Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
Quick Summary of Abbattista 🌍 Origin: A treasured heirloom variety. Some international collectors have recently started spelling it “Abbittista”, but it remains widely known and grown as Abbattista. (Note: Not to be confused with “Abbattista Paste,” which is a smaller, semi-determinate cocktail type). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, mid-season, and very tall (reaching up to 2.5 … Read more
Quick Summary of Yaponka (Japanese Girl) 🌍 Origin: A highly popular Russian/Eastern European internet heirloom. The name translates to “Japanese Girl” or “Japanese Woman”. It is believed to be closely related to the famous ‘Cardinal’ variety but features a distinct pointed tip. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, typically growing 1.5–2 meters (5–6.5 ft) tall. It has … Read more
Quick Summary of Yuzhniy Zagar (Southern Tan) 🌍 Origin: A very famous commercial/heirloom variety from Siberian breeders (Sibirskiy Sad). The name translates to “Southern Tan”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but usually remains quite compact (1-1.2m outdoors, up to 2m in a greenhouse). It features classic “wispy” (weeping) foliage — the seedlings look skinny, frail, and … Read more
Quick Summary of Eros 🌍 Origin: A well-known novelty paste tomato, often considered the “brother” of the famous Auria variety, but with yellow-orange fruits. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (vining). Known for having “wispy foliage” (thin, delicate-looking vines) despite its tall and vigorous growth. Easily reaches the greenhouse roof. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Elongated, cylindrical (phallic-shaped) fruits, … Read more
Quick Summary of EM-Chempion (EM-Champion) 🌍 Origin: A famous Russian commercial variety released by Sibirskiy Sad (Siberian Garden). The name translates to “EM-Champion”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush), reaching about 60–70 cm (24–28 inches) outdoors. It has very sparse, thin, downward-hanging leaves (often described as “wispy” or “weeping willow” type). Because of this, it can … Read more
Quick Summary of Shalun (Playful) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from Siberian breeders. The name translates to “Playful” or “Mischievous”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, reaching about 2 m (6.5 ft). The plant has a very specific structure: it is highly compact with sparse, open foliage (often described as wispy). It takes up very little space, … Read more
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Quick Summary of Reinhard’s Chocolate Heart (and the Kraft Trilogy) 🌍 Origin: Developed by the renowned German tomato breeder Reinhard Kraft. This variety is part of the famous “Reinhard’s Heart Trilogy,” which includes Chocolate, Green, and Purple heart-shaped tomatoes. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), vigorous plants. Like many classic oxhearts, they possess “wispy” or droopy … Read more
Quick Summary of Cherevichki (Little Shoes) 🌍 Origin: A Ukrainian heirloom popularized by breeder V. Syray. The name Cherevichki translates to “Little Shoes” or “Slippers,” perfectly describing the unique shape of the fruit. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate and very tall. Like many elongated paste varieties, it has “wispy” or weak-looking foliage (drooping leaves), which is … Read more
Quick Summary of Chio-Chio-San 🌍 Origin: A highly popular commercial Russian variety, officially registered in the Russian State Register of Breeding Achievements. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), though some growers successfully prune it into a multi-stem determinate bush. As seedlings, the plants often look weak or “wispy,” which is normal, but they explode with vigor … Read more
Quick Summary of Brad’s Black Heart (Chernoe Serdtse Breda) 🌍 Origin: A famous American variety bred by Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms, California), which found its way into the hands of Russian and Eastern European collectors. It is fascinating to see how this Californian heirloom performs in harsh climates like Siberia and the Urals! 🌿 … 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 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