Short Season Heirloom Tomatoes

A great super early short season heirloom tomato to grow is the Glacier Tomato, above, has outstanding flavor and has higher-than-average yields of reddish-orange tomatoes that are perfect for short seasons, being ready to harvest in just 56-63 days! This is one of our fastest growing short season tomatoes, making it an ultra-early tomato plant to grow in garden Glacier tomato plants are also more cold-tolerant than other varieties.

One of our favorite Short Season Heirloom Tomatoes, the Isis Candy Tomato, is a great open-pollinated heirloom tomato that produces precious little 1-1/2" morsels of red and gold garden candy in just 67 days! Deliciously sweet and fruity, this tomato will be one of your favorites in the garden! 





Another one of our favorite short season heirloom tomatoes is the gorgeous Berkeley Tie-Dye Tomato. Surprisingly, this large beefsteak heirloom tomato with beautiful metallic green stripes may not only be one of the prettiest tomatoes you can grow, it is also great for short season gardens! The flesh is pink with yellow streaks and the flavor is outstanding - sweet, rich, dark heirloom tomato flavor. Despite it's large size, these tomatoes are ready for harvest in just 65-75 days (compare that to other beefsteaks which usually range around 80-90 days for harvest.)




The Black Prince Tomato is another short season heirloom tomato, ripening in just 70 days. This open-pollinated heirloom tomato is juicy with amazing rich, fruity flavor and packed with nutrition! This fast-growing tomato is regarded as a true northern variety and has excellent growing qualities suited for cooler climates and short growing seasons.  Great for patio gardens and container gardens! 

Chocolate Cherry Tomato

We think these Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes are one of the best tasting short season tomatoes we think! Start eating these delicious short season heirloom tomatoes in just 65 days! Red smooth 3" plum shaped fruits produce well the entire season. It is tart and juicy making it a fantastic salad tomato. A truly black cherry tomato that is sweet, delicious and irresistible.  The Chocolate Cherry tomatoes pick easily from the stem and are produced in abundance on tall plants.

Garden Peach Heirloom Tomatoes

Another fun short season heirloom tomato to grow is the Garden Peach Tomato! Start harvesting in 71 days, you will enjoy these delicious tomatoes with their fuzzy skin – just like a peach! They are mildly sweet 2-4 oz fruits that are fun to grow and quite a novelty. In 1893 Burpee described this heirloom as “delicate, melting in the mouth like a grape.”

For Faster Harvests, Start Heirloom Tomato Seeds Indoors!
If you are growing in a short season climate, it's best to start tomato seeds indoors early in March/April to get them growing before transplanting outdoors. It is important to transplanting them into larger pots as they grow – tomato plants of the same age can be widely different in size if one is kept in smaller pot and one is in a larger pot – the more legroom they have to grow roots, the more quickly the plants will grow. Every time you transplant your heirloom tomato plants, bury their stems deep, removing the lower leaves – this will help them develop a very deep root system for fast growing.


Short Season Heirloom Tomatoes mean
Less Green Tomatoes at the end of the season!
If you grow our short season heirloom tomatoes, you'll have many  more ripened tomatoes before the frost or snows come in the autumn.


More of the  Best Short Season Tomatoes:
Discover all of our top favorite varieties of fast-growing short season tomato seeds. Or, find our fastest growing peppers »

Still got green tomatoes?
And, when winter arrives and you have to pick a lot of green tomatoes, make Green Tomato Sauce!