Valery Dmitrievich Popenko has been collecting tomatoes for more than three decades. It all started with the magazine “Homestead Farming”. It was in it that Valery Dmitrievich first posted a note about his achievements. A correspondence began, an exchange of experience and seeds with other collectors, breeders and simply amateur gardeners.
Valery Popenko's catalog is constantly updated; over thirty years, the collection has grown to include more than 500 varieties of tomatoes. Among them are original ones, drawn personally by V.D. Popenko, as well as many varieties obtained from the USA, Canada, France and other countries. Tomato seeds from Popenko are popular among people who are interested in growing these plants.
Popenko tomato collection
To select seeds from Popenko’s tomato catalog for 2022, you need to decide where they will be grown: in open ground or in a greenhouse, you need tall or short plants, and for fresh or canned fruit consumption.
Valentina Redko, collector from Kurgan
The collection includes more than 300 varieties of tomatoes.
Slastena is a medium-sized early variety of tomatoes. My annual leader in yield. When formed in a greenhouse in 3-4 stems, it gives maximum yield. The fruits are red, round in shape, weighing 150-300 g, and in the first bunches they can weigh up to half a kilogram! The tomatoes are fleshy, the pulp is sugary, “watermelon” type, juicy, very sweet. The variety is very productive - the fruits grow in clusters of 5-8 pieces. Can be grown in a greenhouse or open ground.
Babushkino is a tall, mid-early variety. The bush is spreading. Formation of 3 stems in a greenhouse. The fruits are flat-round, pink-red in color (red on the outside, pink on the inside), with an average weight of 300-400 g (the first fruits up to 700 g), fleshy. The pulp is oily, juicy, very sweet. The skin is thin. This variety is ideal for salads. The yield is amazing - there are up to 12 fruits in a cluster, equal in size and shape. Grows well both in greenhouses and in open ground.
Watermelon (Watermelon, USA) is a tall variety of medium-early ripening. Potato type leaf. The fruits are flat-round, raspberry in color, with an average weight of 300-400 g, fleshy, fragrant, very sweet. There are few seeds in the fruit. To obtain the maximum yield, the bush must be formed into 3 stems with a mandatory good garter (since the weight of the harvest can break the trunks) and maximum removal of excess leaves. This variety is also my annual leader in yield. Grows better in a greenhouse.
Tomato cherries
Seeds of cherry tomatoes stand out in the seed catalog from Popenko. These varieties will not only decorate your garden with colorful fruits, but will also delight you with their taste:
Cherry tomato Cafe Boulet. Early ripening indet up to 2 m tall. The seeds are rare. Tomatoes are in the form of small pears, burgundy-brown in color, weighing on average 20–25 g, with a dessert taste. They can be eaten fresh or canned.
Cherry tomato Dancing Smurfs
Blush. Tall indet (up to 2 m). Requires formation of 3–4 stems. During the ripening process, the elongated “fingers” fruits become yellow with pink “cheeks” and stripes, weighing up to 25 g, as sweet as fruit. The children are delighted with them.
Solanum spontaneousum. Indeterminate. Tiny tomatoes weighing up to 10 g, round, yellow, incomparable in taste. The plants are tall and spreading.
Helsing distribution lines are blue. The variety is indeterminate. The tomatoes are round, absolutely blue, sweet, weighing up to 20 g.
Tomato Helsing distribution blue
Matt Black. The rarest mid-season indeterminate variety of cherry tomatoes. It can be grown both in a greenhouse and in open ground. It grows up to 2 meters; you need to form a bush with 3-4 stems. Burgundy-brown fruits weighing up to 20 g. Suitable for preservation.
Tomatoes from Lyubov Myazina
Lyubov Myazina worked with the famous Soviet breeder, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences - Guseva Lyudmila Ivanovna. For more than 20 years, Lyubov has been sharing her knowledge and experience by growing rare varieties of tomatoes.
Tomato seeds for 2016 from collector L.A. Myazina:
Tall variety. Fleshy fruits are pink, heart-shaped, weight 350 g.
Heartbreaker Orange F1
A tall tomato variety, the stem height reaches 170 cm. The fruits are heart-shaped and bright yellow. The weight of one tomato is 250-300 g. Suitable for canning.
Frigate
The variety is a mid-early variety and does not require pinching. The fruits are oblong, red, dense. Weight up to 90 g.
Magician
Mid-season tomato variety. The fruits are round and pink. Stem height up to 150 cm, tall. Suitable for making juice.
Golden mother-in-law F1
Early tomato variety, hybrid. The fruits are smooth, round, weight 220 g. The color is bright orange both outside and inside. This variety is disease resistant.
Snow White
An early variety of tomato, medium height. The fruits are smooth, round in shape, weight 90 g. Many fruits are tied on one cluster.
Table
Mid-early tomato variety, low stem. The fruits are small, 40-60 g, but sweet. Ideal for making ketchup.
Shop seeds from Myazina here
Recommendations for tomato seeds from collectors for 2016 are so extensive that it’s easy to get confused. However, there is a way out - purchase several varieties from each collection and see from your own experience which of them are most suitable for your garden.
Have a good harvest!
Enthusiast gardener, Tatyana Zakharova
Low-growing tomatoes (determinant)
Children (determinant varieties) are usually grown in open ground, most often without garter. It is not practical to grow them in greenhouses.
Varieties of low-growing tomatoes:
Rose of Wind. An early determinate variety up to 0.5 m tall, intended for open ground. Pink fruits with a classic round shape. The weight of one tomato is 130–150 g.
Taxi. Determinate variety, height about 50 cm, ripens early, fruits are slightly cubic in shape, weighing an average of 60 g, bright yellow. Keeping quality is low.
Tomato Taxi
Cherokee big tiger. Reaches a height of up to 1 m. The fruits are round, slightly flattened, red with golden stripes, tomato flavor, reaching 250–300 g.
Tomato Early Divo. Early determinate fruitful variety. Designed for cold areas. The fruits are round pink, weighing up to 180 g.
Unpretentious new items 2018
Other tomato collectors recommend choosing them depending on the situation. What does this mean? For example, when there is absolutely no time to properly care for tomatoes, it is better to choose low-growing varieties for greenhouses. They are very unpretentious in maintenance and do not require much effort from the gardener. In particular, they do not need to do stepsoning. Among the new products for the 2022 season are the following:
- Rajah. It is one of the early ripening varieties. The fruits are very large. Up to 300 grams.
- Russian troika. This hybrid is ideal for summer residents who are just starting to get involved in this, working in the country. It has large and fleshy tomatoes weighing up to 200 grams.
- Hermitage Museum. This is an ideal choice for those who live in a region with cold summers. Unusually resistant to temperature changes. Tomatoes can be called tomatoes with a clear conscience. They are extremely small in size, but rich in taste.
- Paradise - the variety is characterized by high productivity. Approximately 8 fruits ripen on one cluster. But they are small in size, up to 200 grams.
- Hidalgo F1. They have an oblong fruit shape, have a pleasant aroma, and are bright red in color. These are early ripening tomatoes, the fruits weigh up to 120 grams or approximately that.
- Bull's heart. The fruits of this tomato are simply huge. They can be around 600 grams in size. One tomato! The variety is more suitable for cooking in salads.
- Balcony miracle. It can be grown at home. Breeders understood this and it was thanks to them that this tomato appeared on the seed market. More precisely, its seeds. Does not require garter or pollination. The fruits are very small. Their weight does not exceed 40 g. This is a small bush, undoubtedly. But he is very fertile. You can collect up to 350 grams from one plant. It does not take up much space on your windowsill, but it brings very great benefits, one might even say, enormous. The fruits are very sweet. Children love them.
- Ampel tomato “Red Abundance f1”. This is the name of an early ripening hybrid. It can be grown in containers and baskets. Such a plant does not need a garter, and, for example, the formation of a bush. He also does not need to remove axillary and lateral shoots. They are unpretentious and very easy to care for these tomatoes. Tomato fruits are small, weighing about 25 g. Their size is about 3 cm in diameter. They can be pickled and eaten fresh.
Surely, many summer residents who read this list will be surprised at how different tomatoes can be. Literally, like varieties of grapes, cucumbers or potatoes. The miracles of selection have given everyone the opportunity to try tomatoes of different sizes, colors, and shapes.
You can also watch a video where they will tell you which varieties are preferable to grow in 2022.
What will the harvest be like? This is largely determined by the quality of the seedlings
It is important to comply with all the requirements of growing technology, and seedlings are planting material for future tomatoes. It is possible to obtain good seedlings if you properly prepare the seeds and store them correctly.
For example, there is no need to store them for a long time if the temperature is low. And if we talk about the proper preparation of seeds for planting, then those for whom growing tomatoes is a profession advise pre-soaking the seeds. They need to be soaked in melted biologically active water for at least 18 hours. It is an excellent catalyst for seeds.
Natalya Dryzhakova, collector from Yaroslavl
The collection includes more than 350 varieties.
It's no secret that tomatoes of the same variety in different years of cultivation may differ in taste. And this is due to a number of factors, primarily the growing technology used, nutrition level, soil type, and degree of solar exposure. And yet, to a greater extent, the taste of tomatoes directly depends on the variety they belong to!
I have been growing the varieties that I want to talk about for a very long time.
For several decades now, my legendary old Soviet variety, Bull's Heart, has remained the unsurpassed leader. Popular during the Soviet era and loved by all gardeners, this variety remains a favorite to this day.
This tomato has been in my collection since 1983, and no matter what years I grew it, the variety invariably pleases with its productivity and the unique sweet taste of large, heart-shaped fruits.
Plants of this variety are tall, densely leafy, with large fruits weighing 400-600 g. Tomatoes with dense juicy pulp, rich sweet taste. Good both in salads and for making aromatic juices.
It is preferable to grow in closed ground with the formation of plants with 1-2 stems. It is necessary to tie each fruit cluster to avoid breaking them.
The Monomakh Cap variety is also from a series of classic Soviet varieties - reliable, time-tested and in any weather conditions.
The variety is tall, very productive, with large crimson-colored fruits. The pulp of the fruit is thick, dense texture, rich sweet taste. The fruits are always large - up to 500-600 g, in other years they can reach up to 800-900 g.
In our area (Yaroslavl region), I always grow it in closed ground (nearby greenhouse) with the formation of plants of 1-2 stems. The variety is very responsive to good care, balanced nutrition and fertilizing throughout the growing season.
All the brightness of taste and rich sweetness can only be felt in fruits that are fully ripened on the plant itself, and not in fruits ripened at home on the windowsill.
Among the orange-fruited varieties, one of the leaders in sweetness is the Hawaiian Pineapple. This is a long-time favorite of my collection, I appreciate it for the unusual peach color of the fruit, for its delicate, sweet, aromatic pulp with a predominance of fruity notes.
The variety is tall, I always grow it in closed ground with the formation of plants into 2 stems. Forms clusters with 4-5 large fruits, weighing up to 300-400 g. The pulp inside is two-colored, juicy, with the most delicate sweet taste. I pick the fruits from the plant only when they are fully ripe, then you can fully enjoy the unique taste of these exotic tomatoes.
And how unusually beautiful these plants look in the greenhouse, when at the end of the season, fully loaded brushes with large fruits of a delicate peach color hang on each of them!
I can’t help but name another orange-fruited variety from this series – the Nizami variety. This is an old heirloom variety from Georgia, given to me at the autumn exhibition in 2013.
The variety is tall, mid-season, with an elegant bush structure. The stems of the plants are thin, but strong enough to support large, heart-shaped fruits weighing up to 250-350 g each. The pulp of the fruit is from the “buttery” series, dense, cuts like butter, sweet, with a bright, rich taste.
The variety works better when grown indoors (in our climate zone) and when plants are formed into 2-3 stems. It will thank you for good care, proper agricultural technology and balanced nutrition throughout the growing season with large, sweet, bright orange fruits.
The variety is included in the TOP 10 best sweet varieties every year and has received a permanent residence in my collection.
Tomato seeds from Redko for 2016
A fight with a shadow
An excellent productive variety of tomatoes. Dwarf bushes of the plant reach 80 cm. They have wide, wrinkled, dark green leaves. Red round fruits with a low juice content with green and gold stripes and a purple coating weighing 80-100 grams are not only juicy, but also tasty. The variety is not afraid of diseases and adverse weather conditions.
Shauna's yellow dwarf
It amazes with its bright lemon color. The fruits are large, fleshy, weighing 100-300 grams. Dwarf bushes, up to one meter, give an excellent harvest.
Burning Beauty
The name of the dwarf tomato variety is not accidental. A distinctive feature of these tomatoes is their bright orange-yellow color. The leaves of this variety are similar to potato leaves. Small tomatoes weighing up to 120 grams are sweet and pleasant.
Husky
The unusual Husky red cherry variety is suitable for growing in pots and containers and produces excellent yields. It has small fruits weighing 20 grams in the form of red balls, and is not afraid of diseases.
Legend
A low-growing, early variety developed in Oregon, it has strong late blight resistance. The peculiarity of these tomatoes is their strong aroma. Its fruits are red and flat-round.
A small bit of happiness
The early tomato variety Little Joy can surprise with its exquisite heart shape. Small bushes up to half a meter high produce high yields of sweet raspberry tomatoes weighing from 100 to 150 grams. Valentina Redko proudly offered these tomato seeds for 2016. The proposed variety has such excellent qualities.
Valentines
The tomato variety gets its name from its heart shape. It produces pink fruits weighing 150-300 grams. The variety is considered medium-growing and mid-ripening.
Winnie the Pooh
Will please you with a high harvest. The bushes of the plant reach a height of 180 cm. The raspberry-pink fruits are large and elongated, dense and fleshy.
Dutchman
Amazingly beautiful, slightly ribbed tomatoes with a silvery tint. They are tall, mid-season, weighing more than a kilogram. The pulp is sweet, with a minimal amount of seeds.
Soldacki
The tall Soldatski variety with potato-type leaves is no less beautiful. Its fruits are bright crimson and fleshy. They weigh more than 0.5 kg.
Super Bomb
The red tomato variety can be grown in open ground. The fruits are distinguished by their plasticity, good taste and high quality. The plant has a height of 80-150 cm.
Tomato
Very sweet and beautiful heart-shaped tomatoes. The plant is medium-late, tall. Produces fruits weighing 700-1000 g with starchy and fleshy pulp.
Chepasik
The boat-shaped red tomatoes, bred in Maryland, have an exquisite structure. The fruits are large, 300-500 gr.
Burlak Minusinsky
A variety of tall, mid-ripening tomatoes. Produces round, red fruits. The pride of the collection of tomato seeds from Redko for 2016.
Gail
A bountiful harvest can be obtained by growing aromatic and sweet tomatoes of this variety. They are classified as medium-sized and mid-season. The fruits are round, lemon-yellow.
Golden girl
These tomatoes are multiple winners of Chicago exhibitions. They are recognized for their specific sweet-spicy taste.
Orange Crash
Mid-ripening tall tomatoes produce medium-sized orange-colored fruits. The variety is valued for its juicy, fleshy, sweet fruits.
Boar tooth
Mid-early, tall, brown-red striped tomatoes with thin foliage. They have elongated fruits that look like icicles. They are famous for their excellent harvest.
Fire eggs
Sweet, tall, early, pear-shaped tomatoes. Beautiful fruits weigh 80-100 grams.
You can view the complete collection of tomato seeds from Redko here
Indeterminate (tall) varieties of tomatoes
Unspecified plants have no growth restrictions. In greenhouse conditions, these tomatoes can be grown for more than a year. They can also be grown in open space with reference to Palików and the pole.
The following varieties are distinguished:
Aventune. Average mature index. Seeds obtained from Canada. The variety is recommended for growing in a greenhouse. The best effect is obtained by cultivating 1-2 shoots. Tomatoes weighing about 400 g, slightly flattened with a slight ribbed, pink color. Good for salads and juices. Her tomatoes are very tasty and produce good yields.
Aventunyay. Medium-term suspension indet.
American extended. Ripe medium variety. Best growth in a sheltered location. The plant reaches a height of 180 cm and will require 3 shoots. Its pink, heart-shaped fruit weighs about 200g.
American long lasting variety
Pineapple pig. Bush reaches a height of up to 2 meters, should be grown in 2 shoots. Best grown in southern regions or in a greenhouse, it then shows its deep yellow color. The fruits are flattened and weigh up to 350-400 g.
Armenia. Popular in America and Europe. Almost sweet bicolor tomato in the catalog. Orange fruit with pink red, flexible and juicy, weighing up to 500 g. It reaches a height of 180 cm, grows in 2 shoots.
Datsosta Portuguese. Average mature index. The shrub reaches a height of 2 m. Resistant to bad weather conditions. Its dark pink fruits reach a weight of up to 800 g, with crisp, sweet flesh. Its taste is sweet, with a real, intense tomato flavor.
Datsosta Portuguese tomato
Tomato Beef Spaceman. VD Popenko seeds received from the creator I.M.M. Maslov. The variety is quite old and popular. Unspecified variety, oval, red fruits, weight up to 350 g, with a pleasant tomato taste.
Santa Cruz. Strongly inferior to the shrub, medium late, not very demanding in relation to weather conditions and planting sites, but in the northern regions it is better to grow in a greenhouse. It is resistant to Fytoftor. Fruit in the form of red cream weighing up to 70-80 g, ideal for pickling.
Vesuvius burning. Unidentified, late tomato variety. Golden up to 2 m in the open area. The fruits are trapezoidal in shape with pimples on the top and weigh on average 30 g. Long shelf life. Sweet taste.
Tomato Mountain. weaver
Working edition of the paste. Popular Italian medium late indet. Tomatoes up to 0.5 kg in the form of pink hearts. Taste and performance are excellent. The flesh is compact, aromatic, slightly sour, but not very juicy. Good for salads, sauces. The shrub is practically free from diseases.
2018 hit parade of the best varieties of tomatoes
In 2022, collectors, in particular Redko from the Kurgan region, advise choosing the following varieties:
- A fight with a shadow. This is a very productive variety. The bushes of the plant are maximum 80 cm. The leaves are dark green, somewhat wrinkled. They are relatively wide. The fruits of this variety are red, they have stripes of golden and greenish shades. They also have a purple coating. Tomatoes vary in weight. From 80 to 100 grams. If we talk about the pulp of the fruit, then, surprisingly, it contains little juice. Another unusual characteristic is that tomatoes have excellent resistance to changes in temperature and atmosphere; this cucumber is also resistant to diseases.
- Burning beauty. What's special about these tomatoes? Their characteristic feature is an orange-yellow hue, unusual for tomatoes. And their leaves are more like potato leaves. They weigh about 120 grams.
- Husky. It is recommended to first plant tomato seeds of this variety in flower pots or containers. His harvest is high. But very small fruits. Their weight does not exceed 20 grams. Resistant to most diseases.
- Shauna's yellow dwarf. What's special about them? They are bright yellow in color. They themselves are fleshy and quite large. The maximum weight of tomatoes of this variety is 300 grams. But it is possible that there are larger “representatives”, but they are not registered.
- A small bit of happiness. These tomatoes have an unusual shape, it is in the shape of a heart. They taste sweet. Weight: about 100 grams. Sometimes there are up to 150 grams. What size are the bushes? They can grow up to 50 cm.
- Legend. The fruits ripen equally, but the plant grows small. The variety has American roots. This type of tomato has a very strong aroma. The plant is not afraid of late blight; it has excellent resistance to it. What else can I say about them? They have a flat-round shape. They are the usual color for tomatoes - bright red.
Tomato seeds from Popenko and Myazina
Experienced breeders are Popenko and Myazina, who propose to grow seeds of the following tomato varieties in 2022:
- Craiova. Its characteristic feature is round-the-clock fruiting, but only with proper maintenance. Usually the weight of tomatoes does not exceed 100 g;
- Mongolian dwarf. It is considered very popular because it can bear fruit and grow in difficult conditions. The bush produces red round tomatoes weighing about 200 g;
- Renet. It is considered a super-early ripening species. Allows dense planting. Produces fruits weighing no more than 100 g. Characterized by resistance to various weather conditions.
- Tyimyr. Refers to ultra-early and adaptive plants that are not afraid of frost. Forms round and red tomatoes weighing about 90 g;
- Sub-Arctic. Characteristic are very small, round and red fruits weighing no more than 50 g;
- Sweet solano. Brought from America. It is orange in color and weighs about 45 g.
These are the most prominent representatives of the collection of Popenko and Myazina.
Tomato seeds from collector Gusev for 2016
Tiny Tom (Micro Tom)
We’ll start Gusev’s collection of tomato seeds for 2016 with an early variety of small tomatoes that produces an excellent harvest. The variety does not form stepsons. Adapts well to growing in a pot on a sunny veranda or balcony. In open ground it develops well under cover. Cherry fruits have a sweet taste and are very beautiful.
Liliput Yellow
The variety ripens early and does not form stepsons. Small bushes will grow well and decorate a sunny terrace or balcony. It is better to grow in a pot, in tomato soil. The fruits are of all shades of yellow, sweetish and tasty.
Tumbling Tom Yellow
An early ripening, very productive ampelous variety, does not take steps. Grows well on terraces or balconies, as well as in open ground. Needs temporary film shelter. Fragrant fruits have a pleasant taste.
Cherry Cascad
An ampelous, early-ripening, non-sprouting variety. They perfectly decorate open structures; they also grow well on ridges, spreading along the ground. In the latter case, temporary shelter is needed. Miniature, no larger than a cherry in diameter, beautiful fruits of bright red color are formed in large quantities. They are tasty and aromatic. Up to 1000 tomatoes ripen on one bush! Cherry Falls has received so many rave reviews from gardeners that in 2016 the collector also included the seeds of these tomatoes in his catalog.
New York guy (NewYorker)
A variety from the outskirts of the metropolis. Determinate and early ripening. Low, stocky bushes are hung with large, fragrant and tasty fruits; Americans nicknamed them beefsteaks for their juiciness.
Norwood Meiners
The variety was bred by a historian, an avid gardener and breeder, and was named in his honor. Tall bushes bear perfectly round fruits of good presentation. The tomatoes have a pleasant taste, as if they were made for canning.
Gold Medal (Golden Medal Yellow)
An indeterminate variety, cultivated since the early 20s of the last century. The fruits are large, original orange-yellow in color and pink streaks at the bottom. The fruits are sugary when broken.
Lily of the valley (Brin de Muguet)
French tall variety of cherry tomatoes. The shape of the fruit is oval with a pointed tip. Well suited for canning whole, they also have a long shelf life when fresh.
Blue Beauty
Tall, mid-season, very productive variety. Large pink-purple fruits have the classic taste of tomatoes.
The Gusevs' tomato house and their new varieties are here
