For outside it is wise to choose varieties that ripen early. The outdoor season is already short, so the sooner you can harvest the tomatoes, the more you can harvest. Below is a classification of the harvest times, based on a count of the days after planting outdoors or in the greenhouse.

Middle = 69–79 days

Late = 80–95 days

Early (50–68 days) has a great chance of success outdoor.For middle (69–79 days) the summer should not be too wet. I wouldn’t grow late (80–95 days) outside. Do you have some experience with growing tomatoes? If you don’t, opt for the easy early tomato varieties. Many suppliers of tomato seeds indicate how many days it takes from planting to harvesting the first ripe tomatoes.

In general, cherry tomato varieties can be harvested early. If you’re wondering, they can be grown outside. But larger types of tomatoes also have varieties that you can harvest early.For example, the round tomato varieties Kimberley, Malizol Magic and Siberian Egg can all be harvested between 50 and 70 days after planting. Black & Red Boar, German Red Strawberry, Provenzano, Liguria and Oxheart Giant are all beef tomato varieties that can be harvested from 65 to 75 days after planting.

Many other early tomato varieties can be found on the internet. A little research makes outdoor cultivation easier and more fun.

If you’d like to know more about this disease, read: “Phytophthora, a disaster for tomato plants.”

The seedlings can only be planted outdoors if the chance of night frost is over. In the Netherlands this is from about 14 May onwards.

Tomato plants love the sun and warmth. So plant the young seedlings in a warmish, sunny location. Under south-facing shelter is ideal. Keep a planting distance of 40 to 50 cm and if you want to plant multiple rows, keep the plants at a distance of around 90 cm. Push a 2.5 meter stick firmly in the ground for each plant. Now the tomato plants can grow well and if you take good care of them, you can harvest delicious tomatoes in the summer.