2009 Ostman Farm Plant List

Tomatoes

Tomatoes present a great challenge for North Coast gardeners- they will often struggle with our cool, wet summers, and getting your tomatoes to ripen is a matter of great pride! This Link will take you to our list of suggestions to help make your tomato growing experience as successful as possible.

Following are the varieties we are growing for the 2009 season. Look for the word ‘NEW!’ to find varieties we are introducing to the coast this year. Supplies are limited, and many popular varieties sell out early, so if there is something you really want, consider contacting us to have us reserve it for you.

THE CHERRIES

Black Cherry (OP) 64 days, Indeterminate, Early-season, Organic seed
This tall, vigorous plant produces abundant crops of 1” deep mahogany brown fruits. The only truly ‘black’ cherry tomato around, it is delicious and sweet, with the rich flavor that black tomatoes are known for. Very popular with Ostman Farm customers, this one always sells out early, and for good reason- tasty and beautiful is hard to beat.

Sungold (F1) 65 days, Hybrid, Indeterminate, Early-season
We could not imagine a summer without Sungold tomatoes. Our favorite cherry tomato by far, this vigorous vine produces abundant clusters of deep orange-cherry tomatoes that explode with tangy sweetness. Great in salads, if any make it back to the kitchen. Most of ours get eaten right off the plant. Bred to be resistant to Fusarium and Verticillium wilt.

Riesentraube 80 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season, Organic Seed This is an old European heirloom that was grown by the Pennsylvania Dutch as early as 1856. Its name roughly translates to: ‘Giant bunches of grapes’, and this variety was once commonly used to make tomato wine. Reisentraube is a generous producer, with big clusters of 20-40 1”, pointy ended, tasty red fruit.

Sebastopol 75 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season, Organic seed Another cherry that does well in our coastal climate, this beauty originates from an elderly lady in Sebastopol who grew them in her garden for 70 years. A large cherry tomato, it produces 3/4” deep red fruits that are delicious to snack on, or in salads. The seed comes to us by way of the great folks at TomatoFest. They describe it as “well-suited for cooler, coastal regions, or short season gardens and areas with foggy summer climates.” Ah, summer on the Northwest Coast…

NEW! Koralik 61 days Determinate, Early season, Organic seed
This is a prolific cherry tomato from Russia. Known for its early maturity and huge production, the 1” fruits are bright red and tasty. Borne in clusters of 6-8, the fruits all ripen at once, making for some wonderful presentation possibilities. Determinate vines, but will still need support.

NEW! Washington Cherry (OP) 60 Determinate, Early Season, Organic seed This cherry tomato was developed at Washington State University specifically for cooler growing regions like the Pacific Northwest. The plants are compact, determinate ones that produce early and yield heavy amounts of 1” red cherry tomatoes with an excellent flavor and a firm, meaty texture.

NEW! Matt’s Wild Cherry (OP) 60 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season
The seed for this variety was brought to the USA from the state of Hidalgo in Mexico, the region where tomatoes were first domesticated. This little cherry still has a lot of wild roots- the vigorous vines produce good crops of tiny 5/8-3/4” red tomatoes that are very high in sugar content, making this a sweet tasty treat. Perfect for eating right off the vine.

PLUM, PEAR & GRAPE

Yellow Pear (OP) 75 days, Indeterminate, Mid-season, Organic Seed
This old-time favorite is a great addition to your tomato garden. It produces an abundance of small 1-2” pear-shaped fruits that are a lovely deep yellow color. Mild tasting and low in acid like all yellow tomatoes, it has good flavor and looks great mixed with other color tomatoes in a salad. Good for snacking, beautiful in salads, popular with all ages of gardeners

Principe Borghese 80 days Heirloom Indeterminate Mid-season
In Tuscany this is the preferred tomato to grow for drying, and it is our favourite one for that use as well, although here on the Oregon coast we have to use a dehydrator rather than the sun! Princepe Borghese produces generous clusters of small 1-2” red fruits that have a nice tomato flavor when fresh. The flavor is greatly intensified when dried.

Thai Pink Egg 75 days Determinate Mid-season Organic seed
A most popular tomato in the Kingdom of Thailand, this lovely little grape tomato is gaining a strong following in America for its abundant production of dark pink egg-shaped fruits. The 1-2” fruits burst with candy sweet flavor, and they resist cracking, even in heavy rain seasons. A beautiful, tasty and unusual tomato.

Plum Lemon 72 Days Heirloom Indeterminate Mid-season
Seeds for this tomato were first collected by Kent Whealy, founder of the wonderful Seed Savers Exchange, from an elderly seedsman at Moscow’s Bird Market during the August 1991 coup. Another great cold-tolerant tomato out of Russia, Plum Lemon produces 3” long tomatoes with a pointy end that really do resemble lemons. Sweet and mild yet full of flavor, it is a solid, meaty fruit good for both salads and sauce.

Black Plum 82 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season
Organic seed A lovely little Russian variety that produces a nice steady crop of 2” plum shaped tomatoes. They turn a mahogany-red with green shoulders when ripe, and have a delicious sweet and tangy taste. These beauties are gorgeous in a salad, and also make a fantastic sauce.

NEW! Red Grape (OP) 69-80 days Indeterminate, Mid-season
Grape tomatoes really caught on a few years ago, and now everyone wants to grow these tasty little treats. This non-hybrid strain of Red Grape produces generous amounts of crisp, flavorful grape-sized fruits that are a gorgeous glowing red. The small size means they are easier to ripen here on the coast.

THE REDS

Stupice 52 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Extra-early season Organic Seed
This potato-leaf heirloom from Czechoslovakia is one of our most reliable tomatoes. It is a cold-tolerant tomato that bears an abundant crop of small 2-3” fruits over a long season. For us, it is the first one to bear fruit, and the last one to still be producing in October. Delicious sweet/acid flavor balance. Grows very well on the North Coast, very popular with Ostman Farm customers who often tell us that this is the first tomato they have ever grown successfully here on the Northwest coast.

Oregon Spring (OP) 60 days Sort of Determinate, Early season, Organic seed The classic tomato for Oregon! Developed at OSU by Dr. James Baggett, this tomato has earned a strong following in Oregon for its tolerance of cool summers. Small 2-3” fruits are produced on bushy plants that can still grow pretty big, so plan on supporting them. The early fruit production means more chance of ripe fruit- so you can enjoy the sweet, juicy, tasty tomatoes all summer long.

Legend (OP) 68 days Determinate Early-season Organic seed
Another one of the many great tomatoes to come out of Dr. James Baggett’s breeding program at Oregon State University, Legend earns its place in our garden by producing a nice compact, bushy, determinate plant that fruits early in the season, giving the tomatoes as much time as possible to ripen. The 3-4 inch round fruits are red and flavorful, with a good balance of sweet and acid. Legend may not be as sexy as the Black Russians, but it’s a good, solid, dependable tomato plant. Bred to be resistant to late blight fungus.

Alaska (OP) 63 days Heirloom, Semi-determinate, Early-season Organic seed It’s called ‘Aljaska’ in Russian, which is where this tomato originates. Medium-sized, bushy plants produce a good yield of round, bright red ‘salad’ tomatoes- larger than a cherry-type, smaller than a beefsteak. This tomato has very good flavor for such an early producer. Able to tolerate some wind, which makes it a most useful variety to the coast.

Siletz (OP) 52 days Determinate Extra early-season
We gave Siletz a try on the recommendation of our friend Dan, who manages to grow them in his garden in Hammond. We were not disappointed! Siletz is another one out of Dr. Jim Baggett’s program at Oregon State University. It produces an abundance of 8oz red fruits loaded with old-time flavor- something not all these bred-to-be-hardy tomatoes can offer. Dwarf, determinate plants make it easy to find a place for it in your garden.

Silvery Fir Tree (OP) 58 days Determinate Early season Organic Seed
Another early season Russian wonder, Silvery Fir Tree grows into a compact, determinate plant- 24” tall at most. It’s a good tomato for container growing if you are short on space; the beautiful lacey grey-green foliage is most attractive. And the tomatoes? Heavy cropping, 3” roundish, red and tasty. A good tomato for our tomato challenged climate.

NEW! Bloody Butcher (OP) 55 days, Heirloom, Indeterminate, Early-season We are excited to see what this tomato does here on the North Coast, as it comes to us highly recommended for challenging situations like ours. Early to set fruit and ripen, the potato leaf vines are vigorous and productive, yielding a generous supply of smallish, 2-4 oz fruits that are a deep red color. The tomatoes grow in clusters, with about 5-9 fruits per bunch. Said to do well in cooler climates. Good for fresh eating or canning.

NEW! San Marzano (OP) 76 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season
THE classic Roma-type tomato, San Marzano is considered to be the very best variety to cook with. The large plum-shaped fruits are dry and meaty, with a deep red color, and a flavor that can’t be beat. Produces fairly early and steadily over a long season. Get out your canning jars, this is the year for putting up homemade pasta sauce!

COLORFUL & UNUSUAL

Paul Robeson (OP) 74 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season Organic Seed
This is one of our favorite tomatoes- tasty and beautiful. Bred by Moscow seedswoman Marina Danilenko, it is named for the acclaimed operatic artist and social activist of the 1920’s, Paul Robeson. The slightly flattened round fruits grow up to 4 inches. A deep burgundy red with dark-green shoulders when ripe, the flesh is dark red and delicious. This is one of the best tasting tomatoes we have ever grown.

Green Zebra (OP) 75 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season Organic Seed
This is one of our Head Farm Girl Teresa’s very favorite tomatoes. Developed in 1985 by tomato breeder Tom Wagner, Green Zebra is considered an ‘heirloom’ among tomato growers for its unique qualities. The 2” round fruits ripens to a yellow-green gold with dark green stripes. The flesh is lime green, the flavor is tangy and delicious. Great mixed into salads or on a tomato tart.

Eva Purple Ball (OP) 70 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season, Organic seed
We grow this one in honor of the Ostman’s daughter Eva, and her granddaughter Eva Sofia. A gorgeous heirloom from the Black Forest region of Germany, dating from the 1800s, Eva Purple Ball produces round, 2-3” fruits that are a lovely dark pink color. This is a steady producer for us, with nice solid flavorful fruits that we enjoy sliced on sandwiches, tossed into salads and tossed with pasta, loads of garlic, olive oil and fresh basil. Yum!

Brandywine (OP) 80 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season Organic seed A tomato with it’s own cult following, Brandywine is the famous Amish heirloom that has been grown since the 1800’s. This large, potato-leaf tomato plant produces beautiful reddish pink fruits that average 12 ounces, but have been know to grow up to 2 pounds. A challenge for the Oregon coast, as larger fruit is harder to ripen. However, we love a challenge, and we know many of you do too! This one has to be tasted fresh off the vine to be believed.

Black Prince (OP) 70 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season Organic seed
This beauty hails from Siberia, and is one of the most justifiably popular black tomatoes grown today. The deep mahogany-red 2” round tomatoes burst with flavor and juice. An indeterminate yet well-behaved vine, it is a good producer here on the coast, and the smaller sized fruit means more chance of ripening out here. Great eaten fresh, cooked in sauce, sliced on a sandwich, or eaten straight off the vine.

Speckled Roman (OP) 85 days Indeterminate, Mid-Season, Organic Seed Developed by Seed Savers Exchange member John Swenson, this gorgeous roma tomato comes from a fortuitous cross between the tomatoes ‘Antique Roman’ and ‘Banana Legs’. ‘Speckled Roman’ produces an abundance of 3-5” oblong fruits that are meaty and flavorful and low in seeds- perfect for homemade tomato sauce, or for drying. The plant is moderately compact for an indeterminate vine, but will still need good support.

NEW! Cherokee Purple (OP) 85 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season, Organic Seed
This legendary heirloom variety is said to be at least 100 years old, and it has lots of North Coast fans, in spite of the challenges it presents for us. A vigorous sprawling plant, Cherokee Purple produces large 10-16oz fruits that are a deep pink color with darker purple shoulders. The flavor is amazing- tangy, sweet and delicious. Well worth trying if you have the right growing conditions.

NEW! Tigerella (OP) 76 days Heirloom, Indeterminate, Mid-season
This striking tomato originates in England, and if they can grow a tomato there, surely it has good potential for North Coast growers. Highly productive vines produce an abundance of silver-dollar sized tomatoes with a distinctive jagged yellow striping over their red skins. Tangy and tasty, this will add a lot of punch to your summer salads.