The ‘Early Girl’ tomato is a popular choice for home gardeners, prized for producing fruit relatively early and yielding abundant harvests. Successful cultivation hinges on understanding its fundamental biological trait, as the plant’s specific growth structure dictates its care requirements and overall yield.
Understanding Tomato Growth Habits
Tomato plants are broadly categorized into two main growth habits: determinate and indeterminate. Determinate plants, often called “bush” varieties, exhibit a compact growth pattern genetically programmed to halt at a fixed height, typically between three and four feet. This fixed size is achieved when the main stem’s terminal bud converts from vegetative growth to a flower cluster. Once this shift occurs, the plant focuses on ripening the fruit already set, resulting in a concentrated harvest period usually lasting only two to three weeks.
Indeterminate varieties display a vine-like habit and possess the genetic capacity for continuous vertical growth. The terminal bud of the main stem remains a vegetative bud, perpetually producing new leaves and flowers until environmental factors, such as frost, intervene. This continuous development means the plant keeps growing taller and setting new fruit throughout the season, often reaching heights of six to ten feet or more. The harvest from these plants extends over many months, offering a steady supply of ripe tomatoes.
A third, less common category is the semi-determinate plant, which acts as a bridge between the two primary types. These plants grow taller than true determinates but do not reach the sprawling heights of a full indeterminate vine. They may exhibit periods of concentrated fruiting followed by continued, less vigorous, vertical growth.
The Specific Classification of Early Girl
The traditional ‘Early Girl’ tomato is definitively classified as an Indeterminate variety. This designation confirms that the plant’s main growing tip continues to elongate and produce new flowers and foliage indefinitely under favorable conditions. Unlike a determinate bush that stops growing after setting fruit, ‘Early Girl’ develops into a tall, vigorous vine.
Confusion surrounding its classification often stems from its name and breeding for early maturity. Gardeners observing quick initial production (as early as 50 to 62 days after transplanting) often mistakenly assume the plant will stop growing. However, the plant’s genetic programming dictates that its vegetative growth tip will not convert into a terminal flower cluster. This continuous growth confirms the plant remains an indeterminate type, demanding specific care tailored to its sprawling habit. Note that a separate, compact variety, ‘Bush Early Girl,’ is a determinate type, but the classic ‘Early Girl’ is a vining plant.
Practical Gardening Implications
Recognizing ‘Early Girl’ as an indeterminate variety dictates the need for robust physical support. Since the vine continues to grow vertically, potentially reaching heights of six to ten feet or more, a standard small cage is often insufficient. Strong staking systems, such as tall wooden posts, metal t-posts, or specialized trellis setups, must be installed early in the season to manage the continuous vertical growth and accumulating weight of the fruit. Without proper support, the vine will collapse, leading to damaged stems and increased susceptibility to soil-borne diseases.
The indeterminate nature also requires specific pruning practices, primarily managing “suckers.” Suckers are new shoots that emerge in the axil, or crotch, between the main stem and a leaf branch. Allowing too many to grow results in a dense canopy that restricts airflow and diverts energy from ripening existing fruit. Many gardeners remove most suckers when they are small, focusing the plant’s energy into one or two main vertical leaders for optimal fruit size and production.
Because of its continual vining habit, ‘Early Girl’ requires significantly more garden space than a compact, determinate variety. While determinate plants can be spaced closely, the indeterminate ‘Early Girl’ needs ample vertical room for its trellis system and lateral space for air circulation. Crowding these plants leads to poor fruit set and a higher incidence of diseases due to poor light penetration and humidity retention within the dense foliage.
Finally, the growth habit determines the harvest schedule, which is an advantage of an indeterminate plant. Instead of a single, large harvest, ‘Early Girl’ provides a steady, staggered yield of ripe fruit from mid-summer until the first hard frost. New flowers and fruit continue to form on the upper parts of the vine as older fruit ripens below, ensuring a continuous supply. This extended production window is a direct result of the terminal bud perpetually initiating new growth cycles.