Growing Early Girl Tomatoes

I picked my first Early Girl Tomatoes this morning. They might have preferred a day or two more on the vine, but I wanted to add them to a garden salad this evening. I looked at the tomatoes at the grocery store and decided that mine looked more edible even if I picked them a little early. I will let you know how they taste tomorrow.

This is my first time growing Early Girls. I do all I can to extend our short growing season, but tomatoes are a particularly difficult plant to deal with in an area that has such a short growing season. I got tired of harvesting my first tomatoes a day or two before the first snow. If I know a snow storm is coming, I pull the tomato plants out by their roots and tie them upside down in the garage, so I can continue to harvest the fruit as it matures. Unfortunately, last year we had a snowstorm that caught everyone, including the meteorologists, off guard, and I lost hundreds of green tomatoes that I was hoping to use for tomato sauce and salsa. This year I was determined to begin harvesting tomatoes in July, if not sooner!

Early Girls are a hybrid developed in the 70’s and mature quickly, usually in a little over 50 days. We have been eating salads with cherry tomatoes for a while, but I am delighted to have some meatier tomatoes to work with. (You can see the steps I took to begin harvesting cherry tomatoes last month here). Early Girl’s fruit is usually the size of a tennis ball, weighing between 4 – 6 ounces. The above tomatoes are on the smaller side weighing only about 3 1/2 ounces and their skin is a bit scratched from being whipped around in the wind.

What is your favorite variety of tomato? Do you grow a quick maturing variety? Have you discovered an heirloom variety that matures quickly or does well in your climate? Please leave a link or a comment, so I can learn from your experience!