I want to get an early cool-weather variety out early for my frost date, to try to figure out how much I can push the envelope with early planting. Opinions on these varieties? I already have all these choices except the last one, which I am very tempted by.

Moskvich-Grew last year, wasn't impressed, but giving it another chance.
Glacier
Bloody Butcher
Manitoba
Siberian Pink
Buckbee's
Kimberley
Anna Russian
Sub Arctic Plenty

Maya & Sion's Airdrie Classic

Thank you!

Stitchingmom wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2024 11:39 am I want to get an early cool-weather variety out early for my frost date, to try to figure out how much I can push the envelope with early planting. Opinions on these varieties? I already have all these choices except the last one, which I am very tempted by.

Moskvich-Grew last year, wasn't impressed, but giving it another chance.
Glacier
Bloody Butcher
Manitoba
Siberian Pink
Buckbee's
Kimberley
Anna Russian
Sub Arctic Plenty

Maya & Sion's Airdrie Classic

Thank you!

The first question is whether you would miss any of those varieties, when the weather takes out the early transplant with an unexpected/somewhat expected? killing frost.

Start two plants, transplant one early, and see what happens.

I've grown Glacier, Sub Arctic Plenty, and Manitobia, and was not super impressed. It could have been that I was just planting outside too early.

You can try beaver lodge as well
Polar baby..New Yorker Siberian red.I have not grown any of these but I’m growing 2 except beaver lodge Wich I’m considering starting today as well

I am waiting for Beaverlodge from a trade, so I'll add it to the list.

Off my list, I have found the most compliments for Bloody Butcher, so that is a go, I think.

I know it doesn't answer your question, but I'm in the same spot with Moskvich - grew last year, wasn't impressed, giving it one more chance.

With all the round, red, early salad style tomatoes how is it you have added a couple of mid-season varieties...Anna Russian is a great heart and I have grown it often, and Maya and Sion's is a mid-season beefsteak which I have not grown. All the small, early varieties are good choices; Bloody Butcher has done well for me.

Maya & Sion’s definitely early season here. One of the very first medium-sized beefsteaks past two years. More on the tangy side of balanced, but very productive.

Bloody Butcher was early, but flavour was very acidic. As early as the cherry tomatoes and only marginally larger. Started tasting really good at the end of August, which sorta defeats the purpose.

Some earlier determinates I have liked are Saraev Spring Frosts (Saraev Vesennie Zamorzki), Cyril’s Choice and Grandee, all of which I’ve sent in to the MMMM if you’re part of that.

MissTee wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2024 12:35 pm Maya & Sion’s definitely early season here. One of the very first medium-sized beefsteaks past two years. More on the tangy side of balanced, but very productive.

Bloody Butcher was early, but flavour was very acidic. As early as the cherry tomatoes and only marginally larger. Started tasting really good at the end of August, which sorta defeats the purpose.

Some earlier determinates I have liked are Saraev Spring Frosts (Saraev Vesennie Zamorzki), Cyril’s Choice and Grandee, all of which I’ve sent in to the MMMM if you’re part of that.

Oooh. I have Grandee! Thanks for your help!

I agree that Anna Russian is an outstanding early heart. I only grew it once because it had a lot of foliage disease, but the taste is like watermelon and... I think I need to grow it again one of these days. Not as early as smaller fruit but still early.
There are several different tomatoes circulating as "Moskvitch". I grew one, once, and it was useless for me, not a good producer in a cool spring, not a special taste.
Glacier was a waste of time here, not especially tasty nor early, not as productive as I hoped, sprawling growth habit not a real determinate.
Siberian Pink - maybe the most disappointing tomato of all time. Set a huge bounty of fruit in the coldest old weather and they were unfit to eat. Totally mealy and not tasty. A true spitter (in the cold).
Kimberley is a decent tasting early red. Plant very tolerant of cold conditions but didn't set the main crop until it got warm enough (we're talking extreme cold trials here). It has an early flowering gene and can be ready to set fruit at 6 weeks from seed, cw 8 weeks for most other earlies in my conditions. But early flowering doesn't mean earlier main crop. It just means you can start em two weeks later for the same result. Or you can get bragging rights for "the earliest tomato" or two, a couple weeks before that, and if you do, they'll taste like tomatoes (which can be a huge plus). Certainly tolerant of average 'cool' spring conditions, and tomatoes were fit to eat regardless, but not the biggest setter in conditions that are really too cold.
I haven't grown the others but have always heard good things about Bloody Butcher.
There are two "Beaverlodge" tomatoes - BL Plum and BL Slicer. I grew the plum and it set and grew up a load of fruit in very cold early spring weather, which were totally tasteless. If I had to grow it again, I would use the extra earliness to start late, and see how they taste in better weather. This one has the precocious flowering gene as well.
Just noting that YMMV because your cool spring temperatures might be a whole other notch from where mine were when I did the ultra early trials. Many tomato ripening and flavor-producing processes are temperature dependent.
I will mention Moravsky Div as another reliable early producer with great quality in cool weather and decent taste, texture and production regardless of conditions. The sister plant Stupice had some less interesting or even a little mealy earliest fruit in the cold.
In the cherries, Sungold is great in cool weather, Peacevine just a day or two later.

Don't believe these posters who say that extra early determinate red varieties are "good". Most of them suck. I'm talking the tomatoes, not the people. They likely were dropped when little. I'm talking the people, not the tomatoes.

About the only very early varieties that I've trialed with decent flavor are Early Wonder (Pink) and Pozhar.

My earliest variety has consistently been Cole, 73 day to maturity from sowing seeds. It also appears to be one of the hardiest seedlings, making it good for an early transplant. It is fine for salads, being very meaty with little gel. Flavor is OK if drowned in salad dressing.

Your mileage may vary.

well its a good thing im trying early wounder haha..good luck picking one out..I have no room to talk about these tomatoes. since there all new in the garden this year..I'll report when there up and running

I've grown all on your list except Buckbee's.

I agree that Anna Russian shouldn't be grouped with the others. In my garden, it would likely be about 10-14 days behind the others for ripening. The flavor far exceeds all of the others, though.

On your list, Kimberley is the only one that I consider worth growing, as it ranges from OK to not OK, depending on the year. All of the others grown, have always been not OK, to me.

I don't know if you'd like them, as we're all different when it comes to liking certain things.

And, Pervaya Lyubov might ripen about half way between those earlies and Anna Russian. It has very good flavor, like AR.

Another vote for for Pervaya Lyubov... worth waiting a very few days extra than the early earlies for better flavour...

I can vouch for Pervaya Lyubov as well. Well worth growing as an early pink slicer, and really only a matter of a couple of days later than the 'early red ball' class of maters.

Subarctic Plenty did really well here but as a main season.

Julianna wrote: ↑Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:26 am Subarctic Plenty did really well here but as a main season.

That is just a sad statement (as related to your growing conditions).

Tormato wrote: ↑Sat Mar 09, 2024 11:29 am

Julianna wrote: ↑Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:26 am Subarctic Plenty did really well here but as a main season.

That is just a sad statement (as related to your growing conditions).

Lol!! I mean, I had so much hope. I quickly realized although we don't get frost... The lack of heat was a worse issue! But we are going to start on our retirement property and i have been scoping out the vegetable garden planned area in my photos and having big tomato dreams!!

Matina was not in your list but I have had good luck with it. Flavor was good not great, but good for an early.
Now I am going to mention one that many go ewww about. Tigerella is maligned a lot but some strains out there are tasty and early and keep going all season and even through a light frost or two...

wykvlvr wrote: ↑Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:04 pm Matina was not in your list but I have had good luck with it. Flavor was good not great, but good for an early.
Now I am going to mention one that many go ewww about. Tigerella is maligned a lot but some strains out there are tasty and early and keep going all season and even through a light frost or two...

Are you sure you're not from Lieoming?