User avatar
hendi_alex
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3604
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

Early Tomatoes

My number one gardening quest each year is to harvest the earliest red ripe tomato possible. So far that has been about the third week in April, which is pretty special here in zone 8 where 'early' tomaroes are usually coming off in mid June. This year I'm adding a couple of small fruited (2-3 inch) early varieties. One of them, 'Glacier', is described as setting blooms when only six inches high. This post is to verify that claim, as my three plants are near six inches, and two of them are forming their first cluster of flowers. The seeds were bought at totally tomatoes.

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13961
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I checked out Glacier, but it is cold hardy tomato which is good for you in your zone but not so good for 12a. It is cold tolerant but does not have any known disease resistance.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

The last couple of years Flamingo was the earliest non-cherry in my garden, and in 2014 it even beat the early cherry by a couple of days. It is a small, 2-2 1/2" red tomato, with a good flavor, and is heat resistant - it was actually sent to me from an Arizona gardener as a heat resistant variety. It was not very disease resistant - the only bad thing about it.

User avatar
hendi_alex
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3604
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

Foe me, its sole purpose is early fruit. Here disease doesn't become a problem until July most years. Many of my later fruiting varieties are selected for multiple disease resistance. Between selecting lots of varieties, many with extreme disease resisrance, using succession planting, controlling pests, hopefully we will enjoy an extended harvest.

User avatar
digitS'
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3925
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:10 pm
Location: ID/WA! border

I have played around with early tomato varieties, out of necessity, and back before there was that wave of tomatoes from the USSR, many early-maturing.

Living at a higher elevation in the foothills of the Rockies, I seemed to be able to only expect Sub-Arctics to ripen. I believe that there are 3 subvarieties - I only remember Maxi but I grew one of the others. Honestly, I thought that if this is the best I can do, I'm in trouble ;).

I moved where I had more choices. Maybe, if the springs and summers will continue to have record heat like 2015, I will be able to grow any and all. But, I consider a variety rated anywhere close to 80 days to maturity as not really worth the risk. An under 70 day is a good choice.

I know how some are touted as hardy. I grow about 20 favorites and 3 or 4 new ones each year. I am out there hoping my tomatoes thrive not testing their ability to withstand cold temperatures. All in all, it doesn't make me seriously knowledgeable but I have a hard time passing up responding to any tomato thread :).

What I would like to say is that there are some that are remarkably early. Kimberley's small size, of plant and fruit, probably helps. It's been my earliest tomato, often.

Hardiness? Bloody Butcher seems to be able grow well in cool temperatures. However, I have lost those Bloody Butchers to a cold spring night. Paradoxically, when other varieties have survived with the same or greater exposure. Some of these others are not especially early nor do they have any reputation for hardiness. It is almost as if Bloody Butcher will do just fine right up until some threshold of coolness is reached - then it will kill them. Those are two of my earliest! Kimberley and Bloody Butcher :). Hardening off is important.

Good luck with your spring harvest, Alex!

Steve



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”