One of the original high-lycopene Canadian tomatoes. Early Hi-Crimson has a beautiful crimson red interior and excellent, sweet taste.
It has medium size fruits that range from 70 g to 150 g (2 oz to 5 oz) and grow on manageable 3 ft plants. Early Hi-Crimson is early, but also produced up until the end of summer. When you cut into this tomato, its deep red colour jumps out at you.
A bit of history:
The High Crimson line of tomatoes (which includes Early Hi-Crimson) were the first ‘og’ tomatoes introduced commercially in the 1950s and 1960s by Canadian tomato breeders (see the Introduction in Old Gold/High Crimson). The Canadian researchers isolated the ‘og’ gene (old gold/high crimson gene) in a tomato from the Philippines and then developed the High Crimson line of tomato.
Having the ‘og’ gene means High Crimson cultivars have higher levels of lycopene – ranging from 87 to 149 mg/kg-1 (Ilahy et al 2018; Mohr 1979)–compared to standard red tomatoes (mean 30 mg/kg-1).
Our seedstock for ‘Early Hi-Crimson ‘comes from the Seed Savers Exchange (SSE). ‘Early Hi-Crimson’ was donated to the SSE by legendary Montana seedsman Ken Fisher. Ken had been growing and stewarding this variety for many years; here is his description of Early Hi-Crimson in the 1987 Fisher’s Seeds catalogue:
“Early Hi-Crimson – 65 days. New race of tomatoes, double the red color of ordinary tomatoes especially when ripened in cool weather, large 3-3.5 in. fruits on semi-determinant plants.”
Not only does this variety have the high-lycopene trait created by the Canadian breeding program, but it is also a Ken Fisher selection of High Crimson.
Over the years, Ken would have selected for traits that thrived in his harsh, Zone 4 Belgrade, Montana environment, making High Crimson even better. We assume Early Hi-Crimson is Ken’s name for his selection of High Crimson and it recognizes his stewardship.
Also check out the other ‘Old Gold/High Crimson’ tomatoes in our collection (Harvestvee, Veepro, Bonnyvee & Caleplata).
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How to Plant: Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost. Plant seed 5mm (¼ inch) deep. Keep moist. When true leaves appear, transplant to a larger container if needed. Transplant outside after the danger of frost has passed/later spring.
