The first year I cracked open my Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog, my chin literally dropped.  As I leafed page after page and saw heirloom tomato after heirloom tomato, I was instantly smitten.  I wanted one of each.  There are literally hundreds of varieties from all over the world!  It can be so easy to just randomly order a few handfuls of seeds to try, but I have found over the last few years that there are a few things key when it comes to selecting varieties to grow here in Wisconsin.

The main thing is to look at the origin of the seeds you are looking at.  Chances are if the location they are grown in says “warm climate” or “tropical” or “favorite in the south” it might not do so well here in the frozen tundra.   Tomatoes that are bred for Texas or Florida or New Zealand may not do so well here.  On the other hand, I have had amazing success with tomatoes from Siberia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.   And of course, ones bred right here in Wisconsin or next-door Minnesota.

I find this true with many plants other than tomatoes, sadly.  Exotic Asian eggplants don’t seem to like our weather too much- it just doesn’t get hot enough.  My experiments with okra proved less than desirable.  If I had space to grow several dozen plants I could get enough okra to do something with, but growing one plant and yielding five little pods is hardly worth the gardening real estate.

It’s all trial and error- and it’s not to say that maybe YOU won’t have some success with that beautiful Israeli tomato seed, but your odds of success are better if your tomato seed comes from a region with a similar climate.

Oooh, have to come back and add something.  If you’re not like me, and you don’t have an addiction to starting your own tomato plants from seeds, there is nothing wrong with buying your plants already started.  If you go to a reliable garden center near to you, they should have plants that will grow well in your climate.  Ask if you have any questions about it.  If the people working there can’t answer your questions,  find a different garden center until you find someone who can answer your questions AND assure you that the plants they have will grow well in your climate.