I got this just by some accident, without really knowin much about it. I got the seeds of the rack at the big box store.
Somehow I ended up having just one seedlings. I usually sow more.

Anyway, even thow it is a DET, but right now it is bigger than most INDETS started at the same time.

After actually seeing tha plant ( now about 10") and reading about it I wish I had grown more than one.

I read that it is :

DETERMINAT
EARLY (69 days)
PRODUCTIVE
LIKE COOL WET CLIMATE

And it is just beautifult to look at with those carrot like seilvery foliage.
What do you think about it ?

Here is a picture from the net. Mine is not that big yet but I will post some pics later.

When you look at the link below note that at the bottom Carrot-Like is also mentioned and Andrey in Belarus has said that that one is different.

Back in the 80's I did grow Carrot-Like when Seeds Blum was still in business, but I'd have to grow both in the same season to see if they are indeed slightly different.

Fred Hempel in CA has introduced many new varieties that some here might be aware of, two of the first were Pink and Purple Bumblebees, he also bred one he called Lucinda, a green when ripe using Silvery Fir Tree as one parent, and it has that gorgeous dissected foliage as well and yes I've grown that one too.

Carolyn

And if you look at the many seed sources for it, again, at Tania;s link they are found all over the US as well as in Canada at I think two places as I remember, short term memory here when I just read those seed sources, LOL

Carolyn, who has never gardenened in a cool wet climate and all three that I've grown, as mentioned above did well, and note that Fred Hempel is from S CA and developed Lucinda there, absolutely not a cool wet climate.

I read a comment in another site that somebody mentioned that it (SFT)liked their COOL < WET climate. I suppose, having its origin in Russia, it should like cool weather.

Yes, our PNW is both cool and wet. The number of days in the whole summer that temps might reach 86F may be ONE or NONE. The Pacific Ocean is quite pacific but it sends out a lot of gentle rain all the time. lol

As of right now, they are about the same size as the other two varieties.

With red fruits in the silvery background, they should produce a beautiful contrast.

I am going to plant mine in a container.

Linda

%%%%%
Nope.

What we once knew as the USSR is now called, and has been for many years, the CIS ( Commonwealth of Independent States) and there many states known that never have cool wet weather.

Even varieties from Siberia, grow well in their long summer.

I get seeds from folks in the Ukraine, ( western part now), Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Kazachstan and more, and most of those places have large areas of warm weather, yes, occasionally rain, but not long term cold wet weather.

Tania, whose links I put up here often, was from the now state of Russia, and immigrated to British Colonbia with her family quite a few years ago. And she gets LOTS and LOTS of varieties from her mother, still in Russia,

Summary? Not good to assume that the CIS, nee USSR, is a place of cold and wet when referencing growth of tomatoes and so many other crops.

Carolyn

Carolyn, I am interested, where did you get seeds from Estonia? Is there any varieties that can be commonly found? My grandfather moved to the U.S. from Tallinn as a boy, fleeing from the advancing Soviet Army after WWII and I would love to find some seeds.

+++++
Even varieties from Siberia, grow well in their long summer.
+++++
That is not the point: RUSSIA is generally a COLD country.
Give me a break ! Russia is a VAST country bout it is VASTLY close to north pole.
.

Remember what happened to Napoleon Bonaparte in Russia ? Haha.

Russia is more like Canada, geographically and weather wise; LOONG winters, short and cool summers ...
I am not talking about Uzbekistan, Mongolia, etc..They are not part of Russia. hehe

Most of Russia is situated above the arctic circle.
Most parts of Russia is much closer to the north pole than equator (above 50 latitude)

So, weather and climate wise RUSSIA is "COLD" . Now, I dont know which part of Russia they brought the Silvery Fir Tree tomato. Does Tania know that (??!!)

She gets them there b'c the prices are much better than elsewhere.

BUT, what they sell are not local varieties, rather all from Russian seed companies, not all of the Russian companies are that good as to pictures on seed packs and what you find inside. And the seeds sold are from the best of those seed companies.

Below is a link to very few known varieties from EStonia, from Tania's website.

If it was Latvia it would be a different story b'c the last place I taught had a women's basketball team composed of ALL Latvian players, one of them was taking a course with me, and though her I was able to get some really nice tomato varieties. One I remember was Ilses's Yellow Latvian, that I do remember that is that;s what we named it for it had no name as received.

Carolyn

I used to do growouts for SSE with the new ones Marie sent.

Below is a link to those countries that are part of the CIS and some you said weren't, but they are.

Palm trees sway in the breezes in Sevastopol on the Crimean cost, also the southern parts of now W Ukraine.
And if you watched the recent Olympics you could see the palm trees in Sochi which is on the coast of the Black Sea.

I have a long time friend in Belarus and Andrey can grow whatever he wants to, and Reinhard Kraft in Germany has introduced several varieties from a waoman who moved from Kazachstan and brought family varieties with her to Germany. They all start with the woman's name Ludmilla, b'c it was she and her family that brought them to Germany, and yes, I've grown all of them as well.

I have in my collection many varieties from Moldova and Bulgaria as well. And Tania still has relatives back in Russia, the CIS state, and lists many many varieties from there, obtained from family or via her other contacts there.

Below is a link which indicates which states within the former USSR are now part of the CIS.

Carolyn

******************
OK. That is good enough to support what I have said about RUSSIA.

I am sure you can find some micro climates in Russia with warm weather too. But Kazakistan is not RUSSIA. So , I consider MOSCOW as an average Russian representation in everyway and it is above arctic circle, I think.

ALL I SAID was that the plant being brought from RUSSIA must be cold tolerant. I did not say it will not be grown in hot climates etc. Now that we know it came from Moscow, that settles.
Now lets talk about some characteristic of SFT tomato.
I like tangy tart tomatoes. Isn't it why we add oil and vinegar to our salads ? Also , I rarely eat plain tomato. Just use it in salads, sandwiches and cooking. So then SFT fits the bill for me. Given its ornamental features, I will grow it even just for that purpose.
We all have different preferences. I personally do not garden for just PRODUCTION. How about you ?

What are my prederences? Taste comes first. always. good production in different seasons is also important, and last on my list for the mainly OP varieties I've grown is disease tolerance, and most of those are foliage diseases for which there are no known good tolerances and vary from year to year based on the proximity of local spores and bacteria..

(ALL I SAID was that the plant being brought from RUSSIA must be cold tolerant. I did not say it will not be grown in hot climates etc.)

And very adroit back peddling say I.

Carolyn

I don't care too much about fancy foliage either, I garden a lot for production since I like to get a nice return for my investment in time, energy, not to mention the dollars put in. But, I do like growing interesting varieties, so I'm okay with a slight sacrifice in production for things that I can't get in any old grocery store. But, if I'm only getting a half dz tomatoes from a variety then, it's not worth my time, no matter if it's unique or tastes great. That's why I probably wont grow Cherokee Purple again. Tasted good, and had an interesting look, but I got about 8-10 ripe fruits between two plants before frost killed them. I can get looks and taste from another variety that will also give me better production.

Then there is taste. I value this equally with production. I'm not going to grow something that is no good to eat, even if I get bushels of it.

So, overall, like I said, I look forward to trying this tomato this year. Not for so much for the novelty, but because out of the three that Im growing this year, it is likely to be the best producer since it is a short season variety which tend to do well where I'm at, better then long season varieties IME. We will see how it holds up in taste if I will grow it again or not.

Probably I will plant it in a container too. I can live with tart taste. To me it is a novelty. I am growing close to 20 varieties, green, red, yellow, black, brown ...

My point was that generally speaking, Russia has more cold weather than even Canada. When I hear "RUSSIA", Moscow, one of the things that pops up in my mind is "Freezing cold" with all the Russian men wearing fur hats. I am sure they have few days of hot summer too(lol) They also have summer in Alaska

BUT we are talking about Silvery Fir Tree Tomato here ; Its plant, growth habit, fruits, flavor, etc. So lets stick to that.
.

Since they say it is a patio type of tomato, I thought it should be enough. So I think your half barrel should be big enough for two.