Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Finik (Date) Tomato Series 🌍 Origin: A hugely popular Russian commercial series (which includes Yellow, Orange, Red, and Striped variants), commonly sold by “Russian Ogorod” (often as an F1 hybrid) and heirloom vendors like “Batatovy Kusty”. The name “Finik” translates to “Date”, referencing their shape and intended sweetness. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate … Read more
Quick Summary of Teshchin Yazyk (Mother-in-Law’s Tongue) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic heirloom variety originating from Ukraine. The hilarious name translates to “Mother-in-Law’s Tongue”, a playful nod to the long, slightly pointed, “sharp” shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Mid-sized plant (often growing as a compact indeterminate), highly productive, and well-suited for greenhouse cultivation. 🍅 … Read more
Quick Summary of Topklipsa 🌍 Origin: A highly reliable commercial Russian heirloom. Growers note that it is virtually identical to another popular variety called Slavyanka. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and incredibly tall (easily reaches the greenhouse roof), but it has a very distinct “slender vine” habit. It doesn’t grow wide or bushy, which allows for … Read more
Quick Summary of Tegucigalpa 🌍 Origin: A globally known heirloom variety named after the capital city of Honduras. Highly valued by seed savers for its incredible reliability. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but with a very slender, elegant (wispy) vine structure. Because the plant isn’t overly bushy, growers successfully prune it to 4-5 stems to … Read more
Quick Summary of Salatnye (Salad) 🌍 Origin: A Russian heirloom variety circulated among seed collectors. Interestingly, experienced growers suspect it might be a “twin” (the exact same genetics) of another variety known as Podarok Moey Zhene (My Wife’s Gift). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 2 meters (6.5 ft) in height. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: … Read more
Quick Summary of Serbian Oxheart (Serbskoe Byche Serdtse) 🌍 Origin: A traditional heirloom from Serbia. This variety is very well known in international seed-saving circles, having been circulated heavily by the famous North American collector Tatiana Kushnareva (Tatiana’s TOMATObase). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but on the compact side, typically reaching 1 – 1.2 meters (3-4 … Read more
Quick Summary of Lilac Plum (Sirenevaya Sliva) 🌍 Origin: Sourced from the famous Ukrainian tomato breeder and seed collector Aleksey Kulik. The name translates to “Lilac Plum”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. Growers note that the bush is very powerful and can easily support being pruned to 3 main stems to maximize … Read more
Quick Summary of Pink Plum (Sliva Rozovaya) 🌍 Origin & Name: A Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Pink Plum”. Veteran growers note it is virtually identical to a famous variety bred specifically for harsh climates by the Far Eastern Research Institute of Agriculture. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (compact). In open ground, it typically … Read more
Quick Summary of Sicilian Pepper (Sitsiliyskiy Perchik) 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the Gavrish seed company. The name translates to “Sicilian Pepper”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching around 200 cm (6.5 ft). It can be grown both in greenhouses and outdoors (open ground) with proper staking. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Elongated, pepper-shaped … Read more
Quick Summary of Supermodel 🌍 Origin: A commercial Russian variety introduced by the Siberian Garden (SibSad) seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (short bush), usually growing to about 70 cm (27 inches). It is highly suited for outdoor growing (open ground). 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Designed to be an elongated pinkish-red paste/icicle tomato, roughly 10-15 cm … Read more
Quick Summary of Slivka Bendrika (Bendrik’s Plum) 🌍 Origin: Bred by Alexander Bendrik in Gorodnya (Chernihiv region, Ukraine). It comes in two color variations: Red and Yellow (which often has a deep orange tint). The name translates to “Bendrik’s Plum”. 🌿 Plant Habit: There is some debate about its growth habit. The originator calls it … Read more
Quick Summary of Slavyanka (Slavic Woman) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian commercial/heirloom variety (originally distributed by GISOK seeds). The name translates beautifully to “Slavic Woman” or “Slavic Girl”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, tall, and highly vigorous. Growers note that it can grow massive (“like a baobab tree”) and will keep setting fruit relentlessly from … Read more