Early Girl Tomato: How to Grow Healthy Tomato Plants

The ‘Early Girl’ tomato plant (Solanum lycopersicum ‘Early Girl’ or Lycopersicon lycopersicum ‘Early Girl’) is a hybrid tomato plant popular with home gardeners because of its abundant fruit production. The plant matures quicker than other tomato varieties, growing to full size and producing tennis ball-sized bright red tomatoes in about fifty days. The ripe tomatoes have a meaty flesh, which makes them suitable for slicing.

‘Early Girl’ tomato plants are relatively easy to grow. They have a long growing season and require less maintenance than other tomato varieties, especially heirloom tomatoes. If you plan to grow ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes, here are several areas you can focus on to encourage growth of the best tomatoes possible:

1. 1. Climate: ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes will grow best in USDA Hardiness Zones 3–11.
2. 2. Pruning: Trim the bottom six inches of mature tomato plant branches and prune suckers that grow between the stem and branches.
3. 3. Seedlings: If you grow tomato plants from seedlings, start the tomato seeds indoors six to eight weeks before the last frost. Gradually introduce the young plants to outdoor temperatures (called hardening off) by bringing them outside for a few hours a day for a week. Then begin transplanting the tomatoes in the ground or in outdoor pots after temperatures rise above forty-five degrees at night.
4. 4. Soil: Tomatoes require rich soil that is also well-drained. Add organic material or compost to the soil to enrich the soil. Add to the soil a fertilizer meant specifically for tomatoes or other fruit-bearing plants. The soil pH should be neutral to slightly acidic. Use specialty potting soil for container plants.
5. 5. Sunlight: Plant the tomatoes in a location with full sun. They will also grow in a location that is mostly sunny, but the fruit production might be slightly lower, or the fruit size could be smaller.
6. 6. Support: The ‘Early Girl’ hybrid is an indeterminate tomato (tomatoes that will grow indefinitely) that will continue to thrive throughout the summer, and its vines can get heavy. Use a trellis or tomato cage to support the growing tomatoes.
7. 7. Water: ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes require moderate watering. The soil should feel mostly dry before watering. You should not overwater, nor should you wait until the soil is completely dry before you choose to water. Mulch the soil if you live in a dry climate to help prevent water evaporation.

Bred for fast growth, ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes require minimal pest control measures and have good disease resistance. Verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt rarely affect these tomato plants. However, there are a few afflictions you should be wary of with ‘Early Girl’ plants, including rot and blight.

Blossom end rot is a common problem in tomato plants and other fruit-bearing plants. Blossom end rot is not a pest or a fungus—it is a physiological disorder that occurs when a plant receives too much or too little water. Too little calcium in the soil can also cause blossom end rot. The telltale sign of blossom end rot is a black spot on the fruit that grows larger.

Late blight is a fungal disease that can infect tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant. One cause is cool, wet weather. To help mitigate late blight, keep the plant leaves and stems as dry as possible. You should water tomato plants at ground level instead of using a sprinkler or other watering devices.

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