Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 2b-5b Experience)
Mid-early variety, red, with elongated fruits. The plant is very compact, I planted them 12 inches (30cm) apart, but even that’s a lot- 8 inches (20cm) would be plenty. I run them with 2 stems. Sets fruit really well in the heat. Right now there are 5 full trusses on the vines with 5-6 tomatoes each. Doesn’t get hit by BER (unlike Auria). The only flaw, in my opinion, is that the fruits fall off at the slightest touch.
Another flaw (or maybe it’s just me?), during even short-term storage, the blossom end dries up and shrivels 😳.
I wanted to add that it also handles the cold incredibly well. I planted it outdoors in the dirt, and despite a freezing summer (or rather, a complete lack of one), it set fruit wonderfully. The vine isn’t super tall, pruned to two stems, trusses are completely full with no gaps. I can’t speak to the shriveling issue yet, as they haven’t blushed, and can’t comment on the taste yet either 😉.
I don’t get it; is everyone just growing this for looks? Why is there no info on the taste?
The taste is good, like all solid plum tomatoes. The flesh is dense, not watery. I’ve been planting it for three years now and will keep doing so–I’m extremely happy with its consistent yields (it was my most productive paste tomato during both the scorching hot summer of 2012 and the freezing one in 2013) and how low-maintenance it is.
The skin is thick, but not tough like oak, so it doesn’t split when canning, and the taste of the canned ones is great. It didn’t catch any diseases. The tomatoes really do hold onto the vine weakly, so it’s best not to shake the plant. During long storage, the blossom end does shrivel up, but it stores exceptionally well without rotting.
I completely agree with everything said above. In short, to my taste, it’s a very worthy canning variety. The yield is super. Plus, it can easily handle being pruned to 3-4 stems without issue. The plant itself is pretty frailly built, not vigorous, not super tall; in the greenhouse it hit 5 feet (1.5-1.6m). I’d even say it looks very flimsy, you just have these clusters of tomatoes hanging off skinny little legs.
Sets trusses without missing a beat, 7-10 fruits per truss. Doesn’t get BER. Mid-early variety. Though last year it was one of the first to ripen. Weight is roughly 3-3.5 oz (80-100g) on average. If you run it to a single stem, they hit 4 oz (120g). The only flaw I noticed is that the seeds germinate poorly and slowly. First time I planted seeds from Valya Redko, out of 10 seeds only 1 popped. This year I planted my own saved seeds, and they also took forever and germination wasn’t great. Maybe just a coincidence.
I already want this Niagara on my grow list.
Beautiful tomatoes, going to look for seeds.
Well, my wish list just grew again. Hey folks, whose seeds did you use? What brand should I look for? Or is it only from Redko?
As a seedling, mine was the most pathetic, spindly, weedy-looking thing 😕 …who knew what was going to grow out of it lol 😆
Niagara today. Can’t comment on the taste, haven’t tried it yet 🙂
They grew into beautiful, tasty tomatoes, and they store incredibly well. The yield is wonderful, full trusses… I recently ate some out of a canning jar; they didn’t split and were delicious. Saved seeds for next time 😆
A good, hardworking tomato. Outstanding for canning!!! 😘 My original seeds were from Agros.
I really loved it last season, both the look and the taste. The fruits are perfectly uniform, like little dolls, stores perfectly. Fuss-free, heavy yielder – this season was the exact same. Excellent variety! 👍
Really liked this variety, a strong candidate for a permanent favorite..
In our Baltic climate, it turned out to be highly susceptible to Late Blight. It was one of the very first to catch it outdoors. And it happened instantly.
I grew Niagara in 2013. The commercial description reads: “NIAGARA – mid-early indeterminate tomato of Siberian breeding with high yield, unique shape, and excellent fruit quality. Compact plant, strong root system. 10-14 tomatoes per truss, weighing up to 120g. Elongated-oval fruit with a pointed tip, red color, excellent taste. For fresh consumption and all types of processing. Good storage.”
I grew this variety outdoors in the dirt, didn’t have a greenhouse. It had 5-8 tomatoes per truss. Didn’t eat it fresh, and the taste in canned jars wasn’t memorable. During storage, as I mentioned, the blossom end shrivels up. This is strictly a greenhouse variety. I don’t plan on regrowing it anytime soon.
The blossom end shriveling happens to a lot of varieties with this particular shape. But I planted Niagara in the greenhouse and was very happy with it. Will absolutely be planting it again.
Planted it outdoors in the dirt.
Great yielder, set fruit well, but then it caught some nasty crud and rotted right on the vine, had to throw the whole thing out 🙁
I’ll try it in the greenhouse next time if I have any seeds left.
Grew it outdoors in the dirt. Didn’t like it. Haven’t tried growing it in a greenhouse.
Grew it in the greenhouse. Productive 👍, great canning 👍 variety. Kept setting fruit the entire season without skipping a beat. Pruned to 2 stems. Candidate for planting again in 2017 📝
Loved this variety, it really lives up to its name–just a waterfall of fruit 👋 Grew in the greenhouse on 3 stems, long fruiting period, stores well. The fruits are firm, red, up to 3 oz (90g), typical flavor for an icicle paste tomato. Its main job is for canning. Zero BER on any of the fruits. The ripe ones can fall off if you bump the plant, but the dropped ones didn’t get damaged or crack at all.
My vine turned out flimsy, but tall. Average yield, average taste. Was not impressed.
Grew Niagara for the first time in the 2019 season. Really loved it for the heavy yield and for not being prone to disease. Got so much fruit from just one plant that we had enough to eat fresh all season and plenty left over for canning jars. The tomatoes ripening right on the vine looked gorgeous, truly like a waterfall of fruit. The only thing is they hold on a bit weakly and can fall off, but they ripen indoors perfectly. The taste of a fresh one is just good, classic tomato.
Tried keeping them for storage. They lay well, and the blossom end does indeed shrivel, but it doesn’t rot and the shriveling doesn’t affect the taste at all. Mine lasted all the way to New Year’s 💃 and I had something to treat and surprise guests with at the holiday table. Saved seeds, so I’m definitely planting it again this 2020 season.
Full Summary: Plant, Yield, Taste and Storage
- 🌿 Plant: An indeterminate vine with notoriously wispy, frail-looking foliage (“weedy” or “spindly” as growers describe it). Despite its delicate appearance, it is a workhorse that can be pruned to 2 or 3 stems and planted tightly in a greenhouse. Unlike many elongated paste tomatoes, it is highly resistant to Blossom End Rot (BER). Note: Keep an eye out for Late Blight if grown outdoors in wet climates.
- 📈 Yield: Exceptionally high. It sets massive, gap-free trusses (up to 14 fruits each) reliably through both intense heat waves and cold snaps, creating a cascading “waterfall” effect of red fruit.
- 👅 Taste: A classic, straightforward processing tomato flavor. The flesh is dense and meaty, lacking the watery texture of slicers.
- 📦 Texture/Usage: Elongated, icicle-shaped red paste tomatoes weighing 3-4 oz (80-120g). It features thick (but not tough) skin that holds up perfectly during hot-water canning without splitting. Excellent for long-term counter storage—though the distinct pointed blossom ends will safely dry and shrivel up during storage without rotting. One quirk: ripe fruits drop from the vine very easily, so harvest carefully!
