Ripening for Recognition: Has MidValley Greenhouse Perfected Alaska-Hardy Tomatoes?

Regular customers at MidValley know the vegetable starts they sell each spring are chosen for reliability and Alaska hardiness. They’re all crops the Oathouts have grown themselves—and, as Melissa Lytwyn, MidValley’s production manager, points out, they or greenhouse staff will share exactly what methods make each variety grow well–whether that’s enormous shallots, prolific broccoli, or glowing, beautiful tomatoes.

“My dad has developed and stabilized about fifteen varieties of his own,” Melissa says, referring to Mark’s work in the MidValley Tomato Fort, his tomato growing lab of sorts. “Only a few do we release to the public. He’s trialed well over a thousand different varieties.”

Melissa says her dad “took it upon himself to capture that old-tomato flavor that he remembered growing up [in Indiana].” He sought classic heirloom varieties and crossed them to create a tomato with “killer flavor, that has incredible yield, and it looks pretty. In that order, that’s kind of what we look for—flavor, yield, looks pretty, and has to ripen early,” she notes.

One of the places Mark found potential candidates was in a seed exchange that was winding down several years ago, Melissa says. He received seeds from a Russian woman living in Canada, and tests showed a promising fruit: tasty, early-season tomatoes with a good yield—and they’re pretty. Most importantly, they can be grown outdoors in Alaska without a greenhouse, putting greater food security in the hands of more Alaskans.

Secure Channel

That goal is a big part of what the Oathouts seek to do with their business, according to Sharmin. “That’s what we’re here for, to change the face of food security in Alaska. Here, we want people to understand how to do it,” she says.

To that end, MidValley has a YouTube channel where growers can get tips about tomato growing or how to employ ladybugs for pest maintenance, among other topics. They also offer classes frequently, such as their late-September apple tasting, hosted by the Alaska Pioneer Fruit Growers Association.

Melissa, too, knows some things about food security. Growing up in a gardening family, she learned about plants and the patience required to grow them properly. She and her husband have a home on a 0.63-acre plot in the Mat-Su Borough, and she grows roughly 60 percent of their food: a couple hundred pounds each of potatoes and broccoli, fifty meat chickens (along with layers), ten turkeys, and more.

While the Oathouts wait to hear whether the Mat-Su Express tomato seeds will be marketed globally, MidValley Greenhouse will press on with its mission of delivering reliable plants and educating buyers how to succeed in caring for them. One way they hope to do that, Sharmin says, is with the MidValley Farmers Market, planned to debut in 2026 at their Hyer Road property. They plan to sell tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and whatever other vegetables might be available, along with honey from their bees and apples from their orchard.