5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardens

Growing tomatoes in northern, or short-season gardens, where summers are short and cool, poses a bit of challenge. Not only must you wait until after the last spring frost to set them out, fall frost arrives quickly and threatens your plants before tomatoes have time to ripen. The secret to growing plump, juicy tomatoes in short-season gardens is to grow early-maturing tomatoes.

Early Maturing Tomatoes

Early-maturing tomatoes typically mature in less than 70 to 75 days. Keep in mind that this refers to the time of the first ripe tomato --not when all tomatoes ripen--and is calculated from the time seedlings are transplanted in the garden. To complicate it even more, days to maturity are determined under ideal growing conditions, which generally means they trials were performed in warmer weather than what is common in northern or short-season gardens. Tomatoes may mature up to 2 weeks later than the predicted maturity date.

Early Maturing Tomato Varieties

1. Early Girl Tomatoes are an indeterminate tomato that reaches heights of 3 to 4 feet. This hardy tomato plant requires staking or caging to support its vigorous growth. Early Girl matures in 55 days and performs well in zones 3 and 4. When transplanted to the garden in early June, Early Girl reliably produces some ripe tomatoes by the first week in August, but there are still green tomatoes on the plant when frost threatens by the first week of September. I grow Early Girl in my zone 4 garden and am seldom disappointed. Size and flavor are good and tomatoes sometimes begin to ripen at the end of July.

2. Celebrity Tomatoes are often available in greenhouses in short-seasoned areas, even though the days to maturity is 70 to 75 days. These plants produce well, but lack the robust flavor desired in a fresh tomato. Celebrity is firm and uniform in shape and is preferred by many when used for fried green tomatoes. Some prefer Celebrity for cooking. Celebrity does not pass the taste test for my family, but does grow well and often ripens before the frost in zone 4.

3. Sub-Arctic Tomatoes encompass several hybrids including Sub-Arctic Early, Sub-Arctic Plenty and Sub-Arctic Maxi. Days to maturity ranges from 42 to 62 days. Tomatoes grow in clusters of small 4 oz. fruits. This determinate tomato typically does not require staking or caging and produces six to eight tomatoes per cluster. Flavor and color are reported to be good, but I have not grown this tomato in my garden.

4. New Yorker Tomatoes are bred for short-season areas and mature in 66 days. It produces small to medium fruit. Advertised as a bush beefsteak tomato, New Yorker produces bright red, meaty tomatoes ideal for salads or cooking. As a determinate tomato, fruit sets on all at once and has a short harvest. My experience with New Yorker is limited to one or two years. Although, the flavor is good, plants are small and production is inferior to Early Girl. As a container plant, New Yorker is a good choice.

5. Better Boy matures in 70 days and produces large meaty tomatoes on indeterminate plants. This plant requires staking or caging to support the weight of both the plants and the fruit. Harvest lasts for weeks as tomatoes continue to set on until frost threatens. Better Boy is a good sandwich tomato and is excellent in fresh salads. Better Boy performs well in short-seasoned gardens, but suffers if nighttime temperatures drop below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

I'll admit I'm a bit particular when it comes to tomatoes. I prefer Early Girls to the others, but Better Boy is my second choice. I haven't tried the Sub-Arctic tomatoes, simply because they are not available as seedlings in my area. Whatever tomato you choose, keep in mind that early-maturing tomatoes are the best choice in short-season gardens.

Sources:
Edhumeseed.com.TOMATO Early Girl VF Improved Hybrid
University of Illinois Extension. Tomato
EarlyTomato.com