Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
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
Quick Summary of Chernyi Slon (Black Elephant) 🌍 Origin: A well-known Russian commercial heirloom. The name translates to “Black Elephant”. It is distributed by several seed companies in Russia (like TomAgros and Gisok). 🌿 Plant Habit: Mostly described as a tall determinate or semi-determinate that eventually tops itself (stops growing upward). Height ranges from 1m … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyi Maslyanistyi (Black Buttery) 🌍 Origin: A Russian/Eastern European heirloom variety. The name translates directly to “Black Buttery” (or “Buttery Black”), hinting at its texture and color. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. In a greenhouse, it easily exceeds 2 meters (6.5 ft), but stays more compact (about 1.2–1.7 m / 4–5.5 ft) when … 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 Zemli Ukrainskoe (Ukrainian Wonder of the Earth) 🌍 Origin: A legendary pink oxheart from Ukraine. Note: Do not confuse this with the Russian commercial strain “Chudo Zemli” from Siberian Garden (SibSad), which is a completely different flat-round beefsteak. This is the true Ukrainian heart-shaped heirloom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (approx. 1.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherry Yurok iz supermarketa 🌍 Origin: A fantastic “supermarket save” from Russia. A gardener bought delicious cherry tomatoes from a store, saved the seeds, and distributed them under the conditional name “Yurok” (named after a forum user Yuri who shared them). It is suspected to be a commercial French strain, possibly from … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernaya Galaktika (Black Galaxy) 🌍 Origin: A stunning commercial release from the Russian seed company SeDeK. Valued for its extremely high anthocyanin content. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), very vigorous, reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) but with relatively sparse foliage. It is highly cold-tolerant, disease-resistant, and performs beautifully in both … Read more
Quick Summary of Chile Verde (Green Chile) 🌍 Origin: A very popular green-when-ripe variety in Eastern Europe, often sold by commercial seed companies like Biotekhnika and Siberian Garden, as well as private collectors. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching about 1.5 – 2 meters (5 to 6.5 ft). Most growers report a Regular Leaf (RL), … Read more
Quick Summary of Chernyy Russkiy (Black Russian) 🌍 Origin: A famous old heirloom variety, highly popular among Eastern European gardeners. Interestingly, it is considered a “folk” variety, as growers note it isn’t even listed in the official Russian State Register of Seeds. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but its vigor heavily depends on the seed … Read more
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Quick Summary of Chinook Tomato 🌍 Origin: A gorgeous release from the renowned Canadian tomato breeder Karen Olivier. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and vigorous. The vines are strong and easily reach the roof of a standard greenhouse (over 6.5 feet / 2 meters). It requires heavy-duty staking and tying due to the massive … Read more
Quick Summary of Borisovna’s Black Heart with a Spout 🌍 Origin: A legendary forum-born heirloom! Discovered by grower Natalya (Borisovna) from Karaganda, Kazakhstan, from a market tomato. It has since spread worldwide. Also known as Black with a Spout, Black Oxheart from Borisovna, or Chernoe Serdtse s Nosikom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching 1.5–2.5 … Read more
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Quick Summary of Cerise Noire du Layon 🌍 Origin: A French dark cherry variety (“Cerise Noire” translates to Black Cherry). Russian growers often note that it appears to be a twin of the popular Russian commercial variety Sladkaya Grozd Shokoladnaya (Sweet Chocolate Bunch). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall) and extremely vigorous. Growers note that you … Read more