The Marigold Potager – A Zone 3 Prairie Garden

Over the years, I have grown literally thousands of tomatoes. Partially because I love to grow tomatoes, but mostly because heirloom and open pollinated tomatoes were the main crop at my wee greenhouse.

I have always loved growing tomatoes though. There is just something so very gratifying about growing these fantastic fruits from seed to harvest.

We use them in salads and sandwiches, of course, but also makes sauces, ketchup, green tomato chowchow, and salsa. So… we need quite a bit of tomatoes. However, now that we no longer live on an acreage and have all that space, I am trying to rein myself in.

The goal is to only grow approximately 25 tomato plants this year (yikes)… but no promises ; )

Why Start From Seed?

• Selection – You have hundreds of varieties to choose from, rather than a smattering at the greenhouses.
• Heirlooms – Though it is getting to be more popular to find them at the greenhouse in spring, most are still hybrid types. If you want open pollinated and heirloom, you will find a much better selection in seeds.
• Cost – You can buy a packet of 25 seeds for less than the cost of one plant.
• Easy – It is super simple to start your own, does not need a bunch of special equipment.

Seed Classifications

• Heirlooms are varieties that have been saved for several generations. They are open-pollinated tomato varieties that ore-date WWII, or are least 40 to 50 years old. They come in all sorts of colours and shapes, sometimes quite lumpy and bumpy even.
• Open-pollinated tomatoes are pollinated by insects, birds, wind, humans, or are self pollinating. They produce seeds that are true to type so if you save them, you will get exactly the same tomato from those seeds.
• Hybrids are two/some tomatoes that were crossed to enhance certain traits; like firmness for better shipping, uniform size and colour for ease of mechanical picking, disease resistance for higher yields.
• GMO seeds are not available to us home gardeners. GMO seeds are created for commercial crops only and are not available to the general public.

• Determinate tomatoes are also called bush tomatoes. They stay compact, under 3 feet tall. They have a determined fruiting time. When they are done flowering, they are done, you cannot get them to produce more flowers or fruits once they are finished. Bush tomatoes all ripen in about a 2 week window, making them perfect for saucing and canning as they can be harvested in just one or two pickings. No pruning of suckers is required. .
• Indeterminate tomatoes are vining plants, can get anywhere from 5 to 12 feet tall. They are often grown up stakes, strings, strapped to fences, or in very large tomato cages (ideally square ones as the round ones tend to fall under all the weight). They grow from spring till frost, often making trusses of tomatoes. You need to nip their tops in late summer to get them to stop flowering and fruiting, to put the energy into ripening off the tomatoes on the vine before cool weather sets in. Pruning suckers is required.
• Semi-determinate tomatoes are the best of both worlds. They are taller than bush types, but not as tall or unruly as indeterminates. The stalks tend to be thicker, sturdier, too. They also tend to produce throughout the season, so you get tomatoes from spring till fall. Can be pruned for shape and production. I do not.
• Tree form tomatoes is a new growth habit that came about with the Dwarf Tomato Project. These tomatoes have very thick stems, grow from 3 to 5.5 feet tall. They need no pruning of suckers. While they do not need support height-wise, they do require staking or support width wise as the branches get very heavy with fruits. They will fall over, perhaps snap, if not staked. I use tomato spirals or medium sized cages.

When To Start

Start your seeds anytime in March (I aim for mid-month), plant them out in late May or early June.

This Year’s Seed Houses & Variety Recommendations

As I grow fewer plants now, I still have seeds left from last year. Tomato seeds last a good 4 years, or longer, in storage. So, I just added a few more varieties to round out my selection of cherries, slicers, pastes, and beefs.

I have most of the must have’s so I can order more of the wants : )

I have also picked up some seeds for the tomato growing workshops – doubled up on some of my favourites, and made sure to add some of the most popular, short season, red, determinate varieties. A great place for beginners to start.

Annapolis Seeds

Gardener’s Sweetheart Cherry Tomato– Fire engine red, mini apple-shaped cherry tomatoes with a firm texture and incredibly sweet flavor. And nice long trusses that are sometimes over 18” long, often splitting in two halfway down with perfectly alternating fruits, up to 20 or 25 per truss. Resistant to cracking and they hold excellently on the vine so you can wait for trusses to ripen nearly all the way to the tips and harvest for market “on the vine”. Indeterminate. 70-75 days.

My comments – I love this one, have been growing it for the past 3 years. It has become a staple in my garden. I love the way it grows in long trusses.

Lucky Tiger Cherry Tomato. Honestly, one of my favourite tomatoes of all time. The elongated 2-inch fruit comes in stunning, jewel-toned shades of green and red, with hints of gold. This tomato gets top marks for flavor: tangy, super sweet, and complex with tropical notes and balanced acidity. Lucky Tiger is well suited for both greenhouse and field growing. 70-75 days to maturity. Indeterminate.

My comments- It was slow to ripen on the island, am hoping that it really loves the heat here on the prairies. I will be growing it inside the greenhouse, just in case it takes it’s sweet time ripening.

Pink Tiger Cherry Tomato – Pink and gold striped, cherry-sized roma tomato. Sweet like a cherry, but with the firm fruit of a roma. Awesome in salads or eaten out of hand in the garden. Rarely do they split. Indeterminate. 70 days.

Other cherries of note from Annapolis are Green Grape (so sweet and yummy – det)), Black Cherry (probably my best selling cherry tomato – ind), and for you Sungold fans, there is now an affordable open-pollinated variety called Sungold Select (so you can save your own seeds!).

Before Heinz 2653, Ropreco was my main paste crop. I still grow them both. They also have Heidi, a semi-determinate (best of both worlds), a paste tomato that I absolutely love.

Those are some of my favourite seed selections from here, but honestly, they have so many great saladettes and slicers to choose from, too, that I bet you can pick up all your seeds from this one company. $4 a packet for the seeds, shipping is $5 for letter mail. Super affordable!

The Incredible Seed Company

I purchased most all of my seeds from this company this year. They had a great selection, free shipping over $35, and good prices on the seed packets of 20 to 30 seeds (on average) per packet.

Red, Determinate Slicer Tomatoes

Early Siberian Slicer Tomato – 70 days. “This tomato makes me want to eat a burger!” Such a fleshy & succulent slicer. These red, cue-ball sized tomatoes grow in clusters of 3-5 & are uniform in size. A classic tomato in both flavour & looks. We love this tomato!  5’ plants require support (even though it is a determinate!).

Glacier – 55 days. As its names suggests, this early tomato is great for northern climates! Glacier doesn’t waste time with greenery; plants average out at 2 1/2 to 3 feet in height and bear loads of round red tomatoes! Sweet fruit are 2 to 3 inches in diameter and reddish-orange.

My comments – The best tasting tomato of the earlies. I know, how can that be? Is so simple and boring looking … red, small, and round, with no lumps, no bumps, no ribs… However, the flavour of this one truly trumps them all. Is sweet yet has that great hint of tang that makes it taste just like a tomato should. Does not need salt to bring out the goodness, it just simply is.

Production was fabulous, started very early in the season and just kept on making more all summer long. Was one of the last tomatoes pulled from the garden, as it just kept on making more and more fruits. Highly recommend this tomato and it will certainly be found in my garden next year and forever more!

Sasha’s Altai – 57 days.  Called “the best tomato in all of Siberia” and voted one of the best early tomatoes in the world. Amazing flavour, texture, productivity and earliness combine to make Sasha’s Altaï one of our absolute favourites. Robust plants grow three to four feet tall setting fruit early in cool temperatures and continuing until frost. Excellent for snacking, salads and homemade tomato juice.

My comments – I liked growing this one for those early tomatoes, was a popular seller at the greenhouse. The tomatoes are quite large for such an early tomato. Great for sandwiches and a decent producer.

Indeterminate Slicer Tomatoes

Bloody Butcher – 55 days. An excellent early heirloom tomato. Starts early and produce consistently until frost.  Tomatoes form in clusters of five to nine on vigorous vines. Medium sized tomatoes with fantastic flavour. A good multi-purpose variety, excellent fresh and canned.

Black Krim – 75 days. Black Krim Heirloom Tomatoes are purple-black tomatoes, one of the best tasting you will ever try. The dark, three inch fruit have an intense taste that is perfect for anything that calls for a tomato.

My comments – If you have not yet tried black tomatoes, this is the best one to start with. The flavour is deep, rich, superb. I always say that the black tomatoes are the dark roast of the tomato world. Real rich tomato flavour.

Green Zebra – 72 days. One of the very most popular and delicious green varieties. They are excellent in salads and for slicing and very productive. The tangy green fruit are ripe once the fruit develop a slight yellow backing to its darker green stripes.

My comments – I know it is instinctive to think that green means not ripe, sour, etc… but these are just the opposite. They are sweet with a bit of tang, sweeter than most red varieties! And, they look great in a mixed tomato salad, or on a summertime charcuterie board.

Beefsteaks on my must grow list

Pink Berkely Tie Dye – 68 days. Open pollinated. One of THE BEST tomatoes out there! Pink Berkeley Tie-Die in an all out winner in every category. For starters, it is absolutely, friggin’ gorgeous! (Please excuse my Nova Scotian tongue…)

Berkeley Tie-Dye produces masses of massive fruit that are disease resistant, full of that exquisite and complex dark tomato flavour. Fruits are juicy with the perfect texture for a slicer. It is also an indeterminate, meaning it will go on fruiting FOREVER – at least until frost – but, this tomato is compact in its growth habit, so you won’t be trying to wrangle 12 foot vines. A consistent winner of taste tests the world over and one of our personal faves.

My Comments – (I named my dog after this tomato : ) This is a short season, indeterminate beefsteak. That alone is a reason to rejoice. But.. it also surpasses most all other tomatoes in flavour!

Aunt Ruby’s German Green – Indeterminate. 79 days. Tasty tasty tasty! A large yellow & green slicer. Very rich, with that classic green-tomato-flavour. Productive 6’ vines with 1 pound fruit which ripen to a kiwi colour green with a pink hue inside.

My Comments – Utterly yummy. Disease resistant, like the Pink Berkeley, great big size, short season for a beefsteak, and tastes so good. You already know how much I love green tomatoes ; )

Pineapple – Indeterminate. 80 days. Pineapple Heirloom Tomatoes are one of the very best looking tomatoes with a red yellow and orange marbled flesh.  Plants can grow to be 6 to 8 feet tall! The fruit are large and have a sweet fruit flavour.

My Comments – I grow one of these vines, or the Black Pineapple (Ananas Noir) each year. The flavour is so unique. Sweet, tomatoey, tasty, a great one for folks who want an low acid tomato. Make a superb fresh salsa for tortilla chips or fish/seafood tacos.

Some of my other favourites from this seed house… Black Prince (the tomato that started my heirloom love story), Stupice, Pink Bumblebee, Purple Bumblebee, Sunrise Bumblebee, Red Fig (these were so good on the island, my favourite cherries, but they don’t love our super long, hot summer days here on the prairies – if you want to grow them here, put them on the southeast side, where they get shade from early morning till early afternoon), and Speckled Roman paste tomatoes. Just a few of my favourites. They have plenty more.

Some Of My Other Favourite Canadian Seed Houses for Tomatoes…

Yonder Hill Farm – A small, family run seed house that carries many of the tomatoes listed above, plus grains, veggies, herbs and flowers.

Heritage Harvest Seeds – the Manitoba seed house that I purchased a large percentage of my tomato (and others) seeds from for my wee greenhouse business, and my tomato sales. Huge selection of heirloom seeds.

Solana Seeds – This seed houses are not ones I have purchased from (yet) but have a fantastic selection.

Casey’s Heirloom Tomatoes – based just outside of Calgary. Tons of tomato growing tips.

Terra Edibles – a huge array of tomato seed varieties, organised by colour. So. Much. Fun.

Hawthorn Farm Organic Seeds – A true family run, organic seed house that does it all.

For seed starting supplies, see My Amazon Shop page. Everything from trays to ferts, mini-greenhouses, and more.

Happy Tomato Sowing & Growing ~ Tanja