All Varieties for 2016

To see varieties by type, click on the drop down menu.

 

1884   (78 days) A great old-time favourite said to have been discovered by James Lyde Williamson near Friendly, W. Virginia in the flood debris from the Ohio Rover in 1884. Seed from this heirloom produce vigorous, regular leaf tomato plants that yield 1-2 lb. dark pink, flavourful fruit. A good choice when you want a relatively early maturing full size tomato. Indeterminate.

 

Abe Lincoln   (87 days) This American heirloom produces good yields of large, meaty dark red tomatoes. A multipurpose tomato that resists cracking.

 

Aker’s West Virginia   (85 days) A fast growing favourite with seed savers. The reason- wonderful old time flavour that is bold and intense. Attractive flattish 10-20 oz. beefsteaks are deep red and are a real joy to eat. Plants are also productive, very hardy with great disease resistance.

 

Alleghany Sunset (78 days)  An excellent flavoured 12-16 oz yellow/red streaked tomato with a uniform round shape. Very meaty, heavy with only a few seeds. Indeterminate.

 

Amana Orange  (90 days)A very large heirloom beefsteak tomato from the Amana Colonies in Iowa. Regular leaf plants produce an abundance of light-orange fluted  tomatoes that can reach 2 pounds or more. Some describe their flavour as “tropical, fruity.” A very popular tomato. Indeterminate.

 

Amazon Chocolate  (80 days) These potato leaf plants produce lots of gorgeous 3-4″ oval brownish garnet fruits with dusty purple tops. Flavour is outstanding; very intense and earthy with the perfect amount of sugars. Indeterminate.

 

Amish Paste (80 days) Amish heirloom discovered in Wisconsin. A large paste variety that is extremely tasty and excellent for canning, sauces and salsa. Is also excellent eaten fresh. Meaty with few seeds. Indeterminate.

 

Andrew Rahart’s Jumbo Red (80 days) This beefsteak has exceptional taste and aroma; a great slicer that is very dense and meaty. Andrew Rahart lived North of New York city and collected seeds from the local immigrants. This one is a mainstay. Indeterminate.

 

Anna Russian (65 days) Heart shaped fruit are a sweet and juicy pinkish red with very high yields. Fruits average about 1 lb. Indeterminate.

 

Aunt Ginny’s Purple  ( 75-85 days) Some say the taste of this tomato rivals the great Pink Brandywine. Potato-leafed plants produce 12-16 oz reddish pink, sweet and juicy fruit. One of the most beautiful and interesting varieties with a great taste. Indeterminate.

 

Aunt Ruby’s German Green (80 days) Reportedly from Ruby Arnold of Greenville, Tennessee. Beefsteak sized fruits are five inches in diameter and weigh one pound or more. Sweet juicy, refreshingly spicy flavour. A southern favourite for making fried green tomatoes. Indeterminate.

 

Baxter’s Bush Cherry (60 days) Very tasty 1″ bright red cherry. Great for snacking or salads. Vigorous and productive. Determinate growth habit with eliminated the need for staking. Works well in the topsy turvy tomato growing systems. Determinate.

 

Bear Claw (85 days) Extremely large pink beefsteak tomatoes with good flavour—perfect for a great tomato sandwich. Indeterminate.

 

Beaverlodge Slicer (55 days) Very early, with a wonderful sweet/tart taste. Plants are loaded with smooth blemish-free fruit. Perfect for containers or hanging baskets. Determinate.

 

Beefsteak (90 days) A very old standard variety. Fruits are large, meaty, ribbed and deep scarlet . Weights average 12 oz. Fairly soft skinned for easy slicing. Indeterminate.

 

Big Rainbow (80-85 days) A spectacular large bicolour beefsteak with slight ribbing. This heirloom has a mottled orange and red exterior with brilliant coloured gold and red flesh.  This low acid, firm meaty tomato packs a good old-fashioned, juicy tomato taste. Big Rainbow has vigorous vines and good disease resistance. Indeterminate.

 

Black Cherry (64 days) This dark  1” tomato is a pure burst of delicious smoky flavour, especially when eaten straight off the vine.  Large, vigorous plants, indeterminate.

 

Black Giant ( 80 days)  Seed savers have been raving about the flavour of this black beauty. The deep purple black fruit ranges from 4-14 oz with olive shoulders. This may be one of the darkest blacks. Hot summers intensify the interior colours of pink, rose, russet, grey and violet. Very good yield all summer. Indeterminate.

 

Black Krim (80 days) Russian tomato named for the isle of Krim in the Black Sea. Slightly flattened 4-5″ globes up to 1.5 lb with dark greenish black shoulders. Excellent slightly smoky, salty flavour. Indeterminate.

 

Black Pineapple (aka Ananas Noire) (80 days) Ever wonder what the northern lights taste like? This tomato will let you know. Sweet, fruity, rich, smoky-it’s complex flavour reflects the spectrum of deep red-purple, green, yellow and pinkish red that you see. This is a large multi-coloured beefsteak with wonderful taste. Indeterminate.

 

Bonny Best (70-80 days)  An America  old-timer introduced in 1908 in Alabama with wonderful old-fashioned flavour. Produces an abundance of 6-10 oz. red fruit on a medium-sized plant. A great slicer. Indeterminate.

 

Box Car Willie (80 days) Perfect round red, medium to large tomatoes, extremely tasty and dependable. We first grew this tomato in a drought year, and it did wonderfully. A favourite of many. Indeterminate.

 

Brandywine, Pink (Sudduth strain)  (90 days) Considered the original Brandywine tomato. Similar to the red version except this one has the characteristic potato-leafed foliage. Same great taste for this large pink fruit. Indeterminate.

 

Brandywine, Red (Landis valley strain)(80 days) One of the most famous heirlooms (1885, Amish), the winner of many taste tests with bright tangy flavour. Large beefsteak type, up to 1 lb., ideal for slices, salads and sandwiches. Not a heavy producer. Long vines. Indeterminate.

 

Brimmer (85 days) Prize winning large plants produce 8 oz pink/purple, meaty fruit. A low acid tomato with a good tomato flavour balance. Indeterminate.

 

Brookpact ( 60 days) This early red is good for those with limited space. Plants tend to be small and neat but produce lots of large 6-10 oz fruit.

 

Brown Cherry (75 days) A rich bronze coloured Russian heirloom producing heavy yields of golf-ball sized fruit. Its great flavour has won many taste tests.. Indeterminate.

 

Caspian Pink (80 days) 1900 heirloom. This is the variety that beat Brandywine in recent taste tests!! Originally from Russia, 11 oz fruits. Great for slicing or dicing in a salad. Ripens from the  bottom up so it is best to pick while still under-ripe. A balanced taste, sweet, succulent and juicy. Indeterminate.

 

Chadwick’s Cherry (72 days) An heirloom variety that has been grown for over 100 years. Plants produce high yields of small 1” red cherry tomatoes which grow in clusters. Sweet-tart flavour. Perfect for snacking or salads. Indeterminate.

 

Cherokee Chocolate  (70 days) Similar to Cherokee Purple, this tomato is a 12 oz fruit  with the characteristic dusky purple colouring with less green shouldering. Has a wonderful juicy sweet but tangy flavour.  Indeterminate.

 

Droplet (60 days) Very productive small red fruit; about an inch long with a point on the bottom. Perfect for salads, can easily be grown in large pots. Determinate.

 

Druzba  (74 days) An old Bulgarian heirloom – Often considered one of the finest heirlooms available, this variety is a heavy producer of 4” smooth, blemish free, juicy, dark red fruits that have a sweet yet tart flavour. A bonus is its early maturation and its disease resistance; a highly adaptable tomato which makes it a wonderful all-round choice for fresh eating or canning. Indeterminate.

 

Earl of Edgecombe (80 days) A beautiful round, large yellow meaty tomato with a smooth creamy flavour.  Grows well in both dry and cold weather, resistant to cracking and blossom end rot. A staple in our garden. Compact plant. Indeterminate.

 

Ernie’s Plump (80 days) An Italian saucer tomato that cooks down to the reddest, richest, most flavourful sauce ever! But just as delicious straight out of the garden. 8-12 oz fruits are a most unique shape: “plump” double pears with a tiny blossom scar. Extreme producer. A very popular plum type.

 

Ethel Watkins Best ( 69-80 days) Round red, perfect fruit, 4-8 oz., juicy with an excellent sweet refreshing flavour. We love these in a salad and on bread. A favourite on our farm. Indeterminate.

 

Federle  (85 days)A long narrow paste tomato with very few seeds that does extremely well in drought conditions. Rich and full tasting, it is one of our staple tomatoes for sauces, salsas and canning. Indeterminate.

 

Garden Peach  (78 days) An heirloom from Peru, this regular leaf plant returns a high yield of small round 2 – 4 ” yellow peachy blush fruit with peach like fuzz on fruit and leaves. Excellent refreshing sweet flavour. Good keeper. Indeterminate.

 

Gardener’s Delight (70 days) Large red cherry tomato with good yields in clusters on a large plant. Very sweet and juicy. Indeterminate.

 

Ghost Cherry  A nice very pale variety about 1-1/2 oz. Pick before they turn yellow. Lovely delicate flavour – low acid. Indeterminate.

 

Gigantesque (75 days) This rare Russian variety was originally from the Ukraine. The regular-leaf plants produce a heavy yield of 1-2 lb orange-red, beefsteak tomatoes with a meaty flesh with very few seeds and a wonderful robust flavour. Indeterminate.

 

Gilbertie Paste (85 days) A long, narrow paste tomato with thick meaty flesh that is perfect for sauces, salsas, canning and grilling. Full rich taste. A favourite in our garden. Indeterminate.

 

Glamour  (74 days) Very popular old variety originally marketed by Joseph Harris Co., Rochester, New York in 1957. Strong, medium to large-sized firm tomato with good taste and crack tolerance.  Interesting habit of growing large leaves that bend down to support the plant. Indeterminate.

 

Golden Cherry (63 days) Incredibly sweet small cherry tomatoes in abundance, perfect for snacking on in the garden, sprinkling on salads or pasta. Indeterminate.

 

Gold Nuggett Cherry (54 days) This extra early variety produces prolific quantities of golden 1″ oval cherry tomatoes that have a deliciously complex yet sweet flavour. A great snacking tomato. Indeterminate.

 

Great White (85 days) This 1860 American heirloom is one of the largest creamy white with a pale pink blush beefsteak type tomatoes The plants are very productive and the fruit is sweet and juicy. Crack resistant and very hardy.  Indeterminate.

 

Green Grape (70 days) Ripe green-yellow 1” tomatoes in abundant grape-like clusters of 6-12 tomatoes. Pleasant sweet-tart taste with little seed. Does well in dry conditions; easy but untidy growth. Semi-indeteterminate.

 

Green Zebra (Not technically an heirloom – developed in 1985  by California tomato breeder Tom Wagner.) (75-80 days) Yellow and green 3″ fruits with dark green vertical stripes. Emerald green flesh is juicy, sweet, zingy, yet mild. A bit exotic. Semi-determinate.

 

Harbinger (55-60 days)  Terrific flavour, reliable, lots per plant of medium-sized, thin-skinned  fruit. Introduced 1910. Does well in cool areas. Indeterminate.

 

Hungarian Giant (85 days) This popular variety produces deep scarlet giant 1-1/2 to 2 lb fruit with a nice strong tomato flavour – the perfect choice for your big fat tomato sandwiches. Indeterminate.

 

Hungarian Italian (75 days) An excellent producer of dark red paste tomatoes. Heavy yield and fruit keep well off the vine. Indeterminate.

 

Italian Heirloom (70-80 days) This classic Italian heirloom produces tomato plants that yield 12-16 oz., beautiful, red, meaty, slightly pear-shaped tomatoes with all the rich, complex, sweet flavours with good acid balance. Indeterminate.

 

Japanese Black Trifele (80 days) A Russian potato-leafed heirloom. One of the best tasting blacks with high yielding plants producing red-brown 6 oz fruit. This meaty pear-shaped fruit should be harvested while the shoulders are still green. Great in salads and for salsas. Indeterminate.

 

Jaune Flamme (70 days) Prolific French heirloom that bears in clusters of 9 or 10, beautiful, 1-1/2 inch, round golf-ball sized tomatoes that are persimmon-orange coloured inside and out. A delicious, tangy, full-bodied flavour that is great for snacking and salads. I consider this the best tasting tomato we grow. Indeterminate.

 

Kalinka  (50 days) A Belarussian tomato that is very early and productive. The red blemish free fruit are medium size and are produced in clusters. This nice flavoured regular leafed tomato is popular for fresh eating and early canning and a good variety for container growing. Determinate.

 

Kellogg’s Breakfast (70-80 days) Very large, oblate shaped orange fruit that are both meaty and juicy. Wonderful flavour; our earliest orange tomato. Indeterminate.

 

Kenosha (80 days) Red paste type fruit, 6-8 oz. High yield with outstanding excellent flavour, very meaty with few seeds. Ind.

 

Lemon Drop (60 days) Miniature yellow cherry tomatoes with good eating quality-contrasts nicely with the red cherry types. Vigorous vines. Indeterminate.

 

Ludmilla’s Red Plum (80 days) Orginally for Kazakhstan, this wonderful heirloom was grown by a lady named Ludmilla for over 50 years. The 6-10 oz. fruit are red and very tasty, with the wispy foliage typical of long paste tomatoes. Great for canning or slicing. Indeterminate.

 

Manitoba (60 days) Developed in Manitoba, this 6 oz bright red tomato is very smooth with a slightly flattened appearance. Bush-like plants are very productive yet stay relatively small.  Resistant to cracking. Good for the topsy turvy tomato growing systems. Determinate – so does not need staking.

 

Mariana’s Peace (75 days) Large pink heirloom with Czechoslovakian origin.Tomatoes are oddly shaped and incredibly tasty. Does well in drought conditions in our garden. Indeterminate.

 

Matt’s Wild Cherry (60 days) A very sweet tiny tomato. Grows wild in eastern Mexico. This vining plant will sprawl sometimes 6 ft so this variety requires space or trellis support. Some blight resistance. Indeterminate.

 

Moneymaker (69 days). An old English heirloom; produces 4-6 oz globes that are intensely red, smooth and of very high  quality. This variety grows well in hot humid climates and greenhouses,  sets  in most any weather. Produces up to 60 fruits per plant. Flavourful and becoming rare. Indeterminate.

 

Moon Glow (75 days) A deep orange, mid to large-sized oval tomato with a good flavour and heavy yields. Indeterminate.

 

Mortgage Lifter (71 days) Large (1-2 lbs), meaty and vigorous red beefsteak. Original ‘Radiator Charlie’ strain. Legendary tomato developed in the 1930s by M. C. Byles of Logan, West Virginia. It is said that he sold his remarkable plants for $1.00 each  and paid off his mortgage in six years. The fruits are very large, pink, over a pound each and one of the best beefsteak flavours available. A good slicer with few  seeds. Plants are highly productive and disease resistant. Indeterminate.

 

Mountain Princess  (68 days) These orangey red and perfectly round 8-10 oz fruits have a lovely mild tomato flavour. Very productive plants bear quickly and ripen early; – great for short, cool seasons. Works well in containers. Grown for generations in the Monongahela National Forest region of West Virginia. Determinate.

 

Mr. Stripey (NB: different from Tigerella, listed below!!) Mid-season. Very large (up to 2 lbs) dense, meaty yellow fruit with pinkish red stripes, ridged shoulders and few seeds. Very mild, low acid taste. Some blight resistance. Indeterminate.

 

Napoli (80 days) Red, plum “Roma” type great for sauces. Solid, thick walled and flavourful. 2 oz pear shaped tangy fruits in abundance. Det.

 

Nebraska Wedding (90 days) Large orange globe-shaped fruit  with no cracking. Sweet-acid flavour, very meaty. Heavy producer. Legend has it that Nebraskan brides were given this fruit as a gift on their wedding day. Indeterminate.

 

Nips  (77 days) The provenance for this tomato reads like a travelogue. Originally given to a seed saver by a nun at the Ursuline Convent in Saskatchewan who received it from a family who had immigrated from the Dakotas in the 1950’s and at one time had stayed in the convent before moving to Nipawin. This is one of those tomatoes that may have originally had another name and acquired its present name from its travels from seed saver to seed saver. Since this is the only history we have, its name has been taken from Nipawin. An unusual, large 8-10 oz tomato that is oxheart type but shaped like a pear. The fruit is meaty and juicy with a nice tomato taste. We grow this tomato every year and use its heavy yields for sauces and canning. Indeterminate.

 

Old Ivory Egg   (70-75 days) This rare, ivory cream tomato that is shaped and about the same size of a chicken egg originated from a Swedish seed saver. Abundant quantities yield a tomato with flesh that is  creamy, sweet and rich.

 

Orange Banana (85 days) An abundance of 3”-4” paste tomatoes that have an incredible tangy sweetness. We eat these fresh, and use them for sauces and salsas. They also keep well, and ripen well the house. Green tomatoes harvested at last frost will ripen in the house until December! Indeterminate.

 

Osu Blue Early. Not technically an heirloom, this tomato was developed to be high in anthocyanin (found in blueberries).  Lovely 2” tomatoes, are blue all season and ready when the bottom turns a deep red. Very productive and very tasty. Indeterminate.

 

Paul Robeson (75 days) A Russian heirloom, named after the opera singer who was an advocate of equal rights for African Americans. Very dark-red 8 oz tomato with green shoulders. Complex with a sweet yet tangy, rich flavour. Indeterminate.

 

Pineapple (75 days) From Ohio area. Large beefsteak, yellow-orange fruits have a pink stripe running through. Sweet, bright flavour. Indeterminate.

 

Polish Linguisa  (73 days) Polish immigrants brought this variety to New York in the late 1800s. Regular leaf vigorous plants that yield 10 oz. 2″ diameter sausage shaped fruit that are bright red, meaty and very sweet for a paste tomato. Good for sauces, salads, fresh eating, drying or freezing. Will produce until frost. Indeterminate.

 

Pruden’s Purple  (67 days) This well known heirloom is often compared for flavour to the favourite Pink Brandywine. Large potato leaf vines produce lots of 1 lb slightly flattened, blemish free medium pink fruit with few seeds and excellent flavour. Resists cracking. Indeterminate.

 

Purple Dog Creek (80 days) Production is so high it is hard to keep them all picked. These 16-20 oz dusty purple tinged fruits are juicy and very flavoutful. The seed for this heirloom came from the Dog Creek area in Munfordville, Kentucky and was given to  James “Spud” Rainey at a local picnic by the town’s people to honour him for his missionary work. Indeterminate.

 

Red Fig (75 days) A tomato that yields hundreds of small pear-shaped red tomatoes with a wonderful sweet flavour – perfect for snacking or in salads. This heirloom has been grown since the 18th century. Derives its name from the traditional manner of processing with a sugar syrup, then dried and stored as a substitute for figs. Indeterminate.

 

Rideau  (70 days) This very recent heirloom was originally developed at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa from 2 very old heirloom parents and introduced in the early 60s. A heavy producer of gorgeous round red fruit that vary in size from 5-10 oz; this tomato is crack resistant and especially good for canning or fresh eating. The flesh is meaty yet juicy with a nice sweet tomato flavour. Indeterminate.

 

Rocky (75 days) An incredibly large paste tomato, each meaty fruit growing to 6” long.  Full flavoured, they are perfect for sauces, but delicious enough to eat fresh. Ind.

 

Roma (75 days) Long renowned for delicious sauces and pastes, the classic Roma tomato has a heavy yield, meaty flesh with few seeds, and excellent taste and texture. Compact vines. Det.

 

Rose (80 days) Strong leafy plants bear beautiful large meaty beefsteak tomatoes that are smooth and incredibly tasty (some say they rival Brandywine for taste). Showed strong blight resistance in our garden this last year. Long yielding this tomato is great in salads and for canning and sauces. Indeterminate.

 

Saint Pierre (74 days) A good yielding French heirloom which produces round, medium-sized fruit, renowned for its super flavour. Produces well in cool weather and drought.  Indeterminate.

 

San Marzano (78 days) This Italian heirloom traced back to the 1700s is perhaps the best known paste tomato in the Italian community. A compact and prolific producer of bright red, 3 inch fruit over a long season, this plum type tomato has heavy walls with few seed so it’s great for tomato sauce. The San Marzano tomato is reputed to be the only tomato that can be used for sauce on a true Neapolitan pizza. Indeterminate.

 

Scotia (60 days) This Canadian-bred small bush variety produces heavy yields of medium-sized fruit in short season areas. A beautiful early tomato with a lovely sweet flavour. Popular for using the unripe tomatoes to make the famous Maritime Green Tomato Relish. Determinate.

 

Siberian (55 days) This small tomato variety sets fruit early. Bright red juicy fruit  with weights from 2-5 oz. Good for topsy turvy tomato growing systems. Determinate- so needs no staking.

 

Sicilian Saucer (75 days)  Huge heavy red tomato, up to 2 pounds, slightly flattened shape. Thick, juicy, meaty flesh. One slice is all you need for your sandwich. A well-behaved plant that does not require staking. We have won the “largest tomato” prize at the fair with this tomato. Determinate.

 

Siletz (Russian Siletz) (52-75 days) One of the best early tomatoes. Dwarf, determinate plants produce unbelievable yields of perfectly shaped, 8 oz fruit that are loaded with old-time sweet tomato flavour. Perfect for the home or market grower. Determinate.

 

Stupice (50-60 days) A 2 inch plum shaped fruit which grows in clusters. A Czechoslovakian heirloom which is good for eating fresh, in salads or for drying. Very early and continues to produce all season. Excellent flavour. Indeterminate.

 

Sweet Orange (70 days) Huge crops of 1” orange round cherries, very prolific. Very flavourful and crack resistant. Ind.

 

Tangerine (80-85 days) Delicious orange tomato, large, with a sweet and intense flavour. Resistant to cracking; a favourite in our garden. Indeterminate.

 

Thai Pink Egg  (60 days) Delicious grape tomato from Thailand. Brilliant pink 1 oz fruits grow in clusters with good yields for many weeks. A very special heirloom producing true pink oval fruit perfect for snacks or salads. Indeterminate.

 

Tigerella (70 days) Lovely striped golf ball size fruit. Sweet, juicy,  incredible flavour. Red skin with yellow-orange stripes. A favourite in many gardens. Indeterminate.

 

Yellow Cherry (75 days) A productive yellow cherry tomato with 6 ft. vines. Excellent sweet taste, like eating candy! Indeterminate.

 

Yellow Pear  (75-80 days) Very old variety, known since the early 1800s, low in acid and easy to grow. Fruits are pear-shaped, sweet and juicy. Productive with long, rambling 6 ft. vines. Indeterminate.

 

Yellow Perfection (65 days) These potato-leafed plants produce  an abundance of 2″ bright yellow cherry salad tomatoes that just kept producing all season long. This is a rare British heirloom  Indeterminate.