Hi J.,
The Sand Hill Preservation catalog says:
Latah: early, quick growing for Northern areas, cool tolerant, red salad size fruit. Named by Dr. Boe of the University of Idaho for the county in Idaho. OG Pkt. $2.00

The link below also show Latah in an evaluation of tomato varieties at the University of Idaho.
Remy

Here is a link that might be useful: University of Idaho Tomato Publication

Thank you, Remy. Perhaps Mapple Farms started with the Latah Variety and bred successive generations for enhanced earliness.

I've recently seen both Latah and Legend promoted as very early tomatoes, but neither has met Siberian's claim to set fruit in temperatures as low as 38 degrees.

You're welcome. I'm so skeptical of the claim that Siberian sets fruit at such a low temp. I do believe it will set in colder than normal conditions though.
I found the chart at the Idaho site interesting and probably useful for you. I take it your season isn't very long.
Not that you asked, because you might already know but...
My thoughts on a few tomatoes you might be interested in:
Sophie's Choice starts off life well in cold conditions, is early, and is extremely productive. Plus the tomatoes are a good size. They are fairly mild tasting, but definitely not bland.
Silvery Fir Tree is another good early one, very productive. It is much stronger tasting that Sophie's Choice, but I like it. It is also very attractive with the fine cut foliage.
Mountain Princess is another good tasting early. The production wasn't as high as the other two, but it was in a poor spot. I suspect it would of produced a lot more if given more love.
New Big Dwarf tasted excellent when I grew it. Again I planted it in the same poor conditions as Mountain Princess so production was low.
Remy

Thanks, Remy.

I was looking at Sophie's Choice in the pictures on the site below....maybe I could squeeze one more plant into the sunroom this winter!

We have a long, 8 month frost free growing season, but the nights are very chilly during the two months on either end of it. I'm thinking that if I can get my three-sided tomato shelter built in time, some of these cool weather varieties might give me an early spring harvest.

j.

Here is a link that might be useful: Small Container Tomatoes

Hi again,
I think you should grow Sophie's Choice. It would probably do very well for you. I grew mine in pots this year and they did exceptionally well. I put them out early while the nights were still quite chilly here.
My containers are probably twice the size of the photo on the link so they are bigger but not gigantic. It affects the tomatoes well though. They grew much wider and bushier than that link photo shows. My computer died in the summer so I lost many photos that I did not upload. I do have this early pic of Sophie's Choice that I sent to a friend.

Jill, you didn't have to go to Germany to see a picture of Sophie's Choice b'c I'm the one who introduced it and below I've linked to a picture of it at Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. ( smile) The blurb is to the right of the picture.

Initially I looked at the RED tomato selections at SESE and didn't see it, but if they aren't offering it for 2009 then by all means take Remy up on her offer.

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Sophie's Choice

Oh, boy, Remy! Yes, thank you, I would love some seeds. I was just regretting passing it up in an earlier trade. I will send you a sasbe asap. Email coming!

I was amazed to see the size of the pots on Nelly's page. When compared to the bricks behind them, or the wrought iron planters, many of them look like short azalea pots.

Carolyn, your picture had me drooling over the fruit, but the whole little plant itself is quite a beauty.

I didn't see it offered in any of the 2009 SESE tomato sections either, but I'll bet it would not be the only variety on my next year's planting list that was first introduced by you!

j.

I was studying plant science at University of Idaho with Dr. Art boe as my primary professor. He developed the latah variety as well as several other artic and sub-arctic tomato's. Hope it helps.