macky
Checkout www.heirloomtomatoplants.com.Laurel has a wonderful and informative website as she shows,using a sun or penguin to indicate those varieties that do well in cooler climates.By the way I think you would like the variety called Anna Russian.
Jim

That's too funny, Jim. :) In my random googling the other day, I came across this very tomato on this very site and thought, "Oh, now that one looks lovely!" My spidey senses must be on the ball this week if you've suggested it, too. Now I gotta go cruise the site to see if any others strike my fancy and if they ship seed to Canada...

Welcoming more suggestions, too!

Robin

macky
I have some extra seeds for Anna Russian and Bulls Heart aka Heart of the Bull that I can send you,if interested PM me your address. I have also heard good reports on the Sophies Choice a Canadian Tomato. Momotaro should do well for you also.
Jim

There is an heirloom paste tomato that I grow, "Quebec 1121", that would probably do OK for you. I'm not sure that any tomato would do better than just OK in Zone 2a, except for cherries.

But just a thought... if you want heirloom or OP tomatoes that do well in Canada, from someone that will ship to Canada, why not look in Canada?

Here is a link that might be useful: Seeds of Diversity Canada

Macky
Zeedman is right look in Canada for seed sources. I purchase a lot of my seeds from Full Circle Seeds located in Sooke,BC,Canada. Their website is www.fullcircleseeds.com.

Thanks for the suggestions. I do order from Canadian companies, of course - usually Veseys or Terra Edibles. I was just hoping for some personal recommendations from gardeners here, since I thought this was an international board for gardeners in all zones. Any seed catalogue will hype up their varieties whether they're really good or not. I've also found drastic differences in seed quality from different suppliers and hate putting thought and effort into choosing a seed that ends up not germinating well. Thank you, Jim, for so kindly offering a few Anna Russian seeds. I'll try to find them here if I can first, though, to avoid any border troubles. :) Regards, Robin

Zeedman, I'm so sorry, but I have to role my eyes every time someone from a much warmer zone tells me what will and won't grow well in my garden. I actually had a fellow Canadian from New Brunswick once tell me it's impossible to grow tomatoes in my zone at all. ROFLMAO! *sigh* We grow quite a few tasty toms around here, thanks very much, but the majority of them are hybrids.

macky
Full Circle Seeds in Sooke BC does sell Anna Russian,in fact thats where I got my seed from. They have a good variety of tomato,beans and other veggies.

Jim

No harm, no foul, Macky... note my use of the words "probably" and "I'm not sure...". Variety is only one influence; culture is another, and a motivated gardener can succeed where others might fail. I am currently growing bambara, which several other gardeners told me was impossible for my climate.

My recommendation for the SoDC site - have you looked into it? - was because you would not be dealing with a company, but with individuals across Canada who share seeds. If you find someone near your location offering a tomato, chances are that it will succeed for you as well. I also remember them carrying a listing on their site of tomatoes developed in Canada, and their place of introduction.

I am a member of Seed Savers Exchange, and am acquainted with several SoDC members, including the former director... I made that recommendation because I believe they could be of real help in your search.

Oh, by the way...

"...Zeedman, I'm so sorry, but I have to role my eyes every time someone from a much warmer zone tells me what will and won't grow well in my garden."

I can't remember when someone called Wisconsin a "much warmer zone"... in fact, Macky, you might be the first. Kind of an odd sensation; most of the gardeners I correspond with are picking veggies before I've even planted. ;-)

LOL, Zeedman! :) There's a first time for everything! I did check out the site, but I'm sure I'll get weird looks from hubby for a $30/yr membership to gain access to new seeds when I've got a collection of (hybrid) seeds already. I'm far more likely to get a couple little packages under the radar from a catalogue! SoDC listed a supplier I hadn't come across before - www.twowingsfarm.com in Victoria, BC. They carry Anna Russian (I'm fixated on this one now, lol) and a couple others that look interesting - Cosmonaut Volkov, Nepal or Sophies Choice (developed in Edmonton, Alberta). Is it wrong to be this obsessed with next year's garden while this one is still in the ground?

It may not be the best but Stupice might work. We grow it the fifth season and we love it. Smaller size but tastes good and most importantly ripens early. I've seen it sold in the US by seed companies. Here in the Czech Republic it is the most commonly grown OP tomato. For more info google "stupice tomato"... I can send seed if needed. Robert.

My first tomato came from a Silvery Fir Tree this summer. Stupice is also a good suggestion. I have the seeds, but haven't tried Sub-Arctic Plenty. They are suppose to ripen in 42 days. I'm going to try them next year.

Prairie Garden Seeds is an interesting Canadian company where you can find varieties not readily available elsewhere.

Although your hardiness zone indicates very cold winters, the length of your growing season is not so very short, compared to ones with higher zone numbers. I set out tomato plants mid to late May, even June sometimes. I haven't eaten a home grown tomato yet this year. Of course, we don't get an early frost here, so that helps. Blight is what ends our tomato season. Still, one of those many Canadian bred tomatoes might do the trick for you.

I don't know if Sandhill Preservation Center ships to Canada. They have a very large list of tomatoes, including many Canadian ones.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Prairie Garden Seeds

I have been trying to stock up on some short season tomatoes because we have the short season in our neck of the woods, lol (ducking behind large shield to avoid thrown vegatables). I've heard good things about stupice (my kids call them stupid tomatoes). This is my first real garden and I just started them two weeks ago. 100% germination and sturdy little buggers: four inches tall at 2 weeks.
Yea, you Wisconsin guys and your tropical climate, lol.
Grace,
Carolyn P.

Siletz and Beaverlodge do well for me. Our season is short also, June 13-Sept 13.

I wonder if anyone will look at this old thread, and I wonder how long it has been since I've been to GW. Years, probably, but my password still works; we'll see if Spike's humorless style of moderating is still the rule of the day, even though it loooks like Spike isn't in charge anymore.

Early tomatoes? IMO, you have the choice of a large number of Early determinates, none of which are very satisfying, and a smaller number of early indets. Several years ago I became enthralled with the idea of trying every Canadian-bred variety and every variety popular in Canada; turned out that Canadian tastes in Tomatoes isn't much different than our own down here in the states.

The absolute best early determinate in my opinion was Melfort, bred in the ag experimental program in the town of the same name. It is so good, I am quite surprised it isn't better known than it is. Stay away from the very early determinates like Sub-arctic Plenty or Early Lethbridge, unless your interest is in maintaining the work of the folks that originally released them. They just aren't all that good, and not early enough to be of value. Sophie's choice is alright, but soft and mushy, like Cold-set.

Indets: there are a number of very early potatoe leaf types that are very similar to each other; fruit size is small (2 oz) but flavor and texture is great: Kotlas (I got seed from Early's farm and garden),Stupice (widely available) Kimberly (seed savers) and you may come across Sprint, Matina, and a couple of others whose name escapes me for the moment. In my N. Mn garden they all ripen within 3 or 4 days of each other, and very early indeed... around 1100 growing degree day units; about 60 days this year.

Someone mentioned "Stupice." Go for it. It is a super early tomato (52 days) and is also very cold tolerant. The fruit, though small, are delicious. I grow it here in Tucson, AZ for our very short fall season. Good luck.

Might want to try Kimberley a stabilized cross Tiny Tim with Siberia, for your short season.
I believe that candian grower from Airdrie, Casey's Heirloom Tomatoes carries it.

George

Of the above recommendations, Eyolf has the nearest and best given your climate. It is highly improbable that Anna Russian will make more than one or two fruits. While you are in zone 2a, you are using appropriate means to modify your local climate which gives a good chance of maturing a crop. I might add Wisconsin 55 to your list as a very good flavored tomato that is adapted to short season areas.

There are a few varieties that exhibit precocious flowering. These typically set 5 leaves, then a flower bud and from then on, every second or third leaf produces a flower. It looks odd to see a plant 6 inches tall with flowers in the top. Varieties with this trait to varying degrees include Kimberly, Stupice, matina, Glacier, and a handful of others. I would focus on setting out the biggest plants possible and using varieties with the precocious flowering trait.

I will be growing out the F2 plants next year from a cross of Kimberly X Eva Purple Ball. The F1 plants were very productive and disease tolerant. The goal is to segregate out an Eva Purple Ball size pink tomato that flowers at the 5 leaf stage.

DarJones

There's a great list of short-season tomatoes at: https://www.sandiaseed.com/blogs/news/short-season-tomatoes

I'm going to try to grow all of these next year, I'm always so bummed that my tomatoes just start to really get loaded with tomatoes and the first frost or snowstorm hits here in Colorado. I make a lot of green tomato sauce! ha! We always have late spring storms and super early winter storms so our season is short. Next year, I'm going to try to grow all fast growing varieties and see how it goes.