Big Beef
Big Beef: 70 days to harvest, 6-12 days to germinate, 30-36 inches between plants, pH 6.2-6.8, hardy in zones 10-11. Fruit runs to about 10-12 oz. Give it full sun (6+ hours) and high water. Indeterminate, so it keeps fruiting until the season ends. Because this is a hybrid, seed saved from it will not repeat the parent — plan on fresh seed each year.
Sowing
Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date. Transplant outdoors when soil temperature reaches 65°F.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- High — consistent moisture needed
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained loam with high organic content
- Soil pH
- 6.2-6.8
- Spacing
- 30-36 inches
- Height
- 1-10 feet
- Season
- Warm season annual
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- Deep red with slight pink undertones
- Size
- 10-12 oz.
- Shape
- Indeterminate
- Flavour
- Rich, full-bodied tomato flavor with perfect sweet-acid balance
In the kitchen
Premium slicing tomato for sandwiches and fresh eating. Excellent for stuffing and grilling.
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Tomato hornworm, aphids, whiteflies, spider mites
- Diseases
- Late blight, bacterial spot, septoria leaf spot
- Resistance
- Alternaria Stem Canker (High); Fusarium Wilt races 1, 2 (High); Gray Leaf Spot (High); Nematodes (High); Tobacco Mosaic Virus (High); Verticillium Wilt (High)
Planting calendar by USDA zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant | Direct sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May | July – August | — | September – August |
| 2 | April – May | June – July | — | September |
| 3 | April | June – July | — | August – October |
| 4 | March – April | June | — | August – October |
| 5 | March | May – June | — | August – October |
| 6 | March | May – June | — | July – September |
| 7 | February – March | April – May | — | July – September |
| 8 | February | April – May | — | June – August |
| 9 | January | March – April | — | May – July |
| 10 | January | February – March | — | May – July |
| 11 | January | January – February | — | April – June |
| 12 | January | January – February | — | April – June |
| 13 | January | January – February | — | April – June |
Companion planting
8 beneficial pairings indexed for this variety, 4 to avoid.
Avoid
Nutrition (per 100 g)
- Calories (per 100 g)
- 27
- Protein (g)
- 0.83
- Fat (g)
- 0.63
- Carbohydrate (g)
- 5.51
- Fibre (g)
- 2.1
- Vitamin C (mg)
- 27.2
- Vitamin E (mg)
- 0.98
- Vitamin K (µg)
- 4.2
- Vitamin B6 (mg)
- 0.06
- Folate (µg)
- 10
- Calcium (mg)
- 11
- Iron (mg)
- 0.33
- Magnesium (mg)
- 11.9
- Phosphorus (mg)
- 28
- Potassium (mg)
- 260
- Zinc (mg)
- 0.2
Where to buy seed and equipment
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Cultivar facts compiled from public horticultural references including USDA GRIN and NC State Extension. Descriptions are original to this catalogue.
Grown Big Beef?
Post a crop report — day counts, reservoir readings, what worked. Variety-specific logs are the most useful thing on the forum.
Similar varieties
Other tomatoes with a comparable time to harvest, so a season that suits Big Beef suits these too.
- Container Choice Red 70 days
- Ace 56 70 days
- Husky Gold 70 days
- Better Boy 70 days
- Campari 70 days
- De Milpa 70 days