Big Beef vs Beefmaster
Two giant-fruited hybrids: modern resistance package versus classic VFN.
| Big Beef | Beefmaster | |
|---|---|---|
| Breeding | F1 hybrid | F1 hybrid |
| Growth habit | Indeterminate | Indeterminate |
| Days to maturity | 70-73 | 80-85 |
| Fruit color | red | red |
| Fruit size class | beefsteak | beefsteak |
| Typical weight | 10-12 oz | 16-32 oz |
| Primary uses | slicing | slicing |
| Introduced | 1994 | - |
| Documented resistances | 6 | 3 |
| Saves true from seed | No (F1) | No (F1) |
Disease resistance
Big Beef
Verticillium WiltV · resistant
Fusarium Wilt of TomatoFF · resistant
Root-Knot NematodeN · resistant
Tobacco Mosaic VirusT · resistant
Alternaria Stem CankerASC · resistant
Gray Leaf SpotSt · resistant
Beefmaster
Verticillium WiltV · resistant
Fusarium Wilt of TomatoF · resistant
Root-Knot NematodeN · resistant
Traits
Both: F1 Hybrid, Indeterminate, Red, Beefsteak, Slicing
Only Big Beef
- Mid Season
Only Beefmaster
- Late Season
Origins
Big Beef
The 1994 AAS winner that finally put real beefsteak size and flavor on a fully disease-resistant plant, another Colen Wyatt design in the Petoseed-to-Seminis lineage.
Beefmaster
A giant-fruited hybrid in the VFN line, routinely producing two-pound fruit on vigorous vines, and for decades the variety gardeners grew when the goal was one enormous tomato.
More: all comparisons · every tomato variety · filter the full database
Sources & References
Evidence: 5 sources, including 2 independent references.
- Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog · Johnny's Selected Seeds, Seed Catalog
- Tomato Growers Supply catalog · Tomato Growers Supply Company, Seed Catalog
- Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners · Cornell University Cooperative Extension, University or Government
- Vegetable MD Online · Cornell University, Plant Pathology, University or Government
- Burpee catalog · W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Seed Catalog