What Are Beefsteak Tomatoes – Tomato Varieties – How To Plant – How To Grow – Harvesting – Tomato Seedlings – Disease & Pests – Caring For A Beefsteak Tomato Plant – FAQ
The beefsteak tomato plant might be one of the more demanding varieties of tomatoes to grow at home, but the rewards you will get are well worth it. The size of most varieties of beefsteak tomatoes are quite large.
Below we will give you our full guide of growing and caring for a beefsteak tomato plant at home. It’s a great option for the gardener who wants more of a challenge and also more of a harvest as well.
What Are Beefsteak Tomatoes
The beefsteak tomato is one of the more common varieties of tomatoes. It has an almost balloon-like appearance where the flesh is large and meat-like, just like the name suggests.
Rich in vitamins and nutrition with a lovely sweetness and richness to it. Compared to cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes are so much sweeter. They are great since a whole one will provide you with almost a full portion. They can weigh up to 2,5 pounds if they have grown well.
Best Beefsteak Tomato Varieties
There are a lot of different beefsteak tomato varieties out there to choose from. They will more or less grow the same way but differ in size and look a little bit. Let’s list some of the ones we have cultivated very successfully throughout the years.
- Cherokee Purple, This might be the most flavourful variety of beefsteak tomato out there. Rich and plumb it’s great for beginners to get a taste of what it’s like to grow this genre of tomatoes. Best part is that it’s easy to cultivate and rarely sees any diseases.
- Black Krim, Orginitagin from the Black Sea, hence the name. With a darker flesh and an almost salty flavor to it. It’s a unique variety that we really appreciate for the intense flavor and aroma you get from it.
- Brandywine, This is a later ripening tomato variety that has an intense and very flavourful profile. The yields are rather low compared to other tomatoes, but it makes up for that and more with the flavor of it. The brandywine variety has gotten a reputation though for ripening a little bit irregularly.
How To Plant Beefsteak Tomatoes
Planting a beefsteak tomato is really not that different from any other tomato plant, we want to cultivate them indoors the first month of the year. The way we can grow really healthy seedlings before planting them outdoors instead.
Make sure you have small containers where there are holes in the bottom. That way we can avoid drowning the roots when watering the soil. Too much water and no oxygen can circulate in the soil.
Plant the seeds just above the soil and lightly tap them down. Cover with soil and lightly water the surface of the soil too. Leave them in a warm place where there is plenty of access to sunlight. It will take a few weeks for you to see the first signs of life. After a few months or until the weather has become warmer you can first start planting the seedlings into another place where they will remain for the rest of the season.
How To Grow And Care For Beefsteak Tomatoes
Once you have healthy seedlings of beefsteak tomatoes then you can begin to transplant them into other places in your garden where they will continue thriving and eventually produce harvests for you.
Choose a place where there is good drainage to avoid damaging the roots of the plant. But look also at the amount of light the plants are getting there. We strive for about 8 hours of sun each day at least. This will help ensure the tomatoes will ripen properly and develop all the flavor we want.
As for caring for the plant during its growth, it mostly comes down to ensuring the soil is kept well watered. We never want it to dry out too much. Instead we aim for a soil which is slightly damp all the time. That will help create the ideal condition for the plants to grow in.
Harvesting Beefsteak Tomatoes
The best way of growing any plant would definitely be to finally harvest the vegetable or fruits from it. It’s really simple to harvest beefsteak tomatoes once they are fully ripened, simply pluck them from the stems.
But the difficult part might be to know when the tomatoes are fully ripened. We like to feel them before picking them. They should have a small give to them if they are ripe, but also a very deep red color, depending on the variety too of course. If it fulfills all these things then that means the plant has developed enough flavor and aromas to be ready.
Tomato Seedlings
Tomato seedlings are very fragile and need a lot of attention and care before being transplanted to another spot. We prefer looking at the way they are growing in order to choose the healthiest plants.
One that grows straight without bending or falling over is a sign of good health. Any leaves that are beginning to bend or curl means the seedling has been stressed. A stressed seedling will have a harder time eventually beginning growing where you plant it.
Make sure you are keeping the soil slightly damp all the time on top of finding a nice and sunny spot for the seedlings to be cultivated in.
Pests And Diseases
There are unfortunately some different pests and diseases that can affect tomato plants. But they often come when the plant has been stressed and is more susceptible to these illnesses.
A common sign to look for is if there is white spots appearing on the plant. That would be mold from spores beginning to take a hold. Looking at the eaves is also important, if they are turning yellow that might be a pest starting to devour the plant.
Maintaining A Beefsteak Tomato Plant
It’s simple to maintain and grow a beefsteak tomato plant once you have transplanted it in the spot it will stay in for the remaining season. If the area is warm and the soil well draining then you have most of the work covered already. Just make sure the soil is never left to dry out too much.
A stressed tomato plant will have a more difficult time at developing flavor and aroma in the fruit. So for the most flavourful beefsteak tomatoes you should aim to keep the soil slightly damp.
FAQ
Beefsteak Tomato Plant Flowering
If you are beginning to see your tomato plant flowering then that is a great sign of health. Now the flowers need to be pollinated in order for tomatoes to grow there. This can be greatly helped if you have flowers nearby to attract pollinators.
Beefsteak Tomato Plant Spacing
Spacing between tomato plants differs mostly whether they are small or large plants. Since beefsteak tomatoes are larger varieties they will need about 2 feet apart from each plant to avoid any unnecessary competition.
Beefsteak Tomato Plant Height
Beefsteak tomato plants can actually grow rather tall. Somewhere between 5 – 6 feet at least is not very uncommon. So make sure you have a good structure where the plant can be supported by.
