Early season tomato varieties have been bred to mature in less time than the main season types. In coastal gardens, the end of summer can be quite sudden with the arrival of wet, stormy weather. So planting early tomato seeds is a good strategy to make the most of the tomato crop by late summer. Many of these varieties are determinate (bush) plants that produce most of their fruits all at once over several weeks. There are some indeterminate (vine) types, too, that will continue producing fruits as long as the weather stays warm and they are carefully picked.