Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
🍅 Quick take: The USDA strain of Golden Queen is a historic indeterminate heirloom originally introduced by A.W. Livingston in 1882. Over the decades, commercial breeders selected out its distinct pink blush, but the USDA seed bank preserved the original, slightly bicolor genetics. Growers praise its tender, sweet, and low-acid flavor. Be aware that it … Read more
🍅 Quick take: Golden Gates is a mid-season, indeterminate striped yellow tomato bred by Brad Gates, notable for its wispy foliage. There is some debate among growers about its stability, as some get small cherry-sized fruits while others get larger plum-sized tomatoes (up to 3.5 oz / 100 g). Flavor reviews are also mixed: some … Read more
🍅 Quick take: This thread is a fascinating two-for-one. It starts with the authentic Goldene Königin, a historic 19th-century German heirloom that produces small, highly aromatic, mild yellow fruits on indeterminate vines. However, half the growers here actually grew a modern Russian commercial namesake called Zolotaya Koroleva (Golden Queen), which is a completely different variety … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Italian Stallion Giallo 🌍 Origin: A yellow mutation/variant of the classic red Italian Stallion heirloom. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. A robust, disease-resistant plant with a long fruiting season. It performs well in both greenhouses and open ground. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Bright yellow to lemonade-colored fruits. Like its red counterpart, it produces … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Zheltaya Mishen (Yellow Target) 🌍 Origin: A unique collector’s variety. Some growers report sourcing it from Chinese seed banks, while others got it from famous Russian collectors like V. Redko. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). Despite some early descriptions calling it mid-sized, it is a highly vigorous, sprawling vine that easily … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dey Huanchi 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety with Chinese roots (the name roughly translates to “Big Yellow”), heavily popularized in Eastern Europe and Russia by the SeDeK seed company. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate (bush). Generally does well grown outdoors without greenhouse protection. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Beautiful yellow-orange slicing tomatoes. Average weight … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Dusya Zholtaya (Yellow Dusya) 🌍 Origin: A commercial variety originally released by Siberian Garden (SibSad). It was only on the market for a year or two before disappearing, but was kept alive by private seed collectors! 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate, but stays relatively short and compact. Usually tops out around 3.5-4 … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vernaya Lyubov (True Love) 🌍 Origin: A rare Russian heirloom/commercial variety. The name translates beautifully to “True Love”. 🌿 Plant Habit: Determinate. It is a sturdy tree-type (rugose) dwarf that stays compact, reaching only about 24 inches (60 cm) tall. 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Stunning golden-yellow rounded hearts with a very distinct, … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Alpinog (Альпиног) 🌍 Origin: A fantastic yellow heirloom tomato. The seeds in this thread trace back to the collection of Evgeny Fech, a well-known tomato breeder and collector from Russia. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall). An incredibly vigorous and powerful plant that can easily reach 2 meters (6.5 ft) in height. … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Almaty Yellow Tulip (Almatinskiy Zheltyi Tyulpan) 🌍 Origin: The gorgeous yellow sister-variety to the Red Tulip, bred in the Almaty region (city of Esik), Kazakhstan, by the highly acclaimed breeder Vitaliy Gennadievich Alifirov. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (very tall) and mid-season. Just like its red counterpart, it features Potato Leaf (PL) … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Anna German 🌍 Origin: An old, legendary Soviet-era heirloom variety, likely named after the beloved singer Anna German. It is often confused with other yellow multiflora varieties like Wonder of the World and Citrus Garden, but experienced growers confirm it is a distinct, unique strain. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), reaching … Read more
Quick Summary of Big Yellow Simpson 🌍 Origin: A classic heirloom tomato. Often cataloged in seed databases (like Tatiana’s TOMATObase) as Big Yellow, Simpson. 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate. Can be grown successfully both in open ground and in greenhouses. Typically pruned to 2 stems for the best balance of fruit size and yield. Mid-season to … Read more