Earliest Detrminate Tomatoes? (but NOT Cherry)
The earliest that I've found is Polar Baby. It is a small, determinate, bushy plant (but not a dwarf plant), and produces near-golf ball sized fruit. Typically produces first small harvest in mid-June from a mid-March start. Not too much bigger than some large cherries, but actually not a cherry tomato. Next, Pixie II (F5?) Somewhat larger toms. (2-3 oz.) than P.B. and starts delivering about a week later. Third, Patio Hybrid (3+ oz) by end of June. These tide us over until the better, later tomatoes are ready. Are they great-tasting? No! Are they better and way cheaper than grocery store offerings? Absolutely!
A major advantage (to me) for both Pixie and Patio is that they are dwarf varieties, so they can be started early and do not outgrow my indoor light setup and (later) cold frame. Another advantage to their plant size is that they grow very nicely in an Earthbox (tm).
Any early determinate favorites?
-wc2k8
I liked IdaGold as an early determinate. It really loads up all at once. I've heard a lot about Glacier, but haven't grown it (seeds someone sent me turned out to be Brandywine, imagine my surprise). I grow full-season varieties, too, but always like an early determinate for first harvest.
This one is tasty Bloody Butcher
55 days, indet., potato leaf, dark deep red saladette round tomatoes, 1-3 oz, good taste, high yields
Thanks. Yes, have grown the Bloody Butcher, but that is Indeterminate. I'm looking for Determinate recommendations.
i've grown oregon spring for many years. it produces some bigger size tomatoes. when i sell them at the farmers market people come back for more.
Early Annie, Applause, Bust Beefsteak, Early Wonder, Grushovka, and Manitoba are all early not-cherry determinates. At 55 days Early Wonder is the earliest of the bunch.
Dave
I second Randy41 recommendation of Oregon spring
I am growing a Glacier this year. 50 day determinate with medium-small fruit with a lot of flesh.
Sophie's Choice is another good one.
Remy
This year my earliest ripe tomato was from Stupice (of 240 varieties grown), a compact indeterminate variety with golf-ball sized fruits. It ripened 122 from sowing and 21 days from transplanting. It was an unusually cool and record wet Spring.
Last year my earliest was Red Alert, a compact determinate with slightly smaller fruits. It ripened 110 days from sowing, 16 days from transplanting. This year it will be more like 135 and 35 days. Interestingly for a very small determinate variety, I harvested an occasional tomato until early November from Red Alert.
I second Early Wonder--very nice flavored pink fruit. I've had good luck with it for the past 2 years. I think they taste as good as a lot of my later maturing varities. I picked my first ripe EW this year about 50 days after setting out the 6 week old seedling.
+1 for Early Wonder. My first year growing. High production, tasty fruit and nice size...much larger than Stupice, which I also grow.
Applause is the favourite here by far. They have real tomato flavour (very tangy, I don't like sweet) and have very good size as well (I've had some pushing a full pound).
Photo from a previous season so you can see the loaded plant. These were planted in late May and the photo was taken in mid-September. Perhaps not as early as some, but few great-tasting, larger tomato varieties have time to ripen on the vine in my zone. I will grow Applause forever.
Here is a link that might be useful: Applause tomato seed