Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Giannini 🌍 Origin: A rare heirloom variety with Italian roots, popularized in Eastern Europe by collector Valery Popenko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has a very flimsy, weeping “wispy” foliage structure, which is typical for many high-quality paste tomatoes. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Red, plum-shaped paste tomatoes with a distinct little … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Danko 🌍 Origin: A commercial Siberian variety (heavily distributed by Siberian Garden / SibSad). Renowned for being an absolute “workhorse” that produces in almost any weather. 🌿 Plant Habit: Officially classified as determinate, staying around 2-3 ft (60-90 cm) tall. However, many growers report it behaving like a vigorous semi-determinate or … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): De Barao Tsarsky (Royal) 🌍 Origin: A premium, upgraded offshoot of the legendary Russian “De Barao” family. The name “Tsarsky” translates to “Royal” or “Tsar’s”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A massive, towering vine that loves to climb. Shows excellent resistance to Leaf Mold (Cladosporium) and extreme heat, but generally requires a … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gonsiorovski’s Home Heart 🌍 Origin: A legendary family heirloom from Minusinsk, Siberia, maintained by the Gonsiorovski family. It is sometimes sold or traded under the name “Minusinsk Hearts from Gonsiorovski”. The name translates to “Gonsiorovski’s Home Heart”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, growing up to 6.5 feet (2m). Like many classic oxhearts, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Scotsdale Road 🌍 Origin: A stunning novelty anthocyanin (blue/black) variety. Like many modern antho lines, its exact lineage is often compared to Brad Gates’ creations due to the distinct color patterns. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. The vines are notably thin and wispy, reaching about 5.5 feet (1.7m) in a greenhouse setting. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Joe’s Pink Oxheart 🌍 Origin: A highly sought-after heirloom from the Ozark Mountains, USA. Popularized and distributed by the well-known American collector Dale Thurber (Delectation of Tomatoes). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Vigorous, healthy vines with the classic “wispy” regular foliage common to many oxheart types. An early-to-mid season producer (around 75 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Herodes 🌍 Origin: A fantastic commercial heirloom variety originating from the Czech Republic. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Like many classic oxhearts, it has a “wispy” or frail-looking foliage habit. Don’t let the skinny vines fool you—it is highly productive and doesn’t take up much lateral space in a greenhouse. 🍅 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Gusinoe Yaytso (Goose Egg) 🌍 Origin: A very popular commercial heirloom released by the Russian seed company Siberian Garden (SibSad). 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), highly vigorous. It frequently exceeds 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. Standout feature: It exhibits “wispy” or drooping foliage, which is common for large paste … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Grightmire’s Pride 🌍 Origin: A famous heirloom originally from Yugoslavia. It was introduced to the North American heirloom tomato community by Fred Grightmire of Ohio, USA. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching up to 6.5 ft (2 m) in a greenhouse. It exhibits the classic oxheart “wispy” or weeping foliage (drooping … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Washington 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate and early-ripening. It stays very compact, reaching only about 20 inches (50 cm) out in the open ground. The bush naturally looks a bit wispy and weak, producing very few leaves and suckers. Zero pruning is required. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Small, round-to-oval red tomatoes. Average weight … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vashe Velichestvo (Your Majesty) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety from the Siberian breeder “Altai Seeds”. It is officially listed in the Russian State Register. The name translates to “Your Majesty”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). It has classic “oxheart” characteristics, meaning the plant is spindly and flimsy with very thin, wispy … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Volovyi Ushi (Ox Ears) 🌍 Origin: A Russian commercial and heirloom variety. The name translates to “Ox Ears” (sometimes sold as Volovye Ushko or “Little Ox Ear”). Note: Multiple seed companies (like Altai Seeds and Myazina) sell lines under this name, resulting in wild variations in fruit shape and size. 🌿 … Read more