Best Early Tomato Varieties: Get Flavorful Harvests Sooner

Every gardener understands the value of patience, but waiting until late summer for the first ripe tomatoes can feel like an eternity, especially in regions with shorter growing seasons. Fortunately, you don’t have to compromise delicious flavor for an early harvest. While it’s true that some rapid-maturing tomato varieties might lack the depth and complexity of mid-season fruit, many excellent early types deliver both speed and superb taste. Knowing which varieties to choose is key to enjoying that fresh, homegrown tomato goodness weeks ahead of schedule, whether you’re beating the summer heat or extending your garden’s productivity.

Getting tomatoes to ripen quickly while still achieving that sought-after balance of sweetness and acidity requires selecting varieties specifically bred for early maturity and excellent flavor profiles. These varieties offer the best of both worlds, providing bountiful yields relatively quickly after transplanting. Beyond cherry tomatoes, which are often the first to ripen due to their size, there are fantastic options among slicing, paste, and even beefsteak types that ripen early. You can also consider the growth habit – determinate varieties offer a concentrated harvest, while indeterminate types produce fruit over a longer period. For those who cherish heirloom tomatoes, seeking varieties originating from cooler climates often yields early, cold-tolerant options that maintain authentic flavor. Discover how to enjoy a speedy harvest that truly satisfies your palate with these standout early tomato varieties, known for being fast, delicious, high-yielding, and often possessing good resistance to common tomato challenges.

Top Early Tomato Varieties for Speed and Flavor

Selecting the right tomato seeds is the first step towards an earlier, more satisfying harvest. These varieties are celebrated for their ability to ripen quickly without sacrificing the rich flavor that makes homegrown tomatoes so rewarding.

Supersweet 100

Cherry tomatoes consistently rank among the fastest to mature, frequently yielding ripe fruit within 55 to 65 days after being transplanted into the garden. They also stand out as some of the most intensely sweet tomatoes available, and few rival the delightful flavor of Supersweet 100.

Cluster of bright red Supersweet 100 cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine, ready for an early harvest.

This popular hybrid variety is renowned for producing impressive clusters of vibrant red tomatoes bursting with intense sweetness. Beyond their exceptional taste, Supersweet 100 plants are known for high yields throughout the season and boast a notably high Vitamin C content, adding a healthy bonus to their appeal. Growing Supersweet 100 tomatoes is generally straightforward, making them an excellent choice, particularly thriving in containers and demonstrating resistance to diseases such as verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt.

Sungold

Another outstanding early-season cherry tomato is Sungold, easily recognized by its brilliant golden-orange color. This variety is celebrated for its complex flavor, offering a perfect harmony of sweetness and acidity that deepens as the season progresses. Sungold ripens quickly, typically ready for harvest just 55 to 65 days after transplanting.

Vibrant golden-orange Sungold cherry tomatoes hanging on the vine, showing their quick ripening for an early garden yield.

Sungold plants are vigorous and highly productive, producing long vines laden with fruit from mid-summer until frost. They adapt well to growing in containers and are a superb choice for hanging baskets. Furthermore, Sungold shows good resistance to fruit cracking and resilience against several common tomato diseases, including verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, tobacco mosaic virus, and tomato yellow leaf curl.

Early Girl

When envisioning a classic globe-shaped tomato with traditional flavor and texture, versatile enough for slicing and eating fresh without being overpowering, the Early Girl variety often comes to mind. Its fruits offer that familiar tomato taste you expect, but with the superior freshness and quality only homegrown can provide.

Ripe red Early Girl tomatoes growing on a healthy vine, known for their reliable early season harvest and classic flavor.

As its name suggests, this variety crops early, typically ready for picking around 57 days after transplanting, and continues producing throughout the growing season. Early Girl plants are heavy producers, requiring sturdy support from a trellis or cage to manage their yield. They are also resistant to common diseases like verticillium and fusarium wilts. For those new to growing tomatoes, Early Girl is often recommended as a reliable and rewarding variety to start with.

Glacier

Offering ripe fruit remarkably fast, sometimes in as little as 50 days from transplant, Glacier is an ultra-early determinate heirloom variety. It excels in cooler climates, producing fruit even when temperatures are challenging for many other tomato types.

The tomatoes are small to medium in size and possess a surprisingly well-developed flavor that defies their rapid growth rate. With a rich, complex taste reminiscent of peak summer tomatoes, Glacier beautifully balances sweetness and acidity. While not classified strictly as a paste tomato, its meaty texture also makes it suitable for sauces alongside being excellent for slicing. Beyond its speed, Glacier produces a generous harvest and shows resistance to diseases including verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, tobacco mosaic virus, and rust.

Fourth of July

Living up to its name, Fourth of July is one of the earliest slicing tomatoes available, capable of ripening in as little as 50 days. This means you can look forward to enjoying fresh, homegrown sliced tomatoes right around the beginning of July in many northern hemisphere locations.

Bright red Fourth of July tomatoes on the vine, promising an early harvest perfect for slicing around mid-summer.

This indeterminate hybrid variety delivers a generous crop of small to medium-sized bright red tomatoes, slightly larger than cherry types and ideally suited for slicing. It continues setting fruit continuously throughout the growing season, providing a steady supply. Flavor-wise, Fourth of July doesn’t disappoint, offering a classic, well-balanced taste with a pleasant sweetness and a hint of acidity. It’s also a dependable performer, adaptable to various climates and showing resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, root-knot nematodes, and tobacco mosaic virus.

Gregori’s Altai

For gardeners desiring an early beefsteak tomato, Gregori’s Altai is an exceptional choice. This superb indeterminate heirloom variety thrives particularly well in cooler climates, producing ripe fruit in a relatively short 55 to 60 days after transplanting.

Unlike many early tomatoes which are typically smaller, Gregori’s Altai yields large, attractive pink-red beefsteaks. These substantial fruits boast a complex, deep yet sweet flavor that is remarkably well-balanced. The plants are vigorous growers and highly productive, continuing to fruit throughout the season. Adding to its appeal, this variety is adaptable to both cooler and warmer climates and possesses strong resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, and nematodes.

Choosing the right early tomato varieties ensures you don’t have to wait long for that first burst of homegrown flavor. By selecting from these recommended types, you can enjoy delicious, high-quality tomatoes significantly sooner in the season. Explore the possibilities for your garden and discover the joy of an early, flavorful harvest. Find seeds and supplies to start your early tomato journey at Biogarden.asia.