Early Girl Tomato

History

Early Girl was developed by the PetoSeed Company (now part of Seminis, a Bayer subsidiary) and introduced to American gardeners in 1975, during a period when hybrid tomato breeding was advancing rapidly. The goal was simple but ambitious: create a tomato that could produce ripe fruit in 50-60 days from transplant while maintaining respectable flavor—a combination previously thought difficult to achieve. Early tomato varieties had historically sacrificed taste for speed, producing bland, mealy fruit that disappointed home gardeners. Early Girl changed that equation, delivering fruits with classic tomato flavor that ripened when most gardens were still waiting. The variety became so successful that it spawned an entire category of "early" tomatoes from competing seed companies. For gardeners in northern climates with short growing seasons, Early Girl was revolutionary—it meant finally being able to enjoy homegrown tomatoes without gambling on whether frost would arrive before the harvest. The variety's indeterminate growth habit means it continues producing throughout the season, providing both the earliest fruits and a sustained harvest until frost. After nearly 50 years, Early Girl remains one of the best-selling tomato varieties in America, found in nearly every garden center and seed catalog. Its improved descendant, "Early Girl Improved" (VFNT), offers enhanced disease resistance while maintaining the early production that made the original famous.