Siberian Tomato is famous for its earliness, hardiness and productivity. It also has good sweet-tangy taste, even winning a tomato taste-off competition back in the day in Seattle. Siberian Tomato was first introduced to the seed trade in 1967 by Edward Lowden’s seed company in Ancaster, Ontario. We will point out that Siberian Tomato is a different tomato than Siberia Tomato. Siberia Tomato was introduced to the seed trade in 1984 by Ron Driscoll of Olds, Alberta via his company Siberia Seeds. These two cultivars are frequently mixed up in the seed trade. And sometimes a vendor listing Siberian Tomato seeds for sale, is actually selling Siberia Tomato, and vice versa. In order to keep them straight, we did some research.
Siberian Tomato (the tomato we are offering) traces its roots to a master Canadian tomato breeder T. O. Graham of the University of Guelph (1940s-1960s). T. O. Graham was responsible for developing the High Crimson line of tomatoes (see our section on Old Gold/High Crimson tomatoes).
In 1964, Prof. Graham received seeds of an Ukrainian tomato named Maliutka (translates as ‘little one’). Research notes for this tomato indicate it stood out for “its ability to set fruit under cool conditions and to germinate in cool soils” and its early and heavy production.
In 1964-65, Prof. Graham sent seeds to residents in Churchill, Manitoba who had requested seeds of an early maturing tomato. These seeds were then sent on to gardeners in the Arctic on Baffin Island! Along the way, the Ukrainian tomato was renamed Siberian Tomato. We know all of this, because Edward Lowden included the history of Siberian Tomato in his 1967 seed catalog (see image). We have included the description below:
“Siberian Tomato: Professor T.O. Graham of the University of Guelph received in 1964 from the U.S. Plant Introduction Station, Geneva, N.Y. several tomato introductions, one of which was exceptionally early. Professor Graham saved seed from one plant (out of P.I. 280597 USSR, ‘Maliutka’), which had a total of 83 ripe fruits at Guelph up to September 17, 1964. He described them as small, egg-shaped with good color. This plant had a fantastically heavy set and phenomenal over-all ripening.
“In the winter of 1964-65, Professor Graham received a request from a resident of Churchill, Manitoba, for a tomato that might enable them to get ripe fruit there. They gave seed to the Bishop of the Arctic. His wife gave seeds to the nurses and others, including the school principal at Pang (Pangnirtung) on Baffin Island [45 km south of the Arctic Circle]. They had great success at Pang and Churchill, and because of the success at Pang, seed is now at Broughton Island, 150 miles still further north [located above the Arctic Circle]. It is certain that no tomato has ever before been so wildly grown with such great success over the eastern Canadian sub-arctic regions.”
We love learning about the history of the tomato varieties we grow. Not only do the stories connect us with the people who grew the seed before us, they also give us important details about what environmental conditions the tomatoes have experienced and what adaptive traits they may have acquired. Here at Common Sense Seeds, we are both seedsavers and seed historians, the two activities go together for us. Our thinking is that when you know the story of the seed (e.g. Siberian Tomato seeds grow on Baffin Island) you get a much better sense of the potential of the plant–which in this case, is pretty mighty.
Our seeds for Siberian Tomato came from a long-time seedsaver in British Columbia; who received his seeds from Edward Lowden in the 1980s.
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.
Photo Caption 2: Research notes on Siberian Tomato (1960s).
Photo Caption 3: Edward Lowden’s description of Siberian Tomato (1967).
