Early-ripening tomatoes, those that are the fastest-growing tomatoes, can give you tomatoes in just a little over two months. The average for fast-growing tomatoes is maturity around or under 70 days, with some as low as 50 days or less.
This is the criteria we’ve set for this list, but there are many varieties that are not much over 70 days.
Jump to:
- 15 of the Best Early Ripening Tomato Varieties
- 1. Super Sweet 100
- 2. Sungold
- 3. Black Cherry Tomato
- 4. Sub Arctic, Sub Arctic Plenty
- 5. Bloody Butcher
- 6. Early Girl
- 7. Bush Early Girl
- 8. Stupice
- 9. Heatmaster
- 10. Fourth of July
- 11. Early Wonder
- 12. Early Pick
- 13. Celebrity
- 14. Pozzano
- 15. Orange Roma
- A Note on Temperature and Tomato Maturity
- Early Ripening Tomatoes Have Other Benefits, Too
15 of the Best Early Ripening Tomato Varieties
We’ve done our best to mix all types of tomatoes into this list, but the earliest-ripening tomatoes and the fastest-growing are most often smaller varieties. You’ll find that most of the earliest tomatoes range under six ounces in weight, but we’ve found a few large ones, too!
1. Super Sweet 100
| Flavor: | Very good; Sweet |
| Type: | Cherry |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 1 ounce |
| Uses: | Fresh eating, salads, juicing |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable for most climates; good for southern fall/winter gardens |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good: Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt, and Root-knot nematodes |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes, trellising, or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 65 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Super Sweet 100 Tomato Seeds:
Super Sweet 100 is a hybrid cherry tomato that is high in Vitamin C and has great flavor. It is, as the name suggests, very sweet. This variety has very good disease resistance. It is high-yielding because it matures and produces early and keeps going for a long time (it is an indeterminate tomato).
2. Sungold
| Flavor: | Excellent; very sweet |
| Type: | Cherry |
| Color: | Orange |
| Size: | 1 ounce |
| Uses: | Fresh eating, salads, snacking, garnish, culinary uses |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable for most climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent: Fusarium wilt, Root-knot nematodes, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Verticillium wilt |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (tall stakes or trellis) |
| Days to Harvest: | 57-60 days (but good for eating before fully mature) |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Sungold Tomato Seeds:
Sungold is one of the most popular cherry tomato varieties there is. It has a very sweet, fruity, juicy flavor. It can be picked even before it is fully ripe because the flavor develops early on.
This is a very tall-growing plant that will need good support. Excellent disease resistance, too.
3. Black Cherry Tomato
| Flavor: | Excellent; classic tomato in a cherry form |
| Type: | Cherry |
| Color: | Dark red, dark green shoulders |
| Size: | 1 ounce |
| Uses: | Fresh eating; salads, snacking, platters |
| Climate Notes: | Does well in hot and humid conditions; high heat tolerant |
| Disease Resistance: | Good; vigorous vines can outgrow the disease |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (trellising, stakes, or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 64 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Black Cherry Tomato Seeds:
The Black Cherry tomato is said to have one of the best flavors of dark-colored tomatoes. It presents well, tastes delicious, matures early, and produces throughout the season. It is also heat resistant (which contributes to its high-yielding nature).
*We’ve listed just three cherry tomato varieties here, but cherry tomatoes (and also grape tomatoes) are almost always the earliest to mature and ripen. They’re small, so they grow to full size sooner, with less input from the plant, and so they get to the ripening stage sooner. There are, of course, varieties of cherry tomatoes that take longer to mature and ripen, but you will find that many cherry tomatoes are fast to ripen.
4. Sub Arctic, Sub Arctic Plenty
| Flavor: | Good |
| Type: | Slicing, saladette |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 2 ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating, slicing, salads, some processing |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates; ideal for northern growing, set fruit in cool weather |
| Disease Resistance: | Good |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, can be grown without support |
| Days to Harvest: | 42 to 60 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Determinate |
Where to Buy Sub Arctic Tomato Seeds:
Sub Arctic/Sub Arctic Plenty tomatoes were developed in Canada with northern growers and short seasons in mind, but many people grow them in the south, too, because they finish before diseases and bugs become problems.
Ripening ranges are reported from 42 to 60 days. Reviewers report good production despite cold springs and overcast conditions from smoke and wildfires.
Plenty is a bush variety that grows so compactly you don’t have to stake it. It is good for containers and raised beds, too. Plants can be planted closely together.
5. Bloody Butcher
| Flavor: | Excellent; deep tomato flavor |
| Type: | Round, slicer, salad |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 3 to 4 ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating; salads, slicing; Cooking; meaty enough for saucing and canning |
| Climate Notes: | Does well in many climates but suited well to cool northern regions and short seasons |
| Disease Resistance: | Good |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 55 days |
| Yield: | Very good |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Bloody Butcher Tomato Seeds:
Bloody Butcher is a very early heirloom tomato. It has excellent flavor and can be picked in two months or less.
This meaty, small tomato can be used for a variety of purposes, though slicing and fresh eating is probably its primary use.
6. Early Girl
| Flavor: | Excellent; classic tomato |
| Type: | Round, slicing |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 4 to 6 ounces |
| Uses: | Slicing, salads, fresh eating, sandwiches/topping; good for cooking and canning |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable for all regions; excellent heat tolerance |
| Disease Resistance: | Good: Fusarium wilt, Verticillium wilt |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 50 to 52 days |
| Yield: | Very high (100 to 150 pounds per plant) |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Early Girl Tomato Seeds:
The name makes it clear—this tomato was made to be an early producer!
Early Girl is one of the fastest-growing tomatoes and among the first to mature. It produces for a long time, so it puts out massive yields of its medium-sized tomatoes. And it’s tolerant of high heat, so high summer temperatures normally won’t stall its productivity.
7. Bush Early Girl
| Flavor: | Very good |
| Type: | Slicer, multi-purpose |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 6 ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating; slicing, salads; Cooking and canning; salsa, sauces |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable for all climates, good for short-season growing and raised beds, containers, and patios |
| Disease Resistance: | Very Good: Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Root-knot nematodes, Tobacco mosaic virus |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 54 days |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Determinate |
Where to Buy Bush Early Girl Tomato Seeds:
Bush Early Girls is a more compact bush version of Early Girl, but it keeps its fast-producing, fast-growing features. The plant tops out at about three feet tall, making it a good raised bed and container variety. It is high-yielding, starting early and producing for a long time, with up to 100 six-ounce tomatoes coming from each plant.
8. Stupice
| Flavor: | Very good: balanced sweet and acidic |
| Type: | Slicer, saladette |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 3 to 6 ounces |
| Uses: | Slicing, salads |
| Climate Notes: | Cold tolerant; well suited for northern growing |
| Disease Resistance: | Fair, nothing specific to note |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs some support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | Early: 55 days |
| Yield: | Very good |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Stupice Tomato Seeds:
Stupice is a smaller to medium-sized tomato. The fruits are only three to six ounces each, but the tomatoes mature early and keep going for a long time. They’re good for cool, northern climates because they come from the Czech Republic.
Stupice is also a good choice for containers and raised beds.
9. Heatmaster
| Flavor: | Very good; classic tomato flavor |
| Type: | Slicer, multi-purpose |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 7 ounces |
| Uses: | Slicer, but multi-purpose: salads, sandwiches, slicing, canning, saucing, freezing; good storage tomato |
| Climate Notes: | Specifically bred for hot climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent: Anthracnose, Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Root-knot nematode, Gray leaf spot, Tomato mosaic virus, Alternaria stem canker |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, benefits from support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 65 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Determinate |
Where to Buy Heatmaster Tomato Seeds:
Heatmaster not only matures early, but it is quite heat tolerant (hence the name). It has excellent disease resistance and gives high yields because heat doesn’t typically stop it.
10. Fourth of July
| Flavor: | Good |
| Type: | Cluster, slicer, saladette |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 4 ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating; slicing, salads, sandwiches |
| Climate Notes: | Heat tolerant, suited to most climates, short-season grower |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good: Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Root-knot nematodes, Tobacco mosaic virus |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 49 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Fourth of July Tomato Seeds:
As the name indicates, the idea with these tomatoes is that you can have them for fresh eating by the Fourth of July. This tomato matures in under 50 days, growing nice clusters of four-ounce fruits. The plant is indeterminate, though, so it keeps producing all season long.
11. Early Wonder
| Flavor: | Very good |
| Type: | Round, slicer |
| Color: | Dark pink |
| Size: | 6 ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating; salads, slicing, sandwiches |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to most climates and short seasons |
| Disease Resistance: | Good; no particular resistance noted; mature before blight and many diseases present |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, benefits from staking |
| Days to Harvest: | 54 |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Determinate |
Where to Buy Early Wonder Tomato Seeds:
Early Wonder tomatoes mature in less than two months, producing medium-sized tomatoes for fresh eating. It is an heirloom variety that is open-pollinated, so seeds can be saved. Early Wonder is a determinate bush type that does well in container gardens.
12. Early Pick
| Flavor: | Excellent, old-fashioned tomato flavor |
| Type: | Beefsteak, slicing |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 8 to 16 ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating; slicing, salads, toppings |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to a variety of climates and produces in cool temperatures |
| Disease Resistance: | Good: Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 60 to 62 |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Early Pick Tomato Seeds:
Early Pick offers a lot of features in a large, beefsteak-type tomato. It produces one-half to one-pound slicing tomatoes in about two months and performs in a wide variety of climates and temperatures. It will continue to set fruit even with low nighttime temperatures, perfect at the beginning and end of the season.
13. Celebrity
| Flavor: | Very good, classic tomato |
| Type: | Round, Multi-purpose |
| Color: | Red |
| Size: | 8 ounces |
| Uses: | Fresh eating; salads, slicing, sandwiches; Cooking and preserving; juicing, canning, sauces, freezing, processing |
| Climate Notes: | Noted for success in almost all climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Excellent: Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Root-knot nematodes, Anthracnose, Gray leaf spot, Tobacco mosaic virus |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 70 to 72 |
| Yield: | Very high |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Determinate |
Where to Buy Celebrity Tomato Seeds:
Celebrity matures early for a large and versatile tomato, though it may take as long as 70 to 72 days. It is extremely disease-resistant and high-yielding, though, so it’s worth the few extra days’ wait. It is one of the best all-around tomatoes for early, high production, multi-purpose use, and reliability.
14. Pozzano
| Flavor: | Classic Italian |
| Type: | Italian, canning |
| Color: | Orange-red |
| Size: | 4 to 6 ounces |
| Uses: | Saucing, cooking, paste |
| Climate Notes: | Suited to all climates; ideal for greenhouse growing |
| Disease Resistance: | Very good: Blossom end rot, Tomato mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes, tying, or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 72 days |
| Yield: | High, long season due to early harvesting |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate |
Where to Buy Pozzano Tomato Seeds:
Pozzano is an improved San Marzano-type tomato, particularly well known for its early harvests (which also make it high-yielding).
It is a meaty, cylindrical tomato that is almost exclusively used for cooking, saucing, and canning. The taste gets better with cooking.
Pozzano can grow outside, but it is even better for greenhouse growing to get very early harvests.
15. Orange Roma
| Flavor: | Very good |
| Type: | Roma, Italian |
| Color: | Yellow-orange to orange-red |
| Size: | 6 ounces |
| Uses: | All canning, cooking, stewing, preserving, sauces, juicing, drying/dehydrating |
| Climate Notes: | Suitable in most climates |
| Disease Resistance: | Fair, nothing significant of note |
| Growing Conditions: | Full sun, fertile soil, slightly acidic, needs support (stakes or cages) |
| Days to Harvest: | 65 to 75 days |
| Yield: | High |
| Determinate or Indeterminate? | Indeterminate, Semi-determinate |
Where to Buy Orange Roma Tomato Seeds:
Orange Roma is one of the earlier canning, Roma-type tomatoes. It is good for anything you would use Roma tomatoes for, including canning, stewing, and saucing. Good for drying and dehydrating, too. These tomatoes are large for such an early canner, and there are few seeds in these meaty fruits (said to be nearly seedless).
A Note on Temperature and Tomato Maturity
Even early-developing and cool-climate tomatoes are affected by very low temperatures. Early maturity can be delayed by cold, delaying ripening as well.
The ideal temperatures for maturing and ripening tomatoes are 50 degrees Fahrenheit (F) at night (10 C) and 70 F (21. 1 C) in daytime.
A serious cold can delay plant growth by as much as three weeks. So, planting early is not always going to gain you anything if the plants sit and stagnate. If you do want to get a jump on tomato production, either choose varieties that do better in cooler conditions (understanding that tomatoes are still a warm weather crop and you can only push this so far), plant under cloches or in a greenhouse, or hoop house for the earliest tomatoes.
That said, all things being equal, the early maturing varieties will still give you the fastest harvests since you can’t control the weather!
Early Ripening Tomatoes Have Other Benefits, Too
The interesting thing about tomato varieties is that a lot of times, when you’re looking for a tomato with a specific characteristic (like early ripening, for example), you’ll find that the tomatoes on that list make a lot of other “best” lists, too.
There’s a good reason for this. Often, the thing that makes a tomato fit into one category is what makes it right for another.
Take early-ripening tomatoes, for example. You’ll find that a lot of the tomatoes that are top of the list for early ripening are also on the list for the highest-yielding tomatoes. Why is that? Because the earlier tomatoes mature, the earlier they set fruit before the weather turns too hot.
They either produce a big crop ahead of the worst summer weather (for determinate types), or they produce early and long and rebound (in the case of indeterminate varieties) to produce for a long time after heat abates.
What does this mean for you as you choose your best tomato varieties? It means that you can cross-reference these lists to find tomato varieties that check a whole lot of the “best” boxes.
Find more top-choice tomato articles here:
- 14 Of The Most Heat Tolerant Tomato Varieties
- 20 Of The Highest Yielding Tomato Varieties
