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Growing Tomatoes

need suggestion for early season tomato

14 years ago

I started my tomato seeds a month ago and but today I realized all my tomatoes are late season varieties except for sungold, juliet and sweet tangerine. So just trying to make sure that I don't go crazy until my heirlooms are ready, I need a suggestion for a good early season red tomato. I am in zone 7 fwiw.

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Comments (14)

rockguy
14 years ago
It's too late now to get early tomatoes from seed planted today. They might be early-ER but there's always next year. One variety I won't recommend is "Bloody Butcher". They are early, and have a good taste altho they only get to maybe 2 inches diameter at most. The problem is they are full of seeds, I mean full.
ikea_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
rockguy you are right about it being too late to grow from seeds. I guess I should have asked what kind of commonly available transplants sold at stores you would suggest for early season crop.
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Daniel, I have experienced very similar results this year in northern MN. All seeds were started at the same time, planted out at the same time, and treated the same. 2 of my early varieties (Glacier & Bloody Butcher) did beat Cherokee Purple, but only by 8 or 9 days. About 10 days after the 1st early small tomatoes, I picked a Giant Belgium that weighted 1# 8oz. At about 2 weeks after the earliest fruit, several 1# plus C.P. were being picked. The 1st fruit from my "Early Pick" variety were just starting about this same time. However, other large varieties, are very late. Mortgage Lifter, Black Krim, Super Steak, Super Beef Steak, are all very Sloooow. All plants are growing in the same conditions. This is the Giant Belgium that was only about 10 days behind to early little tomatoes: A very strange year.
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Well, I am quite thrilled to read these great responses! I live in Zone 7, but our Winter is still long. The zones just refer to the extremes in temperature, not how long it lasts. I have noticed volunteer tomatoes come out earlier than I would choose to plant out. So, I can watch for that as a sign. I do not have any trouble with legginess of my tomato seedlings. I have a picture window that faces full-South, and shelves there (for seedling starting in Winter) outfitted with shop-lights. I read somewhere that it is important to use fresh bulbs (fluorescent tubes) as the light diminishes over time. I do not get new ones every year, but if one seems to put out less (judging by the plants), I use that on my alpine strawberry seedlings or something else that doesn't mind. I want to start even earlier because I'd like to keep tomato strains true when I grow them out. I plan to grow out severl this year, and if one flowers first for a week, then they are in the clear, and I can mark those fruits, and then not really worry about the rest. I guess what I mean is that an early & staggered start will allow me to focus on each plant as it comes into bloom, selecting from that, and moving on to the next one. I do have some limitations (medically), so it would be easier to focus on them staggered rather then so many at one time. It may not work out the way I hope, but I figure it is a good experiment for this year. By choosing good varieties for this (my un-familiarity with varieties hurts my experiment here) I can better insure success. The funny thing is that I don't really eat tomatoes--except in spaghetti sauce. BUT, everyone else loves them, and I find there is a group involved with tomatoes that have a zeal for the plant like no other vegetable/fruit. A great deal of home-breeding is going on, and I find it the most fascinating thing. Tomatoes provide a great opportunity to study genetics at home, and to look very intensely at varietal development in plants. I guess I am hooked for a reason not common to most, but I am hooked. So, I will try my experiment this year, and see how it works for me. I am thankful at the varieties/categories I see mentioned. When mentioning "use determinate or dwarf" plants, how can I find out which is which? I have consulted some websites, but is there a thorough tomato base out there? Keep the posts coming! Happy Holidays, Robin
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dave1mn2
14 years ago
Early Wonder was O.K the one year I grew it but this late in your season, you need a plant rather than seed.

For me, Jet Star is just as early as Early Girl and superior in every way. Very common here, maybe you can find a couple near you.
tomtuxman
14 years ago
This year I've decided to try Oregon Spring as my "early" variety. It's supposedly 60 or 62 DTM and allegedly nearly seedless, so suited for spaghetti sauce and the like. But they are said to be smallish fruits, if size matters. Years past, I did Early Girl, but I found the flavor somewhat disappointing.

I started the Oregon Spring from seed indoors on March 7, have 7 to 10 inch seedlings (second repotting) that I will set out between May 10 and 20, weather permitting in zone 6b.
caryltoo Z7/SE PA
14 years ago
Totally Tomatoes sent a bonus seed called Red Alert that's supposedly 55 DTM. It's a determinate, and from the description the tomatoes are small, but I'll take small if I get them in early July. Don't know about the taste since this is the first year I'm growing it. Siberian is also early.
loratw619
14 years ago
Last year I planted Stupice, Oregon Spring, Siberian, and Gurney's Cold Set. None of them were worth their garden space compared the mid-season heirloom varieties I grew, so I wouldn't feel too badly about not starting your seeds.

This year I'm trying Early Girl, Early Wonder, and Lime Green Salad. Unless they taste much better than the other early toms I've tried, I won't waste the space and effort on early season varieties anymore. I'd rather wait another week or two and eat a tomato that's really worth growing.
matthew18
14 years ago
I have never heard these concerns over taste with early tomatoes?? Everyone has different tastes :) For the first time.. I'm trying stupice, early girl and moskovich. One of those is going into a pot and not into the garden.
allrawpaul
14 years ago
Oregon spring was unproductive for me. Kootenai was a keeper. Taxi and Burstyn were both early and yummy for me and also very productive. Taxi finally wore itself out, but burstyn kept going and going...
dave1mn2
14 years ago
I've growm Taxi a couple times. Its inconsistent for me. Some sickly plants, some vigorous. Some great tasting, especially those with a pink tinge in the middle (undetectabe from the outside) some just O.K.
cyrus_gardner
14 years ago
Due to space limitation, I just started a few tomatoes, peppers eggplant early Feb, inside.
I figured once I have just a few early fruits to munch on i could wait for the rest.
Now my Early Girls Have flowers but the other ones, started later in cold frame,
are still considered seedlings. They include Brandywine, Cherokee purple, Jet star, Black Krim, ...
I was also tempted to buy a few seedlings (one of each) like Rutgers,
Celebrity, juliet, Better Boy.The also are in bloom.
erlyberd
14 years ago
I am the King of early maters this year! Out of 17 varieties Stupice is winning the race to ripe fruit. Uralskiy Ranniy is second forgot who is third. I'm confused! I'm zone 5 and have 10 plants in the ground since last week. Double coverage seems to be working! O, Extreme Bush would be third!

Too bad your not near me cause I have plenty of extra plants.
dickiefickle
14 years ago
Sub Arctic Plenty
roselane
14 years ago
I like early girl-bush (bigger tomatoes) and 4th of July (faster tomatoes) for early tomatoes. Both are easy to find around here from transplants. They don't compare to the later heirlooms in taste, however. Just something to get me by! :)
mitch_in_the_garden
14 years ago
These I know for a few years now and do well in my area. Your mileage WILL vary: Early Wonder (Pink), Lime Green Salad (Salad colored "), Gold Dust (Yellow), or Victory Seeds' Azoychka (Yellow). Azoychka is a bigger plant but should be EARLY.

Trialing several new earlies this year and Victorian Dwarf is setting the early pace (Red). If it's tasty I'll be in heaven.

Cheers

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