Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Big Beef in USDA Zone 7
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Big Beef · Zones 3–11
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | March – April | May – June | — | July – September |
| Zone 4 | March – April | May – June | — | July – September |
| Zone 5 | March – April | May – June | — | July – October |
| Zone 6 | February – March | April – May | — | June – October |
| Zone 7 | February – March | April – May | — | June – October |
| Zone 8 | January – February | March – May | — | June – November |
| Zone 9 | December – February | February – April | — | May – November |
| Zone 10 | November – February | January – April | — | April – December |
Complete Growing Guide
Start your Big Beef seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date for best results. While you can direct sow outdoors, indoor starting gives you better control and earlier harvests. Plant seeds ¼ inch deep in seed starting mix at 70-75°F. Germination typically occurs within 7-10 days.
Prepare your garden bed by working in 3-4 inches of compost or well-aged manure. Big Beef demands rich soil with a pH between 6.0-6.8. Test your soil and add lime if needed, as acidic conditions can lead to blossom end rot in these large fruits. Choose your sunniest location - anything less than 6 hours of direct sun will reduce fruit size and flavor.
Transplant outdoors only when soil temperature consistently reaches 65°F. In zones 4-6, this typically means mid to late May. Space plants 24-30 inches apart to accommodate their vigorous growth. At transplanting, bury the stem up to the first true leaves to encourage strong root development.
Install sturdy tomato cages or stakes immediately - Big Beef plants can reach 6-8 feet tall and the large fruits require substantial support. Use cages at least 6 feet tall or stake with 8-foot posts. Tie branches every 12 inches as they grow, being gentle with the stems.
Feed regularly but avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen, which promotes leafy growth at the expense of fruit. Apply a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) at planting, then switch to a lower nitrogen formula (5-10-10) once flowering begins. Side-dress with compost every 3-4 weeks throughout the season.
Maintain consistent moisture with 1-2 inches of water weekly. Inconsistent watering is the primary cause of blossom end rot and cracking in large-fruited varieties like Big Beef. Mulch heavily around plants to retain moisture and regulate soil temperature.
Avoid the common mistake of pruning suckers too aggressively. Big Beef benefits from some sucker growth to support the heavy fruit load. Remove only the suckers below the first flower cluster and any that grow from the base of the plant.
Harvesting
Harvest Big Beef tomatoes when they develop deep red color but still feel slightly firm to the touch. Unlike smaller varieties, these large fruits should have some give when gently squeezed but shouldn't feel soft. The shoulders (area around the stem) should lose their green tinge completely - any green here indicates the fruit needs more time.
Perform the twist test: gently rotate the fruit while lifting. Ripe Big Beef tomatoes will separate easily from the vine with minimal pressure. If you need to pull hard, wait another day or two. Harvest in the morning after dew has dried but before the heat of the day for best flavor and longest storage life.
Cut the stem with clean scissors rather than pulling to avoid damaging the vine and encourage continued production. Leave about ¼ inch of stem attached. Handle carefully - at 10-16 ounces each, these fruits can bruise easily. Support the fruit with your palm while cutting to prevent dropping.
Storage & Preservation
Store fully ripe Big Beef tomatoes at room temperature for 3-5 days for peak flavor, as refrigeration diminishes their taste. If you must refrigerate, bring them back to room temperature before eating. Store stem-side down to prevent moisture loss.
For preservation, Big Beef's meaty texture and rich flavor make them excellent for canning as whole or diced tomatoes. Their low water content means less cooking time to achieve proper consistency for sauces. Freeze by coring and placing whole in freezer bags - the skins slip off easily after thawing.
Dehydrate thick slices at 135°F for 8-12 hours to create intensely flavored dried tomatoes. The large size makes them perfect for stuffing and freezing whole after blanching - stuff with rice, herbs, and vegetables, then wrap individually for convenient meals.
History & Origin
Big Beef was developed by Burpee Seeds in the 1990s as part of their mission to create hybrid tomatoes that matched the flavor of heirlooms while offering modern disease resistance and reliability. The breeding program aimed to address gardener complaints that hybrids sacrificed taste for performance.
Released in 1994, Big Beef won the prestigious All-America Selections award that same year - a rare achievement for a first-year release. The award recognized its exceptional combination of size, flavor, and garden performance across diverse growing conditions throughout North America.
The variety was created by crossing large-fruited heirloom types with disease-resistant modern varieties, though the exact parentage remains proprietary. Burpee's breeding team spent over a decade developing the line, testing thousands of crosses to achieve the perfect balance of old-world flavor and new-world reliability. Big Beef quickly became one of the most popular home garden tomatoes in North America and remains a standard by which other large hybrids are measured.
Advantages
- +Exceptional disease resistance to four major tomato diseases reduces crop loss
- +Consistently produces 10-16 oz fruits even in challenging weather conditions
- +Superior crack resistance compared to most large-fruited varieties
- +Maintains excellent flavor despite being a hybrid, rivaling heirloom taste
- +Vigorous growth habit provides high yields throughout the season
- +Fruits ripen evenly without green shoulders or hard cores
- +Excellent heat tolerance for a large-fruited variety
Considerations
- -Requires substantial staking or caging due to large plant size and heavy fruits
- -Prone to blossom end rot if watering is inconsistent
- -Cannot save seeds as it's a hybrid - must purchase new seeds annually
- -Later to mature than smaller-fruited varieties at 73-80 days
- -Heavy feeding requirements increase garden maintenance needs
Companion Plants
Plant Together
Basil
Repels aphids and whiteflies, may improve flavor
Marigolds
Repel nematodes and other harmful insects
Carrots
Help break up soil and don't compete for nutrients
Parsley
Attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies and parasitic wasps
Nasturtiums
Act as trap crop for aphids and cucumber beetles
Chives
Repel aphids and may reduce fungal diseases
Borage
Repels tomato hornworm and may improve tomato growth
Lettuce
Benefits from tomato shade and doesn't compete for nutrients
Keep Apart
Black Walnut
Produces juglone which is toxic to tomatoes
Fennel
Inhibits growth of most garden plants through allelopathy
Brassicas
Compete for nutrients and may stunt tomato growth
Corn
Both attract corn earworm and compete for similar nutrients
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Excellent resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt, tobacco mosaic virus, and alternaria stem canker
Common Pests
Tomato hornworm, aphids, whiteflies, spider mites
Diseases
Late blight, bacterial spot, septoria leaf spot