This is a wonderful Canadian heirloom saved by the Ross family (of Ontario & BC).
Paul Ross and his family have been saving seeds of the Ross Red Salad tomato for over 60 years – ever since the 1950s – when his mother saved seed from a tomato she bought at a Safeway store in the Toronto area.
In 2025, Paul, who is 88, and his wife – now in Vancouver – continue to grow his family’s namesake tomato.
The Ross Red Salad tomatoes that we grow are from seeds that we originally received from Paul.
This is a great all-purpose tomato. It has bright red, saladette size tomatoes with a very good, tangy taste. The plants are a manageable 4 feet (121 cm), although Mr. Ross has grown some that are much taller.
The seeds for this tomato are even housed in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway, which is the long-term seed storage vault that houses seed from around the world to protect crop diversity.
How to Plant: Start seeds indoors 6 weeks before the last frost. Plant seed 5mm (¼ inch) deep. Transplant after the danger of frost has passed/later spring.
