tomato species for western and northern midatlantic

While researching a tomatoe that Im trying to grow,I ran across the following cultivars that I think may work in the colder regions of our area.They are the
cultivars siberian,artic and subartic.These have been designed to work in colder areas with a very short growing season.I cant verify their growth and or taste properties.By november I might be able to though.Im not sure if I have the space in my spring/summer garden.I am for a fact going to try these this fall however.Note look for early season tomatoes.Notice Id leave a direct link.I cant as all the links are commercial.I also for some reason cant seem to produce the link here.I cant seem to code it correctly.Eureka Ive found the way to link them.[Tried to hard,coding by hand again]
http://www.seedstrust.com/has/highaltitudeseeds.html
http://www.seedstrust.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=ST&Category_Code=tosi
Note seed trust has entire articles and products for high altitude gardening.


This message was edited Mar 9, 2007 12:12 PM

This message was edited Mar 9, 2007 1:05 PM

I used to get their catalog years ago. The problem with the cold tolerant tomatoes is that they're probably not going to bear at all in our hot, humid summers. You might want to check with the folks in the tomato forum. Carolyn Male, who wrote the definitive heirloom tomato book, often replies and I think she's tried every tomato on earth.

Keep in mind, too, their high altitude makes ours look like a wrinkle in the sand. LOL

I'm trying Stupice this year, another Russian heirloom that bears early and receives high marks for taste compared to other earlies. I'm assuming it will be good for early tomatoes but won't do much after the summer heat arrives.

I've grown Black Krim and Black from Tula, also Russian heirlooms. They aren't early and did okay in the summer but some years have been a bit watery and bland.

I see a lot of German Johnson plants at the smaller plant places and it must be grown a lot here. Also one sometimes called German Yellow that I think is the same as Old German sold at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.

You might want to check out SESE's catalog. They're a Virginia company, specialize in heirlooms and have a lot of varieties that do well in Virginia.

Hart, you're correct about the cold tolerant tomatoes. They will experience a melt down come summer. The problem in our area is not the high temp its the high humidity. It makes the pollen clump and then you get blossoms but no 'maters.

There is a thread in the Tomato Forum with info on this subject. Read it last year sometime, but couldn't find it again.

Actually, it's the heat too. I've seen varying temperatures reported but this is from Virginia Tech:

Temperature and Humidity. Daytime temperatures above 90°F and night temperatures above 70°F result in reduced flowering and fruit set. There is considerable evidence that night temperature is the critical factor in setting tomato fruit, the optimal range being 59° to 68°F. With night temperatures much below or above this critical range, fruiting is reduced or absent. Low temperatures reduce the production and viability of pollen. High temperature, especially if accompanied by low humidity and moisture, hinders fruit set through failure in pollination and/or fertilization.

I've had some luck with getting decent fruit set in the hot summer using blossom set spray.

Here is a link to the "tomatoes I will grow next year" thread. It's a loooong thread. CentralVA, you may find someone in your zone and see what they're planning on growing and why.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/644309/

Thanks for the tips on what cultivars of early set will work.Thanks for the link on canning tomatoes.[you'll call them sauce tomatoes].I can see the problems and can avoid wasting my garden space.
Hart you are so right about temps and humidity.I think that the night time temps ,may have as much, if not more to do ,with production,than
day time temps.The reason I say this comes from the comparsion of
gardening where I was raised and here in central va.Where I was raised the summer night time temps rarely exceded 68.Although the daytime temps were just as hot as Richmonds.Yet we almost always
achieved a good harvest.I cant say my harvest here has been as consistant.Thanks Id never heard of blossom jet spray.
I think you may have solved a mystery for me.I have tried to find the cultivar we planted years ago.Your description of german yellow sounds like what Ive been looking for.

I grew about 8 varieties last year(Brandywine, Purple Cherokee, Mortgage Lifter, Yellow pear, Lemon Boy, Black Krim, a cherry (not sure which variety), & Sungold), & the only one that was consistently productive was Sungold. I also think that warm nights affected the tomatoes in our area. I can't wait to start planting tomatoes this year-I'm going to divide them between earthboxes, homemade earthboxes (self-watering containers made from plastic totes), large conventional containers, & in the ground.

thistle5
Youve got your work cut out for you.Good luck Im sure the ways you are planting will ensure sucess.As for me Im putting them in the ground.Too many species started not to do it that way.Plus I have cats.Its already hard enough to keep them out of the seedlings.Actually one of them has already turned my tray
over.The plants oddly enough made it.I cant say the same for their identifying tags however.Needless to say Im now growing mystery plants.Have not a clue as to the actual cultivar on a number of them.