Do you have a short growing season or are you feeling impatient to harvest tomatoes? Here are 8 fast growing, early tomato varieties to test this year!
Tomatoes. They are the star of the garden. I spend the most time on my tomatoes- they are my most loved and most versatile crop. And waiting for all those plants to be filled with little yellow flowers. Waiting for all those little green tomatoes to turn juicy and red is hard!
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So if you are like me and have a hard time being patient. Or if you live in an area with a short growing season, cooler climate, or shorter days- I have just the list for you!
These 8 early tomato varieties are all fast growing and will produce quickly- so you can enjoy those homegrown tomatoes that much sooner.
All these tomatoes average between 50-62 days to harvest! (Most main season varieties take closer to 80 days to ripen!) And best of all these are all open-pollinated, heirloom types!
Related Reading: Everything You Need to Know About Growing Tomatoes
8 Fast-Growing Early Tomato Varieties:
Bloody Butcher: This is my very favorite early tomato. The year our tomatoes got hit by late blight, these were the only tomatoes we were able to harvest since they were already ripening when blight began to hit our plants.
It averages about 55 days to harvest! The fruits are about 2 inches- so larger than a cherry but not quite a slicer and they grow in clusters of 5-10 fruits. They have a great flavor and will can well.
These are always the very first to turn red in our garden- even before ones that are supposed to be earlier!
Stupice: Stupice is another early variety that takes about 60 days to harvest. These are smaller tomatoes- only about 1 inch in size, but what makes them great are the fact that they are long producers.
Not only will this early tomato be one of the first to produce but it will also keep on going and still be giving you tomatoes at the end of the season. Great tangy flavor too!
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Sub Arctic Plenty: The Sub Arctic Plenty is another early tomato variety that takes about 55 days to harvest- some have even reported harvesting at 45 days!
These are about 2 inches in size, similar to the Bloody Butcher. They best thing about this early tomato variety is that it will set fruit at lower temperatures- perfect for those in colder climates with short growing seasons!
It is not as heavy a producer as some- but if you have a cooler, short growing season this may be the only way to get tomatoes!
Related Reading: 5 Ways to Stake Tomatoes
Sungold /Sungold Select: The Sungold select is my favorite cherry tomato. It’s always the first to ripen- just after our Bloody Butchers.
They fruits are crack resistant and the plants are heavy producers of sweet and tangy orangish-yellow tomatoes.
They take an average of 60 days to ripen.
Moskvich: This is a Russian variety that, like the Sub Arctic, produces well at lower temperatures. They fruits are smaller- about 4-6 ounces- and are uniform and resist cracking.
They produce early- at about 60 days- and produce abundantly throughout the season. It’s deep red with amazing flavor that does well in both cooking and canning.
Related Reading: Best Tomato Companion Plants for Your Vegetable Garden
Betalux: This is a determinate potato-leaf variety with thick stems that don’t require staking.
The fruits are about 3-6 ounces in size and take about 60 days to ripen. This is a great early tomato for canning and making sauces or pastes.
Glacier: The Glacier is a must-have for cooler climate growers as it sets fruit and produces at lower temperatures. The fruits area 2-3 inches in size and are wonderfully flavorful for fresh eating. Perfect to go with your fresh from the garden salads! Typically sets fruit in 55-60 days.
Siberian: Another determinate, the Siberian is another early tomato that does well in cooler conditions. The fruits are bright red and about 4-6 ounces in size produced in clusters. The Siberian ripens in about 62 days.
And don’t forget to check out my guided to Tomato Growing Mistakes to make sure you are doing everything correctly when it comes to growing tomatoes!
Check out some more of my favorite tomatoes: 10 Best Heirloom Tomato Varieties!
Am blessed to learn from the best
I grew Siberian tomatoes this year but they tended to rot and the flavor wasn’t great. I used to grow Early Girls but they tended to get the blight (fusarian wilt). I loved the flavor or Early Girls. What can I replace it with?
I found a new variety (maybe not new, but new to my local greenhouse) this spring called “Lunchbox “. It’s a determinate with small Roma shaped fruits. Mine is absolutely loaded with clusters that are still growing, but there are dozens! I can’t remember how long the maturity is, but I do remember it was a few days earlier than Early Girl, which is why I chose it. Im eagerly awaiting the first ripe fruit so I can see how this one compares to the others. My other tried and true is “Bush Champion”. It has a ton of fruit on it and ice of it looks to be on the verge of changing colour already and it’s only August 3! (I planted on Mother’s Day).
Besides Glacier, Moskvich, Stupiche and Sungold, I grow Alicante, Gardiner’s Delight (aka Sugarlump) and Juliet as suitable varieties for short season in Eastern Canada (zone 5b).
4th of July matures in 45 days. Picked a few couple weeks ago (June 15th) I got 2 from the grocery store next year I’ll have 20. I learned my lesson if it takes longer than 60 days it’s no deal.
TY, Sarah for this list! Where can these be purchased?