As my Mother-in-law takes ownership for saying: “Every last year…the better”. It seems every year provides us with more challenges to grow our favorite vegetables. We can’t solve them all, but we can try to offer tomato varieties that will function…literally thrive in adversity like a shorter growing season and even cooler than normal “chilly” weather. Some here might even fit in pots!

Will remain online for educational purposes. Operating on a “Hobby” basis.

Occasionally we may have “extra” seed. Pkts. marked below. If nothing marked...then it is “N/A”.

1. Alaskan Fancy – Earliest production on 3ft. tall plants offering 5-6 oz. red fruits, super heavy, loaded with juice, on vigorous vines. Fruits are unique, having a slightly “squarish/roundish/slightly elongated” form. Determinate 55 days     Pkt…$3.00
   
2. Bellstar – One of our own! Dev. by Dr. Jack Metcalf at the Smithfield Experimental Farm in Ontario, Canada. Just happens to be a “jointless” (pick without stems) Northern favorite. The fruits are 4 – 6oz. squarish/round and red. Plants offer a concentrated early set at 65 days. Det.  
   
3. Brookpac – from Stan Zabrowski, Prairie River, Sask. Canada. Reselection by Bert Porter of Parkside, Sask. Over 30 years ago from a plant dev. in Alberta. Very popular here with its perfectly round, delicious 6-10 oz., red fruits…quite a display. Plants are prolific, yet remain quite small (<16″) in height…great var. for limited spaces. I have trialed this one several times. It is a personal favorite for everything it consistently offers. Determinate 60 days       Pkt…$3.00
4. Canabec Super – from the USDA, from the 1970’s tomato breeding program in Quebec. Plants will produce fruits (and set flowers…) better in cooler weather. Fruits are pinkish-red, round and very juicy. Determinate 55 days   
   
5. Cold Set – came out of the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph, Ontario. Was introduced in 1961. It has been trialed in both the Peace River district (Northern Alberta) and Texas. Plants are capable of setting fruit in both…extreme heat AND cold. Fruits are red, medium-sized and globe-like. Could possibly be sown directly into the garden and still finish here in “Siberia”, Manitoba! Determinate 58 days
6. Earlirouge – Another from the tomato breeding program in Ontario, Canada. Determinate.     
   
7. Early Wonder – another very compact (<20″) tomato variety. 6 oz. deep rose/red, perfectly round fruits are produced in much abundance. Flavor is impressive for one so small with full bodied flavor like a real big red. It has certainly earned this name! Det. 54 days     Pkt…$3.00
   
8. Farthest North – Dev. at the Univ. of Guelph in 1940 for cool weather growing.  
   
9. German Dwarf – (aka German Bushy) From Russia. Sturdy “rugous” bushy plants, bearing great numbers of red 2-2/2”, globe-like fruits in clusters of 2 to 5 in each cluster. The flavor is very well balanced…acid to sugar. The plants grow no greater than 24” and pack quite a punch! Determinate 45-60 days
10. Latah – developed at Latah County @ the University of Idaho. Named after Dr. Boe. A very bright red tomato that averages about 2” across. The flavor is good, considering that it is an early variety. Some say better. Rumor says it can be seeded when soils are warm outside & still finish in time for a good fall harvest. Considering so many tomato volunteers that appear in late spring, maybe even cold soils are acceptable for this one. Fruits are tasty with good acid/sugar balance. Odd looking bushes ( these grow to 24” tall) with widely spaced leaves. Determinate 45 days from transplants & 60 days from seed       Pkt….$3.00
11. Lucky Leprechaun – an Irish heirloom, dates back to the early 1900’s. Plants grow only to 20”, producing rugose foliage and great yields. Can be found loaded with dozens of ping pong sized bright scarlet red fruits when you least expect it. The 2” fruits are exceptional tasty, old-fashioned flavor, packing 9/10 in taste tests. I grew this one over 10 years ago and instantly fell in love with it when I discovered it was the 1st of the season. Then I lost my seed source for this variety and have been looking ever since. Thanks to my friend, Micki….I have this “babe”, once more. AND it does hold a candle to the original! Perfect for pots, small gardens and patios. Determinate 60 days   Pkt…$3.00
    
12. Manitoba – developed in Manitoba. Bright red fruits weigh about 4-7oz (180g), are crack resistant and have a strong old-fashioned tomato flavor. The 3 ft. vines are non-stalking, being very reliable for Northern gardens. A trait of this variety is that its fruits will ripen all at once. Determinate 60 days       Pkt…$3.00
    
13. Moskvich – means “Moscow inhabitant” in Russian. Developed in early the 1970’s by the Vavilov Genetic Institute of Moscow. Later was picked up by a seed-saver in Eastern Siberia and sent to NA in 1991. The suppliers were impressed with the hardiness, size and taste. The compact bushes are only 45cm (17”) tall, producing a reliable yield of fruits that reach between 4 to 10oz each. Flesh and skin is deep red and the texture is smooth. Excellent flavor. Plants start very early and continue until frost arrives. Ind. 55-65 days
14. Nenevah – I have been told this one came from Iraq! Thank you! What a great producer! Very early, offering medium-sized semi-flat deep red fruits in a 3-5 clustered form. Was found to be very tasty with skins that were tough (like Roma…) and flesh wall was thicker than normal. However all in all, very juicy. Plants were not too tall…about 2 ft. Ind. 65 days      Limited    Pkt…$3.00
15. Northern Delight – Breeder/vendor…Idaho Ag. Exp. Sta., Moscow. Parentage: Pixie x Sub-Arctic Early in 1989. Obtained from Sand Hill Pres. Center in 2009. A smaller bush type plant, offering loads of smallish red salad like fruits, each slightly elongated, 1-2 oz. with 5-6 fruits in a cluster and 2 seed cavities in each fruit. Flesh is very juicy, very acidic. Fruits in each cluster will ripen all at once, holding well till duty is done! Here is your home-grown “red-tomato-on-a vine”, just like in the store @ 1/10th the $ price! Loves cool weather and is a heavy producer. Det. 65 days     Limited   Pkt…$3.00
16. Oregon Spring – Developed by DR. James Baggett of the Oregon State University. Red fruits are round, flattish, about 8oz, juicy, tender with full flavor. First fruits are seedless. Another cold-tolerant variety that is not effected by longer than normal, periods of cooler weather. Plants are compact…about 2 ft. Determinate 58 days    Limited  Pkt…$3.00
    
17. Pembina – was produced in 1973 @ Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Plants are great yielders, but the fruit is on the smaller side. Classed as small/medium…about 4oz globed and red skinned. Plants are short. Det. 60 days    
    
18. Polar Baby – here is a cold weather tomato that was developed by John Holm up in Alaska’s interior. 18″ to 24″ determinate plants produce some of the heaviest crops I have ever seen. Clusters of 2 to 3 oz. sized fruits are sweet/acidic, being well flavored for one produced so far North. Det. 50 days
19. Polar Star – Originally from ? New Zealand. A really cute semi-determinate plant growing no taller than 16″ in my garden trials of the last few years. Fruits are small, about 4oz., red with firm skin and no cracking noted. Just loaded! Very early…52 days
20. Sasha’s Altai (Pride) – (I will share some history in another blog…as it is a very beautiful story!) Original heirloom obtained from Sasha Stavrov of Irkutsk, Siberia in the Siberian Altai Mountains that border China. A regular beefsteak type, that offers thin skinned, scarlet red, 6 oz. sweet and mild fruits. Bushy plants are very cool weather tolerant, disease-resistant with lacy-looking leafed vines. Extremely productive for semi-determinate plants. 55 days   Pkt…$3.00
21. Siberia – Smuggled from Russia by a traveler in 1975 and given to a Canadian Greenhouse operator in Alberta. Capable of setting fruit at 38F (2C). Not frost hardy, no tomato plants are! Stout healthy plants are small, bushy, with rugose foliage and will sprawl, if not tied up. Produces bright red 3-7oz sized fruits in clusters of 30+ in each cluster! Not bad for a chilly one! Determinate 48 days! Det. 65 days
22. Siberian – Back for 2025! from Lowden collection. (they SAY…more superior in all qualities to Siberia) Seeing as the above mentioned has a Canadian connection, I will remain partial to it! However, having said that, this one originated from Russia, too. Introduced to the US by O.T. Graham in 1964. Plants too, very bushy and small. Offering up tremendous yields of 2oz red, egg-shaped fruits with good strong flavor. Determinate 58 days (HA!….”Siberia” beat theirs by 10 days!) Now the battle begins! Det. 68 days     Pkt….$3.00
23. Siletz – developed by Dr. James Baggett of the Oregon State University. It appears this is an improved version of the original “Oregon Spring”. The 1st fruits remain seedless and then others contain seed. It continues to be a cool weather producer, so can be planted quite early. Fruits, however are much larger….10-12 oz and are on the acidic side. Yields are not as great as the latter, but will do. Great size for one so early. Determinate 60 days
24. Stupice – hails from the Morzuich section of the Czech Republic. Extremely early cold-tolerant tomato variety that bears an abundance of 2 to 3oz flavorful and very sweet scarlet red fruits. In an 1988, a taste test in the San Francisco Bay area, “Stupice” rated first in flavor and production. An average of 87 fruits were picked per plant! A long season producer. Plants have the potato-leaf gene AND are quite small in stature. Many growers demand this one to be on their “hit” list for their gardens. Ind. 52-58 days       Limited   Pkt…$3.00
    
25. Sub-Arctic Plenty – (aka World’s Earliest) Developed by Dr. Harris of the Beaverlodge Research Station in Beaverlodge, Alberta, Canada. (Others are claiming that it was dev. by the US military to supply tomatoes to troops stationed in Greenland! I hate to say this, but when did the military have time to garden, never mind dabble in plants!?) It has been trialed in the southern Yukon. Compact plants produce small red fruits of 2”. One of the best to grow in cool conditions….will set fruit at far-lower temperatures than most. Determinate 50 days     Pkt…$3.00
    
26. Yukon – seeds were originally obtained from Kelowna, BC. Plants like cooler weather, producing poorer in hot conditions. Because plants are so small, could be grown in large pots to extend the season, both ways. Determinate 55 days