Beefsteak
Open-pollinated tomato
- Breeding
- Open-pollinated
- Growth habit
- Indeterminate
- Days to maturity
- 85-90 days 3 sources, none independent · basis unstated
- Fruit
- red, beefsteak
- Weight
- 10-32 oz 3 sources, none independent
- Bred by
- -
Grey captions say what stands behind that particular figure. Breeding, growth habit and fruit characters carry no caption because they rest on the record's sources as a whole rather than citing their own; closing that gap is ordinary outstanding work, not a finished job.
Origin & history
The generic ribbed red giant of American gardens, in catalogs since the 19th century under names like Crimson Cushion and Red Ponderosa. The variety that gave its name to an entire size class.
Measurements
| Measurement | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Days to maturity | 85-90 days | Consensus range across the cited sources, which include both independent references and commercial catalogs. |
| Fruit weight | 10-32 oz | Typical range for the cultivar, as a consensus across the cited sources. Not a measured mean from any single crop: fruit weight varies with season, spacing and where on the plant the fruit set. |
Against the rest of the tomato database
Where this variety sits among every tomato we hold a comparable figure for. Position is not merit: earlier is not better than later, and hotter is not better than milder. Only cultivar-level figures are compared, never trial results, and maturity is only ranked against figures counted the same way.
later than 97% of the 258 tomatoes we hold a figure for. None of these figures state whether they are counted from sowing or from transplant, so they are ranked against each other on the assumption that suppliers use one convention, which is not something any of them says.
heavier than 86% of the 72 tomatoes we hold a figure for.
Traits
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistance, typical of heirlooms and older open-pollinated varieties. See tomato diseases for the cultural playbook that fills the gap.
Related varieties
- heirloom
Aker's West Virginia
80-85 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Cuostralee
80-90 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Neves Azorean Red
80-90 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Red Brandywine
80-90 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Trophy
80-85 days · Indeterminate
- heirloom
Aunt Gertie's Gold
80-85 days · Indeterminate
Explore all tomato varieties · compare any two · when to plant it where you are
Sources & References
Evidence: 3 sources, 2 seed catalogs and 1 community collection. No independent reference documents this yet.
- Tomato Growers Supply catalog · Tomato Growers Supply Company, Seed Catalog
- Burpee catalog · W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Seed Catalog
- Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners · Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Community Collection