Big Beef F1 - Page 3

Ed of Somis · August 30, 2016

I have been really overwhelmed by Big Beef the last 3 years! My productivity is off the chart. nHardy...if mine is any indication....BB will give you a variety of different sizes over the season. Just try it.

Cole_Robbie · August 31, 2016

BB will give you a variety of different sizes over the season.

Same here. Most of the fruit are fairly big. Mine get a little smaller later in the season.

BB is a hybrid, but I think of it as a backyard gardener's hybrid. If it were truly commercial, fruit size uniformity would have been bred into it, as well as firmness, and by that time it would be a flavorless red baseball like a typical commercial hybrid.

So fruit size is not perfectly uniform, but that's why it tastes so good.

NarnianGarden · August 31, 2016

Good to hear it's not too perfect, but only human.. errr, only plant after all

Ricky Shaw · August 31, 2016

For fabric pots, four stems in a 20gal grew to 7ft and made +25lbs, in 15gal pots three stems was perfect and produced nearly as well. It's the Jeep of tomatoes.

jmsieglaff · September 2, 2016

After the accolades here I am growing Big Beef F1 this year. I've topped the plant a few weeks back at about 6.5 feet because I couldn't keep tying them up to the stakes. The plant has been very healthy and is pumping out a ton of large red tomatoes. The flavor is quite good--not take your breath away best heirloom you grow, but the combination of flavor and production will make it way back into our garden in future years!

gardeninglee · September 11, 2016

I was at home depot today and tried to pick up some Big Beef seeds or plants and there were none. I did see a lot of Beefsteak seeds and plants - I wonder if this might have been Big Beef.

Gardeneer · September 11, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by gardeninglee

I was at home depot today and tried to pick up some Big Beef seeds or plants and there were none. I did see a lot of Beefsteak seeds and plants - I wonder if this might have been Big Beef.

Doubt it .
Wha is sold as "beefsteak" as a variety , is not Big Beef.

I am growing Big Beef next to Big Boy and Better Boy.
So far I like Big Boy. It has much bigger tomatoes than the other two. But nothing ripe yet. Have picked fey Big Beef so far, the biggest was 6.6 oz.

Cole_Robbie · September 11, 2016

Yeah, Beefsteak as a variety is Crimson Cushion. I have never gotten a single tomato off of it when trying to grow it. It is one of my least favorite varieties.

Al@NC · September 11, 2016

Have you Big Beef fans seen/grown Buffalo Soldier? It's a IS x Big Beef F1 cross:

http://heritageseedmarket.com/index....ffalo-soldier/

August 30, 2016	#31
Ed of Somis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Somis, Ca Posts: 649	I have been really overwhelmed by Big Beef the last 3 years! My productivity is off the chart. nHardy...if mine is any indication....BB will give you a variety of different sizes over the season. Just try it.

August 31, 2016	#32
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	BB will give you a variety of different sizes over the season. Same here. Most of the fruit are fairly big. Mine get a little smaller later in the season. BB is a hybrid, but I think of it as a backyard gardener's hybrid. If it were truly commercial, fruit size uniformity would have been bred into it, as well as firmness, and by that time it would be a flavorless red baseball like a typical commercial hybrid. So fruit size is not perfectly uniform, but that's why it tastes so good.

August 31, 2016	#33
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	Good to hear it's not too perfect, but only human.. errr, only plant after all

August 31, 2016	#34
Ricky Shaw Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro Posts: 1,910	For fabric pots, four stems in a 20gal grew to 7ft and made +25lbs, in 15gal pots three stems was perfect and produced nearly as well. It's the Jeep of tomatoes.

September 2, 2016	#35
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	After the accolades here I am growing Big Beef F1 this year. I've topped the plant a few weeks back at about 6.5 feet because I couldn't keep tying them up to the stakes. The plant has been very healthy and is pumping out a ton of large red tomatoes. The flavor is quite good--not take your breath away best heirloom you grow, but the combination of flavor and production will make it way back into our garden in future years!

September 11, 2016	#36
gardeninglee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: West Los Angeles Posts: 203	I was at home depot today and tried to pick up some Big Beef seeds or plants and there were none. I did see a lot of Beefsteak seeds and plants - I wonder if this might have been Big Beef.

September 11, 2016	#39
Al@NC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Vernon, BC Posts: 720	Have you Big Beef fans seen/grown Buffalo Soldier? It's a IS x Big Beef F1 cross: http://heritageseedmarket.com/index....ffalo-soldier/