Tomato: Early Girl Overview - Growing Tips - Smart Gardener

Legend

• Start Indoors
• Transplant
• Start Outdoors
• Care
• Harvest
• Succession Plant

Legend

• Start Indoors
• Transplant
• Start Outdoors
• Care
• Harvest
• Succession plant

Legend

• Start Indoors
• Transplant
• Start Outdoors
• Care
• Harvest
• Succession plant

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Plant Guide

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• Indeterminate
• Warm, Hot
• Annual

Tomato : Early Girl

• 

Early ripening and popular hybrid Beefsteak Tomato

The Early Girl tomato is a medium globe type F1 hybrid popular with home gardeners because of its early fruit ripening. The patent holder of the Early Girl variety is Monsanto Corporation following its 2005 acquisition of vegetable and fruit seed company Seminis, Inc. Open-pollinated alternatives that take roughly the same amount of time as Early Girl include Stupice.

Solanaceae Lycopersicon lycopersicum

• Overview Overview
  • Overview
  • Growing Options
  • Related Plants
• Prep Prep
  • Soil Prep
  • Needs List
• Plant Plant
  • Start Indoors
  • Transplant Outdoors
  • Start Outdoors
• Care Care
  • Crop Care
  • Care Notes
• Harvest Harvest
  • Harvesting
  • Storage
  • Seed Saving
  • Culinary
• Problems Problems
  • Problems
  • Diseases
  • Pests
• Ratings / Review

This is an example of the timeline you would see based on your growing conditions. Tomato: Beefsteak

Early Girl

Beefsteak tomatoes are the largest variety of cultivated tomatoes. They are a favorite because of their high productivity, meaty texture and deep flavor. It holds together well when cut, and so is particularly well suited for slicing and eating raw. Traditional red color.

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Basics

Ease of Growing Easy Grown as Annual Days to Maturity 50-62 (Spring/Summer) Growing Habit Indeterminate Hardiness Tender

Tomatoes are not at all hardy and need warm weather to grow well. They can't stand any frost.

Crops Spring Transplant, Summer Growing Season Long Cultivar Type Early Growing Conditions Warm, Hot

Tomatoes are warm-season plants and should be planted only after danger of frost has passed. Temperature is an important factor in the production of tomatoes, which are particularly sensitive to low night temperatures.

If you have a very long growing season you can direct sow them outside.

Outdoor Growing Temp 50°F - 95°F Min Outdoor Soil Temp 60°F

It is important that the soil be sufficiently warm (60° F minimum) for planting Tomatoes. If it is too cold they will simply sit there without growing and may even be permanently retarded.

Start Indoors Yes Start Outdoors Yes Light Sun: min. 6 hours daily (Cool, Warm, Hot)

Full sun. Tomatoes need a warm sheltered site and a minimum of 6 hours of sun daily. Any less and they won’t produce very well.

Water Moderate

These deep-rooted plants are quite drought tolerant and don't really need a lot of water once they are established. In fact, keeping them dry encourages strong root growth. However you will get more and larger fruit if you keep the soil evenly moist once they start flowering and bearing fruit.

Drip irrigation works well with tomatoes, as it keeps the soil evenly moist but the plants stay dry.

Uneven watering may cause Blossom End Rot or cracking.

Feeder Heavy

High nitrogen. Moderate phosphorus. High potassium. Tomatoes are quite heavy feeders. They have deep roots that may go down 5', but most of their feeder roots are in the top 2'.

Suitability Drought tolerant, High heat Small Gardens? Yes Containers? Yes, but will need a large one, like a half wine barrel

Tomatoes can be quite successful when grown in containers. Your container should be fairly large, at least 24-48" deep and 18-36" in diameter for most varieties. Tomatoes have somewhat deep roots and larger pots will give them the room they need to grow and gather nutrients. Plants in containers will need to be watered more frequently than plants in the ground or even in raised beds, as sun on the pot will heat the soil causing the moisture to evaporate more rapidly. Water them regularly, but do not to let them sit in water. It is crucial that your container drains well, as you want to avoid rotting the roots. Selecting a container with drainage holes and then lining the bottom with rocks or gravel can help keep your tomatoes properly drained. Use a fertile soil mix and water regularly. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, so it is best to fertilize regularly with fish emulsion or seaweed extract. You can do this once a month or every other week at half strength. A smaller pot will require even more frequent watering and feeding. Be sure to provide access to full sun, as tomatoes are a heat-loving plant. Your beefsteak tomatoes probably won't mature to the same size as those planted in the ground. The plant will still get large, and will need adequate support. Put your containers near a fence or plan on having a structure for them to grow on.

Attracts beneficial insects? No Color Solid red Fruit Size 2.0 - 4.0" Plant Height 60.0 - 84.0" Plant Diameter 24.0 - 36.0" Good Companions Bean, Scarlet Runner, Marigold, Bean, Fava, Celery, Asparagus, Garlic, Basil, Chard, Nasturtium, Peppers, Borage, Cabbage, Carrot, Cucumber, Onion, Chives, Parsley, Mint Bad Companions Corn, Dill, Finocchio, Potato, Kohlrabi, Kale, Collards, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Rutabaga, Turnip, Mustard Greens Hardiness Zone 3-11 Disease Resistance verticillium wilt (V), fusarium wilt (F), and nematodes (N) Taste Profile

Juicy, full flavor.

Rotation Group Fruits: Solanaceae + Cucurbits

Tricia shows you how to plant and grow tomatoes organically! Grow tomatoes in containers or in the garden.

Tricia shows you how to prune your tomatoes and diagnose several common tomato problems.

Tricia shows you how to build a variety of quick and easy vegetable trellises. Garden vertically this year, trellis tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, beans, and peas.

Tomato hornworms can quickly defoliate a tomato plant, learn how to get them before they get your tomatoes.

Last Frost Date (LFD) refers to the approximate date of the last killing frost of spring. Example first frost date on April 08. First Frost Date (FFD) refers to the approximate date of the first killing frost of winter. Example first frost date on November 01. Current week.