Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson is a large beefsteak, slightly flattened with gentle ribbing tomato with fruit around 8-12 oz. Ready from roughly day 90-95. Germination takes 7-14 days. Space 36 inches apart at pH 6.2-6.8. Full sun (6+ hours).
Sowing
Start indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost. Requires warm soil and stable temperatures for transplanting.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- High — consistent moisture needed
- Soil
- Rich, fertile, well-drained soil with high organic content
- Soil pH
- 6.2-6.8
- Spacing
- 36 inches
- Height
- 1-10 feet
- Season
- Year Round
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- Deep burgundy-black with dark shoulders
- Size
- 8-12 oz
- Shape
- Large beefsteak, slightly flattened with gentle ribbing
- Flavour
- Complex, rich, and smoky with wine-like depth and perfect acid-sugar balance
In the kitchen
Premium slicing tomato for gourmet dishes, caprese salads, and fresh eating. Not recommended for canning.
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Tomato hornworm, aphids, spider mites, cutworms
- Diseases
- Late blight, early blight, fusarium wilt, cracking in wet conditions
- Resistance
- Typical heirloom susceptibility to diseases. Requires good air circulation and disease prevention.
Planting calendar by USDA zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant | Direct sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | April – May | June – July | — | October – September |
| 3 | April | June – July | — | September – October |
| 4 | March – April | June | — | September – October |
| 5 | March | May – June | — | September – October |
| 6 | March | May – June | — | August – October |
| 7 | February – March | April – May | — | August – October |
| 8 | February | April – May | — | July – September |
| 9 | January | March – April | — | June – August |
| 10 | January | February – March | — | June – August |
| 11 | January | January – February | — | May – July |
| 12 | January | January – February | — | May – July |
| 13 | January | January – February | — | May – July |
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 Paul Robeson?
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 Paul Robeson suits these too.
- Black Beauty 90 days
- Amish Paste 85 days
- Brandywine Pink 85 days
- Chocolate Stripes 85 days
- Hillbilly 85 days
- Pineapple 85 days