Early Ripening Tomatoes

These varieties have an average ripening time of less than 70 days, many from only 50 to 68 days from plant out to mature fruit.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Tomatoes are a hot weather crop.

To get ripe tomatoes early from these varieties, you must be growing them in ideal tomato-growing temperatures of above 50º at night and 70º or above in the daytime.

Planting in cooler weather will delay ripening for about 3 weeks.



Amy's Sugar Gem ($7.95

) (VE) 65 days.

This huge, sprawling plant produces heavy clusters of golf ball sized, incredibly delicious, deep red ambrosial fruit with golden jewel-like sparkles within the red skin. Very sweet! It was one of my absolute favorite tomatoes at TomatoFest in September--just knocked me out.

Candy-on-the-vine, not to be missed.

Developed by Jeff McCormack, it is a cross of Red Cherry and Tappy's Finest. Named for Amy Boor Hereford whose Grandma Tappy introduced Jeff to heirloom tomatoes more than 20 years ago.

Top Seller

Black Cherry ($7.95 ) (Ch) (VE) 65 days.

A perfectly round cherry tomato with classic black tomato flavor, sweet, yet rich, smoky and complex. Delicious little gems are easy to pick and are produced in abundance on tall, vigorous plants.

These cherries are irresistibly delicious, tasty like sweet cherries and a unique addition to the color and flavor spectrum of cherry tomatoes in your garden, along with Sungold, Snow White, Purple Bumblebee and Gardener's Delight, Black Cherry makes a beautiful, yummy, fast disappearing display for your table.

Ripe in 58 days!

Bloody Butcher ($7.95) (EE) 58-60 days.

Not a cherry! Full size.

This marvelous early ripening fruit has an unmatched, spectacular deep red hue--juicy with an intense lingering flavor. The 2-4 ounce round red 2" to 3" fruits have a rich silky texture and grow in great abundance on potato leafed vines.

With its bountiful harvest month after month, the strong depth of flavor in Bloody Butcher has made it a favorite among tomato gourmands worldwide.

Campari plants, available for the first time anywhere!

Campari ($7.95) 65 days

The legendary Campari is one of the greatest flavored tomatoes ever grown. This de-hybridized version of the original Campari hybrid has the same outstanding flavor, high productivity and bright red color as the hybrid.

Meaty and juicy, Campari is a delight in your salads, sandwiches and for sauce and canning. The 2" inch brilliant red fruits on a compact plant grow in clusters of 9 to 13 perfect tomatoes.

Featured prominently in a 2002 episode of The Sopranos, customers have asked us for it over and over. Seeds were not available then, but now that it is open-pollinated (a 'new' heirloom), we have the plants for you!

Carmello ($7.95)      (E) 75 days.

An extremely popular medium sized French salad and sandwich tomato. This one is highly sought after and has become a great favorite among my customers.

A very reliable and bountiful producer of heavy, juicy, 8 oz. red fruits with immense flavor, this plant is among the most prolific ever bred, and produces so many fruits, you will be giving them away by the basketful.

The Carmello plant in my garden proved to be disease resistant, and produced through late December with night temperatures about 40 degrees. The flavor alone puts it in my top 10. Wait 'til you see all the tomatoes on this plant; bring the big harvest basket.

This is the open pollinated heirloom version of Carmello, NOT a hybrid. This one was de-hybridized by Gary Ibsen many years ago.

NEW FOR 2024!

Cream Cherry ($7.95) 65 days.

One of the prettiest tomatoes ever. Each Cream Cherry tomato is a golden gem with a winsome dusting of dusky blue at the stem end.

Growing in great abundance and ripening early make them a precious little treasure in your tomato patch.

As they ripen, the flavor is becomes increasingly sweet and lovely with vanilla fragrance...like a freshly filled home baked cream puff.

Lovely thin skin and tender yellow flesh add to Cream Cherry's delightful characteristics.

Growing on a strong energetic plant, hundreds of these precious fruits greet you and sparkle in the sun as they ripen.

Delicious! High production.

A Laurel's TOP PICK!

Dirty Girl ($7.95 )    (E) Only 65 days.

I am crazy about the name of this incredibly delicious, high producing, open-pollinated version of Early Girl!

It was de-hybridized by Joe Schirmer, owner of Dirty Girl Produce in Santa Cruz California. An organic grower, Joe spent the last 7 years growing out Early Girl into an open-pollinated version of Early Girl -- what we call a 'new' heirloom.

Dirty Girl produces in only 60 to 65 days, giving you huge harvests of perfect, yummy, 3 to 4 ounce salad size, red tomatoes with all the great qualities of Early Girl -- high production, early ripening and strong plants, with some added attractions for gardeners-- an far richer flavor and a bonus; you can save seeds!

Joe named it 'Dirty Girl' after his wife with whom he created Dirty Girl Farm. Yay Joe!

If you've got a wife, mother, daughter, girlfriend or girl pal who spends a lot of time in the garden, this is the tomato for her. My customers love buying this one as a gift for their Dirty Girl Gardeners!

Surprise your Dirty Girl! Go see!

Dragon's Eye ($7.95) 70 days.

Gorgeous, fruity, juicy and sweet, Dragons' Eye tomatoes average about 3 to 5 ounces, grow in incredible delicious bountiful clusters.

Perfect for fresh eating and roasting--make the best salsa, too!

Beautiful pink-rose fruits have green streaking that turns gold at full ripeness. They appear shimmery and luminescent as they ripen on the vine --inside , the flesh is deep dark red. A real workhorse of a tomato, huge production!

This strong plant does beautifully in containers.

   Top Seller for 18 years.

Foxy Lady ($7.95) (E) (HG)   (70 days)

After misplacing a packet of 600 seeds, I had to take our top-selling Foxy Lady off the list until my new plants produced enough fruits to save seeds this year.

A lot of customers have asked about it. "Hey laurel, what the heck?" And here it is! YAY!!!

The incredible Foxy Lady cherry ripens in only 70-72 days from plant out and has some of the biggest potato type leaves I’ve ever seen!

It ripens early in clusters of 5 to 7 fruits on big plants. The flavor is energizing, elaborate and dazzling with a sweet, seductive background and earthy nuance with lingering sensuous mouth feel.

A tiny touch of tang balances its big full-bodied sweetness. I am madly in love with this tomato.

Gardener's Delight, Nicknamed Sugar Lump ($7.95 ) 65 days (VE)

This old German variety is probably the sweetest and most prolific of all the old-time cherry tomatoes.

You will get more tomatoes than you'll know what to do with! With classic cherry growth habit and old-time rich sweet flavors, 'Sugar Lump' is disease resistant, early ripening and really prolific -- the perfect cherry tomato.

Thin skinned and ridiculously productive, in clusters of 7 to 9 fruits on a strong plant, it's great for containers and the main garden bed.

Very early to ripen, you will harvest hundreds of scrumptious tomatoes from your Gardener's Delight plant. Plenty to share!

A Laurel's Favorite. Yes, it's ripe!

Green Giant ($7.95 ) (E) (B)    60-70 days.

On a flavor scale of 1 to 100, Green Giant is a resounding 100 + Incredible. Unforgettable. The flavor can be described as rich, intoxicating and intense.

Occasionally a tomato comes along which deserves very special attention. This big, up to 2 lb., green when ripe tomato resoundingly stole the show in 4 different tomato tastings.

We had the immense pleasure of tasting it at TomatoFest in Carmel, California where it captured the hearts of tasters and garnered a great deal of attention. I have not been this impressed by a tomato since discovering Brown Derby in 2007.

It arose originally in the garden of Reinhard Kraft of Germany in 2000 when he planted 30 seeds called 'Green Giant' from a friend in Canada. 29 of them grew out regular leafed except for one which had big potato leafed foliage. Reinhard cultivated that one, selecting the best fruit for several seasons, and continued to save seeds. Yay, Reinhard.

Don't have a big garden space but want to get the fabulous flavor and big size of Green Giant? See 'Lime Green Salad'.

NOTE: How to tell if a green tomato is ripe and not just an unripe fruit? Close your eyes and feel it; if it's soft, it's ripe.

Jaune Flamme ($7.95) (E) 70 days.

Very prolific and stunningly beautiful, Flamme is an unforgettable tomato. Intensely orange with a reddish blush on the blossom end, these flame-colored 2 ounce globes have a rich, tangy and exciting flavor that literally bursts in your mouth.

Cut open to reveal a reddish interior; this fruit reminds me of a blood orange with its spectacular contrasting colors.

At certain times of day, the fruits of Flamme seem to glow on the vine against the deep green foliage. Just marvelous.

A Laurel's Favorite!

Jutland ($7.95)      (E) 70 days. (Pronounced Jut-land or Yoot-lahn)

This is my new 'go to' variety for the best dang tomato for BLT's and any fresh eating. A perfect 3 to 5 ounce, thin-skinned, plum shaped, brilliant red tomato, some smooth, some with a pointed tip and the most sublime flavor we've found in a tomato this season. I keep saying " Where have you been all my life?"

It appears in several different shapes on the same plant -- some very elongated, some short and plump, and, as with many tomatoes of this shape, the foliage is rather wispy.

Sliced into 'coins' it is my new favorite for salads, sandwiches and cooking. True story.

Juicy, sweet, tangy, delicious, thin tender skin and old-fashioned tomato flavor make Jutland a must-grow for the most dedicated and adventuresome heirloom tomato fans.

SWEET!

Momotaro ($9.95) (H) (VE) 62 days.

This very popular early-ripening hybrid variety, (and Dolly Parton's favorite tomato), is being offered due to hundreds of requests from my customers who have found Momotaro fruits at Farmer's Markets.

(The seeds are among the most expensive among the hybrid varieties.)

It is exceptionally sweet, low-acid, juicy and just beautiful with a very long shelf life.

The 6 ounce fruits are a stunning shade of pink, full flavored, luscious and bountiful on the vine, with superb disease resistance.

I smuggled one into an heirloom tasting party, and the folks loved it.

The revelation that it was a hybrid was a splendid surprise to the gathered heirloom aficionados and motley crew of tomato gourmets and gourmands. Created quite a ruckus.

Named for an ancient legend of Momotaro, or Peach Boy, Momotaro was a baby boy found inside a giant peach by childless peasant farmers who had longed for a child of their own. He grew to be a famous warrior for peace. Among his many achievements: conquering, and then encouraging the ogres of Ogre Island to stop pillaging and be nice ogres. Each year the Momotaro festival in Japan celebrates the legend of this brave and wondrous child.



Momotaro Gold ($8.95) (H) 60 to 70 days

STOP THE PRESSES!! This is my new favorite tomato! A stunning summer surprise with scads of 6 to 8 ounce treasures.

A very reliable tomato friend told me how fabulous this tomato tasted. "Seriously, Laurel, you gotta grow Momotaro Gold!"

So I got seeds and grew out 5 plants in the summer. I watched them grow and ripen, fascinated as they transformed into deeper and deeper shades of gold.

Picked the first ripe one in early September with high hopes. Folks, I was blown away. Probably one of the top 10 finest flavored tomatoes... Of. My. Life.

Every fruit, perfection. Texture is meaty, silky, not soft or mushy, just perfection. I kept saying."Oh my god. Oh my god." At some point, this marvelous flavor got me to thinking, (hmmm), if Sun Gold was a big tomato, it would taste Just Like This.

And so many tomatoes! Growing on a medium sized plant, not a huge plant, they produced dozens of clusters of gorgeous fruits glimmering in the sun and are still going now, in October!



Northern Lights ($7.95)      (VE) 60 days.

An absolutely striking tomato.

This big, heavy 4-5", 10 oz. gorgeous yellow-orange beefsteak, with a red blush on the blossom end and spectacular red patterning in the center, is reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, for which it is named.

The flavor is sweet, intense, tangy and luscious.

This marvelous tomato, only about 60 to 65 days from plant out until ripe fruit, bears beautiful tomatoes right through the cold weather up until the first frost.



Paul Robeson ($7.95) (VE) (HG)       65-70 days.

This is my all-time favorite tomato and our top seller for 25 years. The finest tomato in existence.

It is a gorgeous, dark and dusky-hued fruit with intensely sweet earthy taste with a hint of tanginess, a luscious velvety smooth texture, beautiful skin, rich with juice. The seed was made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seedswoman.

This luxurious tomato is named for Paul Robeson (1898-1976), the elegant, renowned and charismatic operatic singer, law school graduate, champion athlete, film star, stage actor, and boundlessly brave champion of civil and personal rights throughout the world.

This marvelous plant will give you its perfect 3"- 4" fruit in only 65 days from planting. Incredible; a symphony.

NEW FOR 2024!

Raspberry Mochi ($7.95) 72 days.

Here is the amazing Raspberry Mochi, one of my absolute favorite tomatoes.

Raspberry colored skin surrounds plump tender walls of this medium size tomato -- you can see them in the photograph -- along with sweet flesh and luscious gel.

These beautiful fruits reach 8 to 10 oz. with a small core, very little waste, just pure tomato love!

Developed and named by my awesome tomato buddy, Ellie, of Bunny Hop Seeds, Raspberry Mochi is named for one of her favorite sweet treats,

mochi, the popular Japanese confection. A very sweet treat! If you've ever had one, you know what I mean. If not, you have a surprise waiting.

Raspberry Mochi is easy to grow in even the most challenging soil conditions. Grows beautifully everywhere, even in heat and humidity, does well in sandy soil.

Raspberry Mochi photograph is the property of Ellie Pong, Bunny Hop Seeds / Heritage Seeds.

Sun Gold ($7.95)   (EE) (H) 55 days.

This is the one of the best cherry tomatoes I've ever tasted and ready to pick in only 55-60 days.

It has the big, rich flavor of a full-size tomato, in a beautiful little deep-golden fruit growing in bountiful clusters on a huge plant.

Sweet, rich, so beautiful...just left of center in top photo.

Most of them won't make it into your house from the garden. If you send someone to pick them for you, keep your binoculars trained upon the picker.

Sunrise Bumblebee ($7.95)    62 days.

What can I say?

I've never seen anything prettier in the cherry tomato world.

This a very special cherry tomato, an astounding artisan variety. Please put this plant into your garden -- but remember -- it will make you way too popular.

Sunrise Bumblebee is plump and bountiful, crammed full of old- time sweet-honey, juicy, pop-in-your-mouth tomato flavors and just as cute as it can be. This is the tomato you would steal from your neighbors in the middle of the night. But don't. Just leave an empty bowl at their door with note. They will understand.

Thorburn's Terra Cotta (Pronounced THOR-burns) ($7.95)    68 days. A Laurel's Favorite

We were so excited to be able to present Terra Cotta. Everybody loves it!

It's hard to know where begin in describing this extremely rare treasure with its incredible flavor, color and history!

Introduced more than 120 years ago, in 1893, by James Thorburn of New York, this is one of the most sensational tomatoes we have ever grown. With honey-brown skin, apricot colored flesh, and a beautiful green seed gel, this is a stunning tomato with out-of-this-world flavor.

Producing heavily during mid-season for fresh eating, sandwiches, salads and right out-of-hand, Terra Cotta is also great for cooking! Roasted, sauced, fresh from the garden--you name it.

The finest of the dwarf cherry tomatoes!

Velvet Night Cherry ($8.95) 65 days

These sweet, yummy, deep-purple cherry tomatoes grow on a small dwarf plant! Of all the cherries from the dwarf family, Velvet Night is the absolute best.

High production, fabulous flavor, very much like Black Cherry and Purple Haze, but growing on a small shrubby plant.

If you have a limited garden space and crave a really sweet, rich flavored cherry tomato, this is the one for you!

Lots of 1 to 2 ounce cherry tomatoes will keep your tomato taste buds really happy all season long -- and you'll have enough to share with friends and neighbors.

Wee Tang Shebang (A rather compact plant) ($7.95) 55 - 60 days

Another dazzling heirloom from legendary tomato breeder Tom Wagner.

Although I don't know if Sun Gold is in its parent line, if you love Sun Gold, this is the plant for you!

I would describe Wee Tang Shebang as a petite plant, not technically from the Dwarf Tomato Project, but a dwarf plant nonetheless. Producing scads of gorgeous golden-orange tomatoes with all the dazzling flavor of Sun Gold, it's a small plant, about 2 to 3 ft tall and covered with tomatoes.

Ellie Pong of Bunny Hop Seeds sent me a sample of this one a couple of years ago. Adrienne loved the name and grew out some plants in our nursery. When it started producing I asked her, "Hey, what the heck is that?" She said, "Look at the label, Mom."

The flavor is SO good, I chose it over any other dwarf golden-yellow-orange cherry plants. A thousand times tastier. Crack resistant.

(Of the 30 in Adrienne's photograph, only one cracked! (YAY!)

You will love the high production in clusters of 8 to 10 fruits. So easy to grow, small yet indeterminate, grows and grows and grows for the whole season, starting early!

Disease resistant, produces right up until frost without losing any of its marvelous flavor.

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