I read all the great reviews on Stupica, so I ordered some seed. Worst tomatoes I've ever eaten. I read some bad reviews on Early Girl, so I got some seed to try this year. I'm just curious as to why Early Girl is one of the most planted early tomatoes in home gardens if it's so bad.

I hope I don't puke!

Gerald

Well you'll find many early varieties discussed in some of the other current threads here - specifically Siletz, Glacier, Stupice, Bloody Butcher, Matina, etc.

And you might want to check out these earlier discussions on best early varieties for even more suggestions.

Early tasty tomatoes?

Early, large, and tasty?

You might also want to check out the many early varieties offered by tomatogrowers.com

Hope this helps.

Dave

I raised Early Girl for many years. It is a hybrid that is sold "everywhere" as a seedling transplant. My experience with it was very good. It is very tasty and has that old fashioned acid taste that I love. Most folks try to eat these early types "too early". Make sure you let them FULLY ripen on the countertop after harvesting. They should be ALL deep red in color with NO TRACE of green shoulders showing.

Ted

I just posted a list of my 2009 earlies in the Cal. gardening forum and included the information blurb on each of them. It's the 12th and last (right now) post in the thread below.

Lots of people seem to like Stupice and/or Sophie's Choice, but they are completely different from each other in plant and fruit size.

.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cool tolerant Early Tomatoes

I've tried Early Girl, Silvery Fir Tree, Siletz, Stupice, and Matina in my garden.

Early Girl grew well for me and was productive but the taste seemed no better than store bought (though no worse)to me.

Silvery fir tree was only ok on production and didn't have much taste for me.

Siletz grew good looking tomatoes and would be a winner if you like tart tomatoes but it was too tart for my taste buds.

Stupice also grew and produced well. The taste of the first few were like Early girl to me but they improved to good as the season progressed.

Matina has been the early winner so far in my garden. It produces well all season, looks great, and has very good taste to my family and friends.

Early's for the 2009 season I plan to try are Bloody Butcher (in addition to Matina), earliana, sophie's choice, and chalk's early jewel (if I can find room).

Here is the list of earlies from Tomato Growers. On it is Jetsetter, (which is tied for my all-time favorite tomato, with Moskvich) Stupice, also very yummy, and Kimberly, which is quite nice as well. Jetsetter and Stupice also have the star quality of LOVING the heat, and they get better and better as the summer goes on.

Carla in Sac

Here is a link that might be useful: Early tomato list TGS

Sungold and Kimberly are consistently the earliest ripe fruit in my garden, but you made no mention of what size fruit you were looking for.

I hesitate to recommend for you as your weather in the bay area is very different than mine here in western PA.

I can tell you that I have been growing Early Girl for many many years and am yet to find a more satisfactory early tomato. I have tried dozens of early varieties over the years. It seems that every spring brings the usual flood of seed catalogs and somehow there are always a few new "Super Magic" early varieties touted--these soon fade from attention and disappear (like most that preceded them) and we are left with Matina, Bloody Butcher, Early Girl, and Stupice from which to select.

I have grown all the above and find Matina and Bloody Butcher not to fully ripen for me-they always have green sholders. Stupice, to me, is not worth growing. I have better things to so with the space it might occupy.

Early Cascade might please you; it certainly is prolific. Ultimate Opener and Fireworks have been disappointing. Two packets of Ultimate Opener have yet to offer a ripe tomato much before June 1st while Fireworks grows nasty little
fruits chock full of seeds and nothing else. Ultimate Opener does, however, throw many very regularly shaped and attractive fruits--just have not been early for me.

I'm trying Early Goliath this year and will plant it right next to Early Girl and Early Cascade. We will see.

Larry

Larry, I tried Early Goliath last year, shame on me for not watching how early it was, I know it wasn't before July 1st, but I do remember it producing all season with beautiful tomatoes. Therefore it earned two spaces this year, one in the garden and one in a large pot. I will have to keep an eye on it this year. I tried Ultimate Opener two years ago, it wasn't memorable. Maybe I'll try it again based on what you said! Silver Fir Tree was my earliest last year, but I gave up on it because it is mushy, and the plant doesn't produce very long. Paul

I liked Polfast, 54 days, the only place I know that sells it is Pinetree Garden Seeds. It's a small tomato, but has good balanced flavor and a thin skin, very rugged. They listed it as determinate, but it kept going for a good part of the summer for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: pinetree garden seeds-polfast

Around these parts, at the western edge of PA and also at the eastern edge of Ohio--about 1/2 way N and S, we consider it a mark of true achievement to get a home grown tomato to yield
on or prior to July 4.

Some of us, like my friend Spike, buy cheaters at the local
greenhouse, already in bloom and at least 2 ft high at setout. However, his chicanery was revealed through error a few years ago, as the greenhouse containers with descriptive labels were found still moist in the potting shed next to his garden.

Last year I grew Burpee's 4th of July and actually had ripe fruits July 1st, 2nd, and 4th. I am not growing these again in 2009, and will depend on Early Girl or Early Goliath to
yield an edible fruit or two prior or on the 4th of July!

I have heard many complaints about Early Girl tasting bad. Containerted has the answer in his follow-up above.

If growers would simply let Early Girl fully ripen they would find them to be delicious rather than cardboard tasting and hard. It amazes me that so many growers just don't seem to know what a fully ripe tomato looks like.

I have grown Early Girl for many many years now, and would not even think about not growing at least a couple plants of them every year as long as I am able to garden.

Early Girl has almost EVERYTHING going for it!! Just give it another week after you think it is ready, before picking and you will be happy right up to frost.

Here are 50 to 60 day varieties:

Kimberly
Bloody Butcher
Matina
Kotlas
Stupice
Glacier
Polar (add whatever name you find)

Of these, Kimberly, Matina, Kotlas, and Bloody Butcher are worth growing. Stupice is decent under some conditions (hot days, rich soil) and the others are mediocre at best.

In the mid maturity range, Gregori's Altai is the hands down winner. They typically ripen in 65 days with large very good flavored fruit and they are broadly adapted making a good crop from South Texas all the way up into Canada. There are some early hybrids and heirlooms that are available such as Valley Girl and Moskvich. These can work under some conditions. Valley Girl in particular can handle stress much better than most heirlooms.

On a different note, I am working on a cross between Eva Purple Ball and Kimberly with hopes to find an Eva Purple Ball size tomato that has the precocious flowering gene from Kimberly. My intent is to grow out about 300 seedlings this season, transplant only the potato leaf ones, then select from the roughly 75 plants for early ripening and large fruit. Once I get something stable from this cross, I will then cross with an Eva Purple Ball X Big Beef selection to hopefully increase the disease tolerance without sacrificing flavor. Give me a few years and we will see.

DarJones

Siberia is a good early season tomato, if you have room for a plant or two that is short but will only have tomatoes in the spring and another flush in the fall. They are very tasty. They like cool weather and will produce small tomatoes when it's hot outside.
Celebrity bush is a great early one no one has mentioned and it's great in containers. I routinely start about 30 for sale here in gallons and they always sell out and people come back for them each year.

You don't mention if you prefer indeterminate or determinate. That would be something to decide first and then pick a variety.

I only grow tomatoes from Territorial Seed Co. They have their seeds organized by speed of maturity. If I had to pick only two they would Matina for slicing and Bambino for cherrys.

We are in Seattle so our best choices might be different than yours. Maybe there is a garden forum specific to your area where you could ask.

I grew a few plants of Early Goliath last summer for the first time. It turned out to be vigorous and prolific in production of slightly larger than Early Girl maters.
However, I would say it is about 10 days later for me than was Early Girl, but a little better tasting.
My first Early Girl usually ripen approx. July 1st.

I would recommend a few each of Early Girl and Early Goliath varieties.

My best all around variety so far has been Neves Azorean Red, but it is not a early tomato. Another fine variety for me last summer was Carbon.

I happen to love Stupice and think the flavor is wonderful. However, I know that the same variety raised in different soil, nutrients, climate, weather conditions etc. can taste markedly different.

Yes, Stupice really shines where it's hot. My experience is that most of the "earlies" do, contrary to what one would think, such as Kimberly, Early Swedish, Gregories' Altai, etc..

I believe that most of its bland reviews come from those who have cool climates, and grow it because it is supposed to be early, so it never gets a chance to develope its full flavors. I grow it because it powers through when it's 105 degrees out, puts out tomatoes through November, and tastes delicious. I couldn't care less how soon I get tomatoes, although those who do really should give it a try.

Carla in Sac

I tried 3 types of early tomatoes last year.

Stupice - I won't be growing again. I hated the taste and had thick skin.

Early Girl - Average size and taste. Pretty productive. I'll grow only a couple this year.

Early Wonder - By far my favorite early tomato. The taste was pretty good. They were bigger than Early Girl and were just as productive(if not more). I also like the pinkish color of the tomatoes.

Several have said that the key to decent tasting Early Girls is to let them fully ripen. That is absolutely correct!!!!!
The problem for many of us, however, is that we are starved for a garden tomato in the spring, and just can't keep our
stickey pickey fingers off a semi ripe redish fruit.

I say, pick the first one for the date and bragging rights, then wait for the next two till the damn things are truly ripe! Like maybe at 65 dys or thereabouts.

On a different note, I am working on a cross between Eva Purple Ball and Kimberly with hopes to find an Eva Purple Ball size tomato that has the precocious flowering gene from Kimberly. My intent is to grow out about 300 seedlings this season, transplant only the potato leaf ones, then select from the roughly 75 plants for early ripening and large fruit. Once I get something stable from this cross, I will then cross with an Eva Purple Ball X Big Beef selection to hopefully increase the disease tolerance without sacrificing flavor. Give me a few years and we will see.

DarJones

That one should be interesting, cant wait to see what you end up with

Duane

Gerald I am surprized that Stupice did not taste good for you - try Matina it is good and many like it better - so far as early girl - I don't grow many hybrids and never thought it tasted that good m- so far as a lot of people grow them becuse the old home depot and those places sell them - however home depot has started selling heirlooms - has over a dozen varieties I saw last yr- though I don't buy from there I did see them when I cruized the garden dept - signon to Tomatofest.com http://store.tomatofest.com/SearchResults.asp they show 70 early season - see what you like then ask us back what you like

Lime Green Salad
Great taste
smallish plant
with lots of fruit
50-60 days

I heartily recommend Bloody Butcher. I wouldn't be without it.

Let them ripen fully, and they are just delicious in a salad while you wait for the slicers to ripen.

Though I don't know how it would do for you, Johnny's recommends "New Girl" this way:

=====
First early, great taste.

Better tasting and more disease resistant than Early Girl. Holds better than First Lady II. Widely adapted. Mini: 40 seeds.

Days to Maturity or Bloom: 62
=====

Because it's so early, I'll grow it this year for the same reason you're looking for earlier tomatoes. The big later ones are delicious, but it's hard to wait for them to produce!

Here is a link that might be useful: New Girl

In 2006 and 2007 I grew one plant each of Bloody Butcher and Matina. Seeds were purchased from a commercial source. Both years I had the same problem. Both varieties set lots of fruits on smallish plants I had trimmed to triple leaders. However, both had fruits in the approx. 2" size range that were green on top, and refused to ripen away the green areas before the bottoms would go overripe and rot. So most of the tomatoes were lost. The few that did ripen in a normal manner were quite tasty, I thought Matina a little better, but there were few of them.

So I stopped doing those two varieties. Has anyone else had this experience with these varieties? Do you suppose my seed was off or bad?

For several years I had grown Early Girl. Last year picked up seed called Early And Often and put a few next to the Early Girl. It's a 68 day tomato and the taste was very good, better than Early Girl. It's a pink tomato, 8 oz. I stopped in Lowes the other day and found they had seed out and got some. Last year the package showed the seed came from Thailand, this year it appears to be USA produced. Last fall I looked and couldn't find this seed in the Burpee catalog and wrote to them. The woman that answered also could not find it in their catalog. I wrote down everythin from the front and back of the pack to show that this was a Burpee product. She replied that she found it in a separate catalog. It seems that there is a seed series called Signature that is franchized to Lowes and so you can only get the seed there. I guess you cannot order it from Burpee. I find practically no mention of this tomato on the web. Is it entirely new?
The plants did very well at my aunt's in Indianapolis, better than my garden in NJ. Probably more sun in Indy.

I'm in a different zone. I'm not a gardner. I grow only tomatoes because tomatoes grow like weeds and because store bought tomatos are poor substitutes for fresh, ripe tomatoes. I've grown them in pots and in the ground. I've always planted early girls as 1/2 my small, personal crop. I'm not sure what the poor reviews of early girls are targeting. But I find them almost effortless to grow (water daily), highly productive, and delicious. They are plenty big enough to slice for a sandwich. Again, I'm no expert, but don't count early girls out.

Early Girl is easy to grow and early; I used to grow it every year. I don't think it tastes as good as others that start producing just a little later. All tomatoes taste better ripe in my opinion.