Big Beef label ?

10 years ago

I just purchased 6 tomato plants at a local garden center with a plastic tag the said "Big Beef" in large lettering. BB is what I went for but on returning home I read the back of the printed plastic insert and it says grows to 24"-40". Well lower on the front of the label it says a beefsteak in tiny letters. Has anyone else seen this. I have been growing Big Beef for years and can't believe this labeling. Anyone know if there is a length of time for the original BB name? I know it was tomato of the year either 1994 or 1996. I am returning them, BTW.

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Comments (6)

seysonn
10 years ago
Well I don't see any contradiction there.

Big Beef (BB) just refers to fruit type/size, NOT the plant's size. There is even Bush Beefsteak tomato/es. Yours is probably a DETERMINANT.
CaraRose
10 years ago
Big Beef is a hybrid variety that is indeterminant . Also I think there's a open pollinated version.

It's possible that the tags just had some generic sizing info for tomatoes based off a determinant. I would be wary though as well that those aren't true Big Beefs.
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missingtheobvious
10 years ago
There is a tomato variety named "Beefsteak" -- but "beefsteak" is also used as a term which describes a particular type of tomato fruit: large and meaty being the primary characteristics; ideally there should be many cells/locules, the cells/locules shouldn't be too large, and there should not be too much gel.

So the "beefsteak" on the tag was fine.

I don't find a short "Big Beef" in any of the usual tomato databases, nor any "Big Beef" that's listed as a determinate.

Tomato names don't expire.
seysonn
10 years ago
Bonnie has a tomato called BIG BEEF. But they say it is an indet, and grows big and tall. Fruits size is said to be 12 -17 oz, with a DTM of 73 . So that is almost an Early fruiter.

Here is a pic. fro Bonnie's site.
barrie2m_(6a, central PA)
10 years ago
Can't see the controversy either. You were expecting what on the label? I have grown thousands of plants of this variety and sell plants as well but when I sell plants I just put the name only on the tag. Sure the plants will grow more than 40" tall but if you cage plants and your cages are 36" tall than the plant weight will limit height. Mine typically grow 7-8 ft on stringline and my average size of the beefsteak fruits is a consistant 9 oz., some getting bigger on occasion. I could talk for hours telling you the merits of this variety and to put it all on a label would probably do disrespect to the consumer. This AAS selection winner (1993) is well worth the effort in many aspects: yield, flavor, disease resistance just to name a few. I call it my "Work Horse" tomato.
bigpinks
10 years ago
Looked at BB plants today at my fav greenhouse. The labe said Big Beef but it also had two sets of numbers suggesting spacing between rows and plants...24-40. Coul that be what you mean?