If you’re impatient for that first taste of homegrown summer, you need to know about early tomato varieties. These are the types that are quick to harvest, getting ripe fruit into your hands weeks before traditional main-season tomatoes. For gardeners in cooler climates or anyone who hates the long wait, they are the perfect solution to a short growing season.
You’ll get fresh salads and snacks much sooner. Let’s look at how to choose and grow them for the best results.
Early Tomato Varieties – Quick to Harvest
What exactly makes a tomato “early”? These are cultivars specifically bred to reach maturity and produce ripe fruit in the shortest possible time from transplanting. While a beefsteak might need 80-90 days, many early varieties can produce in as little as 50-65 days. This speed is a game-changer.
Why Choose Early Tomatoes?
There are several great reasons to plant these speedy growers:
- Beat the Frost: In regions with short summers, you can harvest a full crop before the first fall frost arrives.
- Outsmart Disease: You often harvest before late blight and other fungal diseases become prevalent in mid-to-late summer.
- Succession Planting: After pulling your early plants, you have time to plant a fall crop of greens or root vegetables.
- Early Satisfaction: There’s nothing like picking your first ripe tomato in early summer while others are still waiting.
Top Picks for Your Garden
Here are some reliable and flavorful early tomatoes to consider. Remember, “early” doesn’t have to mean bland!
Cherry & Small Salad Types
- ‘Sungold’ (57 days): An incredibly sweet, orange cherry tomato that is almost always the first to ripen in the garden. Its vigorous vines are highly productive.
- ‘Early Cascade’ (52 days): A reliable, red cherry tomato that produces long clusters of fruit on sturdy, compact plants good for containers.
- ‘Tumbling Tom’ (60 days): Available in red or yellow, this is a superb hanging basket variety. It cascades beautifully and produces masses of sweet fruit.
Slicing Tomatoes
- ‘Early Girl’ (54 days): The classic early tomato. It produces medium-sized, flavorful red fruits reliably and over a long season. It’s a staple for a reason.
- ‘Stupice’ (52 days): A heirloom from Czechoslovakia. It yeilds small to medium, richly flavored fruits in large clusters. It’s very cold-tolerant.
- ‘Glacier’ (55 days): Another cold-tolerant variety. It sets fruit well in cooler temperatures and produces small, tasty red tomatoes on compact plants.
Paste & Sauce Tomatoes
- ‘Juliet’ (60 days): A grape tomato that is excellent for fresh eating but also meaty enough for sauces. It’s highly disease-resistant and produces huge clusters.
- ‘Opalka’ (68 days): An heirloom paste tomato with exceptional, rich flavor. It’s a bit longer than others on this list but worth it for its quality in sauces.
How to Grow for the Earliest Harvest
Choosing the right variety is only half the battle. Your growing techniques can shave even more days off your wait.
1. Start Seeds Indoors Correctly
For the biggest head start, you need to begin indoors. Sow seeds 6-8 weeks before your last expected spring frost date. Use a good seed-starting mix and provide plenty of light. Strong, stocky seedlings transplant better and bear fruit faster than leggy, weak ones.
2. Pre-Warm Your Garden Soil
Tomatoes hate cold feet. Warm soil encourages immediate root growth. You can warm your soil faster by:
- Covering planting beds with black plastic 1-2 weeks before transplanting.
- Using cloches or water walls to create a warm micro-climate.
- Adding a layer of dark compost, which absorbs heat.
3. Transplant with Care
Harden off your seedlings for a week before planting. When you transplant, bury the stem deeper than it was in the pot. Tomatoes develop roots all along their buried stems, creating a stronger, more robust plant that can support fruit sooner.
4. Use Season Extenders
Protect young plants from cool nights and wind. Simple devices can make a huge difference:
- Wall O’ Water: These plastic teepees surround the plant with water that absorbs heat during the day and releases it at night.
- Row Covers: Lightweight fabric draped over hoops keeps plants several degrees warmer.
- Cloches: You can use plastic bottles with the bottoms cut out as individual mini-greenhouses.
5. Feed for Growth, Then Fruit
Early tomatoes need a balanced diet. At planting, mix a balanced organic fertilizer into the soil. Once flowers appear, switch to a fertilizer higher in phosphorus and potassium (the middle and last numbers on the bag) to encourage blooming and fruiting. Avoid too much nitrogen later on, which promotes leaves at the expense of fruit.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced gardeners can make errors that delay their harvest. Watch out for these pitfalls:
- Planting Too Early: Putting plants in cold, wet soil shocks them and causes stunting. It actually sets you back. Wait for the soil to be warm.
- Overcrowding: Give plants plenty of space for air circulation and sunlight. Crowded plants get diseased more easily and produce less.
- Neglecting Water: Inconsistent watering leads to problems like blossom end rot. Aim for 1-2 inches of water per week, deeply and evenly.
- Forgetting to Mulch: A layer of straw or shredded leaves conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, and keeps soil temperatures more even.
FAQ: Your Early Tomato Questions
Are early tomatoes less flavorful?
Not necessarily! While some older early varieties were bred just for speed, many modern and heirloom early tomatoes have excellent, well-balanced flavor. ‘Sungold’ and ‘Stupice’ are famously tasty.
Can I grow early tomatoes in containers?
Absolutely. Many early varieties are determinate or compact indeterminates, making them ideal for pots. Ensure your container is at least 5 gallons and has excellent drainage.
What does “days to maturity” really mean?
This number is usually counted from the day you transplant a healthy seedling into the garden until the day you can harvest the first ripe fruit. It does not count from the day you sow the seed.
Should I prune early tomato plants?
For determinate (bush) varieties, avoid heavy pruning. For indeterminate (vining) early types, you can prune lightly to improve air flow, but don’t go overboard. You want to keep enough leaves to support the rapid fruit development.
How can I get tomatoes even faster?
Focus on the fastest-maturing varieties (under 60 days), use season extenders diligently, and choose a warm, sunny, sheltered spot in your garden. Every little bit of warmth and care adds up.
By selecting the right early tomato varieties and using a few simple growing tricks, you can dramatically shorten the time between planting and picking. The reward is that first, sun-warmed tomato of the season, enjoyed long before the main summer harvest arrives. With a little planning, you can make a quick harvest your new gardening reality.