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Your opinions on Big Beef?
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Posted by
Deeby 9b (
My Page) on
Tue, Sep 23, 14 at 18:00
I've decided to grow only Big Beef next spring. I need everyone's input-experiences with taste, yield, size, etc. I'll plant store bought plants in 20 inch pots.
Thanks,
Deborah |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| I grow Big Beef every year for making salsa. It's a good tomato but I don't think I could only plant one variety in my garden. Mine get to be about 4-5 feet tall and when conditions are right, they produce a lot of nice round, blemish free fruit. Plants were in great shape at the end of the season, no signs of disease. |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| Good results for last 10 years in taste, size and yield. |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| Tasty, big, modest yield this year in my garden. |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| Anyone has pictures of THEIR OWN plant and fruits? |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| So far so good, nobody has said that they taste sweet ! I'm hoping for that classic, tangy, good "beefsteak" flavor. I have room for two huge pots and cedar stakes. Have been disappointed with so many tomatoes that I am looking for a "safe bet". |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| I grew Big Beef 4 years in a row. It is a tremendously productive plant. In the years that I grew it, it was always the most productive plant for me. It is relatively early and seems to be more disease resistant than other varieties. On the downside, of the hundreds of Big Beef that I picked in that time, I got only one tomato with enough flavor to be worthy of eating fresh. They tasted ok when roasted, but they were too bland for sandwiches or eating straight. I got tired of segregating the tomatoes on my counter into 2 piles - Big Beef and everything else, so I no longer plant it. I think my experience with Big Beef is atypical, since a lot of people grow it for its flavor. |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| Bland as in yellow pear bland or just not alot of flavor? |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| I've never tasted a yellow pear, so I can't comment on that. My Big Beefs simply didn't have much flavor. They were juicy, had decent texture, but not a lot of sweetness or tanginess. They were just mediocre at best. From what I recall of the better ones that I grew, I think they had the classic, balanced beefsteak flavor that you're looking for. I noticed that you're planning on growing these in containers. My Big Beefs always produced huge, vigorous vines in my garden. That might be a challenge for container gardening unless you have some experience with containers. I had my first real experience with container gardening this year, and found them to be difficult. |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| Big Beef develops rich intense flavor in a warm climate. You need 90+ degrees for a few days to tip the flavor up. I grow about 20,000 Big Beef seedlings every year. There is a huge market for them in this area of Alabama. I started selling Big Beef about 8 years ago and popularized them to the point people in the area would go to the co-op and ask for Big Beef. Took 3 years, but now the Co-op has Big Beef plants every year. It was a welcome change from their Better Boy/Big Boy/BHN lineup. |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| My big beef in July. Overfertilized, excuse the crispy leaf edges. It's still going strong now in September. |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| A tasty firm tomato. Good in salads, sandwiches, or anyplace you need flavor but firmness. I agree that this should be one of the tomatoes you plant, but not the only tomato you plant. I always plant lots of "purples" (Cherokee, Prudence, or Black Prince) for soups and sauces, or just eating alone. Much sweeter taste in them. |
RE: Your opinions on Big Beef?
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| Thanks all. I'm thinking that BB will be the one for me. |
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