Black Krim or Big Beef?

AlittleSalt · March 22, 2018

I have 7 five gallon buckets to plant tomato plants in.
Yesterday, I found a good looking Sungold plant at the grocery store for $1.50 so I bought it. That's one down six more to go.

Today, we visited the local plant store. They have 6-packs of tomato plants for $2.50. I narrowed down my choices to either Black Krim or Big Beef. I grew Big Beef last year but don't remember how they tasted. Then I remembered the year we grew Black Krim and it tasted great. I bought the 6-pack of Black Krim.

(Just for fun) Which one would you have bought? The six packs are one piece so no mixing varieties.

walt456 · March 22, 2018

I'd have bought both for $5 and tossed the extras or shared them with a neighbor. lol

I really like the heartiness of Big Beef and it's a great all around tomato. Black Krim is great taste wise, but I like to can some of my tomatoes and the blacks just look weird in the jar.

imp · March 22, 2018

Black Krim is in my garden every year, but I've never grown Big Beef; if you don't recall the taste, would that be an indicator that it was not all that for you?

For me, the blacks can make the best Sunday sauces, adding a rich complexity to the taste.

GrowingCoastal · March 22, 2018

I would choose Black Krim for taste and it is earlier for me here than the other.

jtjmartin · March 22, 2018

Black Krim gets my vote too. Have grown both and really can't remember how Big Beef tastes. Not so for Black Krim - it was the first black tomato I grew and now I'm hooked!

Jeff

brownrexx · March 22, 2018

I always grow Big Beef because it tastes good but also because the tomatoes are uniform in size and it produces a lot of them so it is excellent for the pasta sauce that I make and freeze every year.

I grow heirlooms for fresh eating but always grow Big Beef because it is such a reliable producer.

I have grown Black Krim but it did not produce nearly the amount that my Big Beef plants did.

b54red · March 22, 2018

I would definitely buy both. Black Krim is usually the better tasting tomato unless you get too much rain then it is a disaster. Big Beef is dependable and the taste is okay for a hybrid. It was my insurance tomato for years and years. One of the best tasting tomatoes I ever ate was a Black Krim but some years it is not very reliable and it is very prone to gray mold and splitting. I would hate to have to depend too heavily on it for my tomatoes.

Bill

AlittleSalt · March 22, 2018

The first year I grew BK was 2015 - the year it rained 73+ inches here. It didn't do too well, but most of the garden didn't either. It stayed too wet even with sandy loam soil.

In 2016, I grew one BK plant that produced pretty well during an average rainfall year (35 inches). One of the tomatoes was the largest tomato that I have grown that isn't a heart variety. The BK tomatoes tasted very good.

I did finally remember why I forgot what Big Beef tasted like. Leaffooted bugs got to the tomatoes before they were ripe. It was swarm of leaffooted bugs which are like stink bugs and do as much or more damage. Big Beef did produce a lot of tomatoes though.

I chose taste over quantity, and have thoughts of planting only two in the buckets. Then plant the other 4 in different areas that have never had tomatoes or any garden vegies planted. It would be interesting to see any differences.

Gardeneer · March 23, 2018

At this poit I would buy Black Krim since I already have Big Beef seedlings.
Big Beef is a good producer , does well in the south and it is a vigorus plant so much that it is also used as root stock.
I have grown Black Krim twice in the past. It did real well in Atlanta but not in Seattle. I might grow it this year as second season crop this year to see how it does down here.

PaulTandberg · March 23, 2018

I'm with Walt. Go back and get the Big Beefs and then plant both (and toss or give those you don't have room for).

ABlindHog · March 23, 2018

I am not so sure 5 gal is a large enough container for Big Beef. I get cattle feed tubs free for the asking at my local feed store. They are certainly worth looking in to.

sirtanon · March 23, 2018

Geez, I wish the garden centers near me had plants that cheap.

At that price, I would have bough both packs, planted 3(maybe more) of each, and shared the rest with my parents and neighbors. Both varieties are excellent in their own right, and provide some good variety in terms of growth habit, flavor, color, etc..

Either way, you couldn't have gone wrong.

PaulTandberg · March 23, 2018

If you were growing either one of these eventually quite large interdeterminates in a five-gallon bucket, would it be a good idea to, after four or five flower clusters had set, begin pinching off most or all further growth to keep the plant "pot-sized", limiting the fruit production to what the potted plant can reasonably produce?

(which will keep the pruner busy... but engaged )

(and this is a question. I have a suspicion but no knowledge.)

MikeInCypress · March 23, 2018

5 gallon buckets are fine for Big Beef. You just have to prune it to two Stems or so.

MikeInCypress

Black Krim · March 24, 2018

Black Krim, of course.

THe first time I grew BK the season was a disaster. A drought. And not enough water. THat BK was a pitful plant, small and few leaves and crowded by weeds. But the couple of fruit made a big impression. I kept checking for more.

Last year grew both, and never did get to picking the Big Beef. I think the ducks ate the fruit and trampled the plants. Yes, they have BIG feet. lol

Buy both, and keep 3 of each. Im not a gambler.

March 22, 2018	#1
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Black Krim or Big Beef? I have 7 five gallon buckets to plant tomato plants in. Yesterday, I found a good looking Sungold plant at the grocery store for $1.50 so I bought it. That's one down six more to go. Today, we visited the local plant store. They have 6-packs of tomato plants for $2.50. I narrowed down my choices to either Black Krim or Big Beef. I grew Big Beef last year but don't remember how they tasted. Then I remembered the year we grew Black Krim and it tasted great. I bought the 6-pack of Black Krim. (Just for fun) Which one would you have bought? The six packs are one piece so no mixing varieties.

March 22, 2018	#8
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	The first year I grew BK was 2015 - the year it rained 73+ inches here. It didn't do too well, but most of the garden didn't either. It stayed too wet even with sandy loam soil. In 2016, I grew one BK plant that produced pretty well during an average rainfall year (35 inches). One of the tomatoes was the largest tomato that I have grown that isn't a heart variety. The BK tomatoes tasted very good. I did finally remember why I forgot what Big Beef tasted like. Leaffooted bugs got to the tomatoes before they were ripe. It was swarm of leaffooted bugs which are like stink bugs and do as much or more damage. Big Beef did produce a lot of tomatoes though. I chose taste over quantity, and have thoughts of planting only two in the buckets. Then plant the other 4 in different areas that have never had tomatoes or any garden vegies planted. It would be interesting to see any differences. Last edited by AlittleSalt; March 22, 2018 at 11:53 PM. Reason: missing word

March 23, 2018	#9
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,919	At this poit I would buy Black Krim since I already have Big Beef seedlings. Big Beef is a good producer , does well in the south and it is a vigorus plant so much that it is also used as root stock. I have grown Black Krim twice in the past. It did real well in Atlanta but not in Seattle. I might grow it this year as second season crop this year to see how it does down here. __________________ Gardeneer Happy Gardening !

March 23, 2018	#12
sirtanon Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ (zone 9b) Posts: 796	Geez, I wish the garden centers near me had plants that cheap. At that price, I would have bough both packs, planted 3(maybe more) of each, and shared the rest with my parents and neighbors. Both varieties are excellent in their own right, and provide some good variety in terms of growth habit, flavor, color, etc.. Either way, you couldn't have gone wrong. __________________ I could sail by on the winds of silence, and maybe they won't notice... but this time I think it would be better if I swim..

March 23, 2018	#13
PaulTandberg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: North Dakota Posts: 77	If you were growing either one of these eventually quite large interdeterminates in a five-gallon bucket, would it be a good idea to, after four or five flower clusters had set, begin pinching off most or all further growth to keep the plant "pot-sized", limiting the fruit production to what the potted plant can reasonably produce? (which will keep the pruner busy... but engaged ) (and this is a question. I have a suspicion but no knowledge.) Last edited by PaulTandberg; March 23, 2018 at 03:28 PM.

March 22, 2018	#2
walt456 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: VA Posts: 235	I'd have bought both for $5 and tossed the extras or shared them with a neighbor. lol I really like the heartiness of Big Beef and it's a great all around tomato. Black Krim is great taste wise, but I like to can some of my tomatoes and the blacks just look weird in the jar.

March 22, 2018	#3
imp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Wichita Falls, Texas Posts: 4,832	Black Krim is in my garden every year, but I've never grown Big Beef; if you don't recall the taste, would that be an indicator that it was not all that for you? For me, the blacks can make the best Sunday sauces, adding a rich complexity to the taste.

March 22, 2018	#4
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	I would choose Black Krim for taste and it is earlier for me here than the other.

March 22, 2018	#5
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	Black Krim gets my vote too. Have grown both and really can't remember how Big Beef tastes. Not so for Black Krim - it was the first black tomato I grew and now I'm hooked! Jeff

March 22, 2018	#6
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	I always grow Big Beef because it tastes good but also because the tomatoes are uniform in size and it produces a lot of them so it is excellent for the pasta sauce that I make and freeze every year. I grow heirlooms for fresh eating but always grow Big Beef because it is such a reliable producer. I have grown Black Krim but it did not produce nearly the amount that my Big Beef plants did.

March 22, 2018	#7
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I would definitely buy both. Black Krim is usually the better tasting tomato unless you get too much rain then it is a disaster. Big Beef is dependable and the taste is okay for a hybrid. It was my insurance tomato for years and years. One of the best tasting tomatoes I ever ate was a Black Krim but some years it is not very reliable and it is very prone to gray mold and splitting. I would hate to have to depend too heavily on it for my tomatoes. Bill

March 23, 2018	#11
ABlindHog Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2014 Location: The Texas Hill Country Posts: 149	I am not so sure 5 gal is a large enough container for Big Beef. I get cattle feed tubs free for the asking at my local feed store. They are certainly worth looking in to.

March 23, 2018	#14
MikeInCypress Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Cypress, TX Posts: 963	5 gallon buckets are fine for Big Beef. You just have to prune it to two Stems or so. MikeInCypress __________________ "Growing older, not up"

March 24, 2018	#15
Black Krim Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: New England Posts: 661	Black Krim, of course. THe first time I grew BK the season was a disaster. A drought. And not enough water. THat BK was a pitful plant, small and few leaves and crowded by weeds. But the couple of fruit made a big impression. I kept checking for more. Last year grew both, and never did get to picking the Big Beef. I think the ducks ate the fruit and trampled the plants. Yes, they have BIG feet. lol Buy both, and keep 3 of each. Im not a gambler.