📋 Key Characteristics
- Scientific Name: Solanum lycopersicum
- Plant Type: Annual
- Variety Type: Hybrid F1
- Growth Habit: Indeterminate
- Mature Size: 4–6 ft tall, 2–3 ft wide
- Fruit Type: Salad/Slicer
- Fruit/Flower Description: Vibrant red, smooth-skinned, globe-shaped tomatoes with a mild tomato fragrance
- Fruit Size and Weight: 4–6 oz, about the size of a tennis ball
- Days to Germination: 5–10 days
- Days to Maturity/Harvest: 50–55 days (Early bird gets the tomato!)
- Hardiness Zones: 3–11 (Grow as an annual outside frost-free dates)
- Ideal Growing Temperature: 70–85°F (21–29°C)—a toasty tomato paradise
- Lowest Survivable Temperature: 40°F (4°C)—anything colder, and she’ll shiver her stems off
🌞 Growing Information
- Sunlight Requirements: Full sun (6–8+ hours daily—these ladies love the spotlight!)
- Ideal Soil Type: Well-drained loamy soil, rich in organic matter
- Watering Needs: Keep consistently moist but not soggy—no tomato likes wet feet!
- Spacing: 24–36 inches apart
- Planting Depth: Bury deeply—up to the first set of leaves for strong root growth
- Ideal Planting Time: After last frost in spring—when the soil’s warm and welcoming
🌼 Planting & Care Tips
Early Girl is the diva of the garden—but in the best way. She’s the first to arrive at the harvest party and always comes dressed in juicy red! Start her indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost date, then harden her off with a week of gentle outdoor exposure. Give her a sturdy cage or stake—she’s a climber with ambition. Feed every 2–3 weeks with a balanced fertilizer for show-stopping yields. Watch out for aphids and hornworms—but don’t worry, a quick spritz of neem oil or a brigade of ladybugs will handle those pests with pizzazz!
🧑🌾 Garden joke of the day: What did the tomato say to the other tomato during a race? “Ketchup!”
🥗 Culinary or Ornamental Uses
Early Girl is your go-to gal for garden-to-table glory. Her fruits are just the right size for slicing onto sandwiches, tossing into salads, or roasting whole for a quick sauce. Juicy, slightly tangy, and smooth-skinned, she’s the tomato equivalent of a fresh-picked sunrise. Serve them raw, sautéed, or oven-blistered for a truly early-morning flavor bomb. Want a tomato that doesn’t dilly-dally? This girl’s got goals.
🍅 Culinary pun alert: She’s so early, even your toast isn’t ready for her!
📌 Companion Plants & Recommendations
Pair Early Girl with basil for that classic tomato tango—plus they help repel pests for each other! Marigolds keep nematodes away, and borage boosts flavor and growth. Add a splash of Eggdrasil compost or our Rooted & Ready starter mix to really help her rise and shine.
🛠️ Bonus pun: She may be “early,” but she’s never half-baked—this tomato means business from the get-go!
🔖 Keywords & Tags
early girl tomato, hybrid tomato, indeterminate tomato, salad tomato, slicer tomato, fast-growing tomato, early harvest tomato, beginner-friendly, juicy tomato, tomato for slicing, red tomato, full sun, warm weather crop, early season variety, container gardening, raised beds, trellis tomato
📍 Local Pickup Information
This tomato treasure is available for local pickup only in Jonesboro, GA. We hand-raise our seedlings with sunshine, smiles, and lots of composty cuddles. Packed with care by your fellow garden geeks, because around here, we dig the dirt together!
