Tomatoes For Montana

Which Season Tomato?

• Early ripening cultivars that mature in 60 to 70 days are recommended by the Montana State University Extension. Because ripening takes longer in a colder climate, you may have to add 10 to 15 days to the range stated on the seed packet. If you live in a higher elevation, choose the earliest ripening cultivars. Early to early-mid season tomatoes, as well as the earliest maturing type, can grow in the lower elevations.

Determinate or Indeterminate?

• Determinate tomato plants set all their fruit in a short time frame, which makes these tomatoes an excellent choice for canning. The plants grow to a certain height, generally a compact 2 to 3 feet tall. Indeterminate cultivars will bear fruit through the summer until the first frost. Indeterminate tomatoes can grow up to 15 feet tall, producing many suckers and sprawling on the ground if not staked. Staking can help both determinate and indeterminate types, because it moves the foliage off the soil, allowing it to warm more quickly and speed ripening.

Salad Varieties

• Among the earliest varieties of "salad" or regular-sized tomatoes recommended by the MSU Extension are the determinate Coldset, Gem State, Northern Exposure, Prairie Fire and Sub Arctic Plenty; the determinate heirloom Siberian; and the indeterminate Whopper.

  For gardens in lower elevations, early to mid-season varieties that grow well in Montana include indeterminate heirlooms Bloody Butcher and Stupice, and determinate varieties Celebrity, Early Girl Hybrid, Fantastic and Oregon Spring.

Small-Fruited Varieties

• The earliest small-fruited tomatoes, often known as cherry tomatoes, that grow well in Montana include the determinate Early Sub Arctic, Pixie Hybrid and Tumbler Hybrid, and the indeterminate Sugary.

  For lower elevation gardens, try early to mid-season varieties such as the indeterminate Sungold, Super Sweet 100 and Sweet Baby Girl, and the indeterminate heirloom Yellow Pear.

Parthenocarpic Tomatoes

• Parthenocarpic tomatoes are an alternative to regular tomatoes. These varieties are specially bred to thrive and set fruit in colder conditions. The downside is that early production means the tomatoes may be deformed and contain no viable seeds, and the fruit's lower acidity may not appeal to your taste. The Cornell Cooperative Extension recommends Legend, a determinate tomato that produces small, salad-size, seedless fruit.