Getting tomatoes to ripen on the vine in northern Minnesota requires careful variety selection. The tomato is a warm season crop and varieties used must have the ability to grow and set fruit at cooler temperatures.

Select tomato varieties which have a "relative days to maturity" of 75 days or less. Often varieties may not perform as described in the catalogs. Start with varieties that have consistently performed well in your area.

Tomato varieties can be classified as container varieties, cherry tomatoes, small-fruited slicing tomatoes and large-fruited varieties. Tomatoes have a determinant or indeterminate growing habit. Determinant varieties grow to a specific length and then stop. The stems of indeterminate types keep growing throughout the season. Both indeterminate and determinant types produce excellent vine-ripened fruit.

Northern Master Gardeners have rated Sweet Million and Sweet 100 as their favorite cherry tomatoes. Matts Wild Cherry was also recommended. Juliet, a newer cultivar, was also recommended. It's a larger cherry-type fruit.

The most popular standard tomato is Early Girl with Celebrity as a strong second. Big Boy, Better Boy and Big Beef are also popular.

A favorite variety among container or "basket" tomatoes is Red Robin.

Small-fruited slicers which consistently vine ripen include Early Cascade, New Yorker, Wayahead, Oregon Spring, and Early Girl.

Larger-fruited varieties which have performed well in northern Minnesota include Roadside Red, Northern Exposure, and Del Oro.

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