Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: Mortgage Lifter Bicolor is an indeterminate, mid-to-late season heirloom beefsteak derived from the famous 1930s West Virginia line bred by M.C. “Radiator Charlie” Byles. It bears massive, oblate fruits weighing 14-21 oz (400-600 g) with golden-orange skins blushed with a crimson crown and sweet, low-acid, marbled flesh. Northern growers find it productive … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mom’s is an indeterminate, mid-season heirloom bicolor tomato with a narrow, space-saving vine habit and medium-sized yellow fruits marbled with red in the center. Grown in a USDA Zone 4 greenhouse, it produced moderate yields with flesh that deepens to orange-red when fully ripe and a flavor that develops from mild and … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Goldie is a classic, large indeterminate heirloom that produces massive, sweet, golden-orange beefsteaks with a fruity aroma. While the true variety is known to be Regular Leaf (RL), this thread highlights an interesting discussion where one grower raised a Potato Leaf (PL) version from older seeds that still produced perfectly authentic-looking fruits. … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Dr. Wyche’s Yellow is an indeterminate, mid-late season heirloom introduced by circus owner Dr. John Wyche. It produces large, meaty, bright orange-yellow beefsteaks. Growers praise its incredibly sweet, well-balanced flavor and long harvest window. While it thrives in greenhouses, it also sets fruit reliably outdoors and is noted for being a heavy, … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Vintage American heirloom Dad’s Sunset is a mid-season indeterminate variety that produces large, dense, yellow-orange fruits weighing 10.5-17.6 oz (300-500 g). The grower notes it has an excellent fruity flavor and yields heavily. A great bonus is its holding ability; the ripe fruits can hang on the vine for a while without … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Orange Heart, affectionately nicknamed Fox Nose (Liskin Nos) by this forum community, is a legendary Russian indeterminate oxheart. It produces massive, butter-fleshed orange-yellow fruits that often sport a very distinct, sharp pointed tip (the “fox nose”). Known for its incredibly sweet, fruity flavor and lack of seeds, it is a massive favorite … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mechta-2 (Dream-2) is a very rugged, early-season determinate variety that thrives outdoors. It produces 7-9 oz (200-250 g) lemon-yellow beefsteaks that develop a distinct red “star” or blush on the blossom end when fully ripe. Growers highly praise it for being extremely low-maintenance, setting fruit reliably even in partial shade or bad … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Medovo-Sakharnyi (Honey Sugar) is a yellow/orange determinate tomato known for its exceptionally sweet, sugary flavor. Results are highly mixed: some growers found it to be their sweetest, absolute favorite variety of the season, while others struggled with wimpy vines, dismal yields, and extreme susceptibility to sunscald and BER. Fruit sizes also varied … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Mary Robinson’s German Bicolor is a tall, indeterminate heirloom that produces absolutely massive yellow-and-red marbled beefsteaks. Known for frequently throwing fruits in the 1 to 2 lb (450-900 g) range, it requires heavy staking and patience, as it tends to focus on pushing out thick foliage early in the season before setting … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Limonni is an indeterminate, mid-season heirloom known for its large, bright yellow, flat-round fruits. Unlike many sweet yellow varieties, Limonni offers a unique, refreshing tartness with distinct aromatic citrus notes. Growers praise it for its massive yields and reliable greenhouse performance. Full summary ↓ Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 3-4 Experience) … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Korshun Zheltyi (Yellow Kite) is an indeterminate yellow/pink bicolor beefsteak. Unusually for an indet, it grows as a very stocky, stout vine. While one grower found it incredibly resilient in a crappy shaded spot with fluctuating temps, another struggled with blossom drop. When it does produce, it offers a well-balanced, excellent flavor … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Kazakhstan Yellow 🌍 Origin: A legendary underground heirloom from the Russian/Eastern European tomato community. It was grown for over 25 years by a forum member named Slava before he finally shared the seeds online and gave it the working name “Kazakhstan Yellow.” 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). A very resilient and … Read more