatyy Ananas) 🌍 Origin: A stunning bicolor heirloom obtained from an amateur tomato collector in Bulgaria. In Russian collections, it circulates under the translated name Polosatyy Ananas. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), mid-season variety. Typically grows to about 1.6m (5.2 ft) tall. Performs best when planted in a prime, sunny … Read more
Quick Summary of Streak Lightning (Polosa Molnii) 🌍 Origin: A stunning striped and anthocyanin (purple-splashed) variety. In Russian collections, it circulates under the translated name Polosa Molnii. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.4–1.8m (4.5–6 ft). Seedlings can look remarkably spindly and fragile (wispy foliage), but the plant gains moderate vigor once planted out. Avoid … Read more