Siberia Tomato
Price: $3.09
SKU: 3400181'Siberia' was discovered by Ron Driskill, a horticulture teacher at the Jack James Secondary School in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on sale at a local nursery. The nurseryman told him that a woman touring Canada from the Soviet Union in 1975 stopped by the greenhouse and supplied ten seeds. The unidentified woman told them that the variety was being trialed in Siberia at that time.
Mr. Driskill saw its potential and became a big promoter of the variety to Northern gardeners, first giving seeds away in exchange for a self-addressed stamped envelope and ultimately starting a small, family operated seed company appropriately named "The Siberia Seed Company."
Harvest Timing: Early/Short Season
Growth Habit: Determinate
Full light and cooler temps (60° to 70°) will help to prevent the seedlings from becoming too leggy. If plants become rootbound before you can safely set them into the ground, transplant them into larger pots.
Harden off plants before planting outside. Young plants are very susceptible to frost and sunburn damage. Avoid too much nitrogen. Water evenly but not in excess.
Click here to view our full tomato growing guide.
References:
- "Tomatoes: New varieties may be good in small garden," by Tom Porter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 12, 1984, page 11.
- "Unusual Gift For Gardeners," Chittenango, New York Bridgeport Times, November 21, 1984, page 11.
This variety, 'Siberia' is not to be confused with the similarly named variety called 'Siberian'. The later, 'Siberian' is a rugose leaf, dwarf-type plant first listed in the 1984 Seed Savers Exchange Yearbook by Will Bonsall who got it from the Edward Lowden Collection in Canada. Edward Lowden was an independent seedsman from Ancaster, Ontario, Canada. It is not known where his seed originated.
Customer Reviews:
By Robert (Coastal Georgia) on November 22, 2023
I live along the Georgia coast in 8b South. I wanted some early varieties for the market but I was concerned that a variety bred for the short growing season of northern lats would not have the disease resistance to deal with 8b South. I could not have been more pleased. I got tomatoes from early May through June on these workhorses and that battled disease like a boss.
By Sharon on March 20, 2020
This is the perfect tomato. I have been growing it for years. This is not the Siberian you get elsewhere. These are blemish and disease free. I use them for everything. I squeeze the seeds out and use it as a paste tomato, i slice it for sandwiches, eat it like an apple or chop for salads. They don't need support and work well in raised beds. If you only grow one this would be my recommendation.
