The determinate vines form strong bushes perfect for containers. Bush Early Girl bears a surprising number of delicious tomatoes in a small garden or a pot. In our Alabama test garden, where growing conditions are ideal and the season is long, we average 100 tomatoes or more from each plant.
What type of tomato plant is Early Girl?
The Early Girl tomato is a medium-sized globe-type F1 hybrid popular with home gardeners because of its early ripening fruit.
What is the difference between Early Girl and Bush Early Girl?
The Bush Early Girl Tomato is a hybrid plant related to the Early Girl while producing abundantly more tomatoes than it’s similarly named relative. The Bush Early Girl Tomato is as it says, early… yielding and producing extra large, red tomatoes with outstanding flavor.
Do Early Girl bush tomatoes need staking?
Early Girl Tomato Care
tall. You’ll need sturdy supports, either tomato stakes or cages, to hold them because each can produce heavy yields. You won’t have to do much to combat pests. According to Early Girl facts, these plants are resistant to most common tomato diseases and pests.
How big does an Early Girl tomato get?
6-9 ft. tall
How to Grow Early Girl Tomatoes
| Botanical Name | Solanum lycopersicum ‘Early Girl’ |
|---|---|
| Mature Size | 6-9 ft. tall, 3-4 ft. wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full |
| Soil Type | Loamy, moist but well-drained |
| Soil pH | Acidic, neutral |
How long does it take Early Girl tomatoes to produce?
about fifty days
The plant matures quicker than other tomato varieties, growing to full size and producing tennis ball-sized bright red tomatoes in about fifty days.
What are the parent plants of the Early Girl tomato?
In the case of Early Girl, which currently in fact is called Early Girl Improved, has as one parent a potato leaf cultivar that is similar to Matina and some other early season, potato leaf types.
Which tomatoes are bush type?
Determinate tomatoes, also known as bush tomatoes, are the type listed here. Bush tomatoes are bred to grow to a compact height, generally not more than four feet. They stop growing when the reach a certain height, normally not more than four feet.
Is Early Girl an heirloom tomato?
Early Girl Tomatoes are not heirloom tomatoes – they are modern hybrid tomatoes. The Early Girl tomato variety is a recent introduction that was bred in France in the 1970’s. Furthermore, Early Girl plants grow from F1 hybrid seed. Early Girl is not an open-pollinated variety (a requirement of heirloom tomatoes).
Should Early Girl tomatoes be pruned?
‘Early Girl’ tomatoes grow on long, rambling vines that can reach more than 8 feet in length by the end of the summer. If neglected, they become diseased and bear less fruit. Pruning them keeps them healthy, encourages more fruit production and makes harvesting that tasty fruit easier.
How long does it take for Early Girl tomatoes to turn red?
When to Harvest Early Girls. Fruit will come to maturity in about 50 days. They will turn bright red. Most growers pick them slightly before total ripeness as these tomatoes can become soft and lose their table appeal fairly quickly.
Why are my Early Girl tomatoes so small?
The most common cause for small tomatoes is stressed plants. When plants are experiencing stressing circumstances, such as extreme drought or heat, insect infestation, or disease, they oftentimes stop sending their energy into flower or fruit production.
How good are Early Girl tomatoes?
Early Girl is one of my favorite tomatoes. It produces uniform sized fruit of about six ounces – perfect for slicing in a salad or as a side dish. The fruits also make wonderful sweet-tasting juice which I freeze for year-round enjoyment. The taste is sweet, not acid, which I prefer in a tomato.
Which is better Better Boy or Early Girl tomatoes?
Early Girls and Better Boys are both an indeterminate variety of tomatoes, meaning they grow tall with support and produce all season long with adequate sunlight. Several contributing factors make Early Girl and Better Boy tomatoes different from each other. Better Boys produce much larger fruit than Early Girls.
Is an Early Girl tomato determinate or indeterminate?
Early Girl bears lots of fruit for early harvest, but because the vines are indeterminate, they continue producing through summer.
How often should you water Early Girl tomatoes?
These tomatoes need at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water per week and prefer six hours or more of direct sun each day.
- Spacing: 24-36in (60-90cm)
- Exposure: Full Sun – 6+ hours direct sun.
- Fruit weight: 6-8oz (170-226g)
- Days to harvest: 63.
- Growth: Determinate.
Can you save seeds from Early Girl tomatoes?
Hybrids such as Early Girl tomatoes are the result of cross breeding two plants to achieve a particular result. You can’t save the seed and harvest the same type of tomato when it is a hybrid. You have to use hand pollinated seeds to grow them, which means a new purchase of seeds every year.
Are Early Girl tomatoes self pollinating?
Tomatoes are self-fertile, which means each flower can pollinate itself. Nevertheless, the presence of bees and/or wind dramatically improves pollination by nudging the flowers just enough to help dislodge the pollen from the stamens. Bumblebees are especially good at this.
Which are the best bush tomatoes?
Our top picks of tomato varieties for growing inside, outside and in containers.
- ‘Gardener’s Delight’ The ever-popular RHS AGM variety is reliable and fruitful when grown outdoors in a sheltered spot with rich, well-drained soil.
- ‘Suncherry Premium’ F1 Hydbrid.
- ‘Tumbling Tom Red’
- ‘Losetto’
What is a good bush tomato?
Better Bush is a hybrid tomato cultivar with relatively short vines. As a determinate variety, the majority of its 4-inch red fruits will ripen in a very short time, making it a good choice if you plan to preserve your crop by canning.
How do I make my tomato plants bushy?
To grow vining and semi-bush tomatoes as short, bushy plants, prune the central stems when the plants reach the desired height. Wipe your pruning shear blades with a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol, then prune the stems above the second set of leaves that lie beneath stem tips.
Justin Shelton is a professional cook. He’s been in the industry for over 10 years, and he loves nothing more than creating delicious dishes for others to enjoy. Justin has worked in some of the best kitchens in the country, and he’s always looking for new challenges and ways to improve his craft. When he’s not cooking, Justin enjoys spending time with his wife and son. He loves exploring new restaurants and trying out different cuisines.