In February, it's time to think about how to quickly get your tomato harvest. For summer residents, especially in central Russia and cool regions, choosing the right early varieties is one of the key conditions for success. Such varieties ripen earlier than ordinary ones, are resistant to the vagaries of the weather and allow you to harvest the first tomatoes in July–August, and not only at the end of the season.
Why are early varieties profitable and convenient?
Firstly, they produce fruits earlier than standard ones, which is especially important in the short summer season. Secondly, many of them are resistant to cold nights and vagaries of weather, which helps to get a harvest even in the changeable climate of the middle zone.
Here are examples of proven early and ultra-early tomatoes that gardeners often choose:
Parodist – an ultra-early low-growing variety for open ground, produces fruits approximately 80–85 days after sowing, is easy to care for and resistant to bad weather.
Sanka – a compact Russian variety with a short ripening period (~75–85 days), suitable for cold areas and rarely requires staking.
The Salting Miracle and Don Juan – low-growing early varieties with resistance to late blight and the ability to produce crops at the beginning of the season.
These varieties are popular precisely because they provide early harvest, ease of cultivation and stability of fruit harvest even in unstable weather.
If your goal is to eat your sweet tomatoes as early as possible and use them both in salads and for preparations, choose early-ripening varieties for sowing in March-April, followed by planting them in beds under cover or in open ground – this will allow you to get the first tomatoes in mid-summer.
