Big Beef
Solanum lycopersicum
Still unsurpassed as the top choice for fresh market beefsteak tomatoes. Large, avg. 10-12 oz., mostly blemish-free, globe-shaped red fruit. They have full flavor - among the best - and ripen early for their size. Broad disease resistance package. AAS Winner. Indeterminate.
Harvest
70d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun
Zones
10–11
USDA hardiness
Height
1-10 feet
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Big Beef in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 tomato →Zone Map
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Big Beef · Zones 10–11
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | May – May | July – August | — | September – August |
| Zone 2 | April – May | June – July | — | September – September |
| Zone 11 | January – January | January – February | — | April – June |
| Zone 12 | January – January | January – February | — | April – June |
| Zone 13 | January – January | January – February | — | April – June |
| Zone 3 | April – April | June – July | — | August – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | June – June | — | August – October |
| Zone 5 | March – March | May – June | — | August – October |
| Zone 6 | March – March | May – June | — | July – September |
| Zone 7 | February – March | April – May | — | July – September |
| Zone 8 | February – February | April – May | — | June – August |
| Zone 9 | January – January | March – April | — | May – July |
| Zone 10 | January – January | February – March | — | May – July |
Complete Growing Guide
Still unsurpassed as the top choice for fresh market beefsteak tomatoes. Large, avg. 10-12 oz., mostly blemish-free, globe-shaped red fruit. They have full flavor - among the best - and ripen early for their size. Broad disease resistance package. AAS Winner. Indeterminate. According to Johnny's Selected Seeds, Big Beef is 70 days to maturity, annual, hybrid (f1), indeterminate growth habit. Disease resistance includes Alternaria Stem Canker, Fusarium Wilt, Verticillium Wilt, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, Nematodes, Gray Leaf Spot.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day). Soil: Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), Sand. Soil pH: Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.. Spread: 1 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 3 feet-6 feet. Growth rate: Rapid. Maintenance: High. Propagation: Seed. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Big Beef reaches harvest at 70 days from sowing per Johnny's Selected Seeds. Expect 10-12 oz. at peak. As an annual, harvest continues until frost ends the season.
The fruits are smooth, shiny, glossy, and are classified as berries. The size, shape, and color will vary depending on the variety or cultivar. The color of the fruits may be red, yellow, orange, green, purple, or pink. The fruits may contain over 100 yellow to light brown seeds.
Color: Gold/Yellow, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple/Lavender, Red/Burgundy, Variegated. Type: Berry. Length: > 3 inches. Width: > 3 inches.
Garden value: Edible, Showy
Harvest time: Fall, Summer
Edibility: The fruits or berries of the tomato are edible. They may be eaten raw, cooked, dried, or processed. They are a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folic acid, and antioxidants. Lycopene is an antioxidant that gives the tomato its rich red color. Many plants will drop fruit when ripe or the fruit will come off easily. Tomatoes will continue to ripen once picked. Store them at room temperature.
Storage & Preservation
Store freshly harvested Big Beef tomatoes at room temperature (68–72°F) away from direct sunlight until fully ripe, which preserves their exceptional flavor better than refrigeration. Once ripe, they'll keep for 3–5 days at room temperature, or up to two weeks refrigerated, though cold storage dulls their characteristic sweet-acid balance. For preservation, freezing works well for cooking applications—quarter them and freeze whole on a tray before bagging. Their large size makes them ideal candidates for canning as halves or sauce; their low acidity requires pressure canning for safety. Drying is also excellent; slice them thin for faster processing. Because Big Beef tomatoes are primarily slicing types with thinner skins than paste varieties, plan preservation around your harvest timing rather than expecting long fresh storage windows.
History & Origin
Big Beef is an F1 hybrid developed through controlled cross-pollination. Listed in the Johnny's Selected Seeds catalog.
Origin: Peru
Advantages
- +Large 10-12 oz beefsteak fruits with minimal blemishes for market appeal
- +Exceptional rich, full-bodied flavor with ideal sweet-acid balance
- +Early ripening for a large-fruited indeterminate variety at 70 days
- +Broad disease resistance package protects against multiple common tomato pathogens
- +AAS award-winner confirms proven performance across diverse growing regions
Considerations
- -Indeterminate growth requires significant staking, pruning, and season-long maintenance
- -Susceptible to late blight, particularly in humid or cool climates
- -Moderate difficulty rating means less forgiving for beginner gardeners
Companion Plants
Basil planted 12 to 18 inches away is worth doing, but not for mysterious pest-confusion reasons — the two crops want identical conditions (full sun, warm soil above 60°F, consistent moisture), so they don't compete, and you're already walking that row every few days to pinch suckers. Marigolds, specifically Tagetes patula rather than the big African types, earn their spot through root secretions that suppress root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) in the surrounding soil zone. That's a real, documented mechanism, not folk wisdom. Nasturtiums do pull aphid colonies onto themselves and away from Big Beef — not because aphids love nasturtiums more, but because the soft growth is easier to colonize. Park a few plants at the bed ends and check them every couple of days; when they're loaded with aphids, you can cut and trash the whole stem.
Keep fennel at least 10 feet away — it produces allelopathic compounds that stunt tomato root development, and the effect is consistent enough that most growers just give fennel its own isolated patch entirely. Brassicas are a spacing problem more than a chemistry problem: they compete aggressively for calcium and moisture at the root zone, and Big Beef already needs steady calcium availability to avoid blossom-end rot. Black walnut (Juglans nigra) produces juglone, which causes wilt and plant death in tomatoes — and the compound persists in soil for years after a tree is removed, so check the history of any new bed before you plant.
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
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #321360)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Alternaria Stem Canker (High); Fusarium Wilt races 1, 2 (High); Gray Leaf Spot (High); Nematodes (High); Tobacco Mosaic Virus (High); Verticillium Wilt (High)
Common Pests
Tomato hornworm, aphids, whiteflies, spider mites
Diseases
Late blight, bacterial spot, septoria leaf spot
Troubleshooting Big Beef
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Large areas of foliage turning gray-green and withering fast, with dark water-soaked spots on fruit — sometimes happening in a matter of days
Likely Causes
- Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) — a destructive oomycete that spreads aggressively in cool, wet conditions
- Overhead irrigation or prolonged leaf wetness accelerating spore spread
What to Do
- 1.Remove and bag affected plant material immediately — do not compost it
- 2.Switch to drip irrigation or water at the base only, keeping foliage dry
- 3.NC State Extension notes late blight is actively monitored via the PDIC (Plant Disease and Insect Clinic); check their alerts and apply a copper-based fungicide if the disease is confirmed nearby but hasn't fully taken hold
Small dark spots on leaves and fruit that enlarge and look greasy or water-soaked, with yellowing around the margins — starting on lower leaves first
Likely Causes
- Bacterial spot (Xanthomonas vesicatoria) — thrives in warm, wet weather and spreads through splashing water
- Septoria leaf spot (Septoria lycopersici) — a fungal disease that climbs from the bottom of the plant upward as the season progresses
What to Do
- 1.Pull the affected lower leaves off and trash them — not the compost pile
- 2.Lay 3–4 inches of straw mulch under the plants to cut down on rain and irrigation splash
- 3.NC State Extension IPM guidance puts the rotation window for serious tomato disease pressure at 5 to 7 years; at minimum, move nightshades out of this bed for 3 to 4 seasons
Entire branches stripped of leaves overnight, with dark green pellet-shaped frass left on the stems and ground below
Likely Causes
- Tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) — caterpillars reach 4 inches long and match the stem color closely enough that you'll walk past them twice
- Gaps in daily scouting; a single large hornworm can defoliate a branch in 24 to 48 hours
What to Do
- 1.Hand-pick in early morning when temperatures are still cool and drop them into soapy water — fastest fix on a planting of fewer than 20 plants
- 2.If you find hornworms covered in small white rice-grain cocoons, leave them: those are braconid wasp (Cotesia congregata) pupae, and the emerging wasps will go on to parasitize more hornworms in the same garden
- 3.Spray Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Bt) as a foliar treatment for high populations — it works on young instars but has little effect once caterpillars are full-sized, so timing matters
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does Big Beef tomato take to grow?▼
Can you grow Big Beef tomatoes in containers?▼
Is Big Beef tomato good for beginners?▼
What does Big Beef tomato taste like?▼
Big Beef vs Cherokee Purple tomato - what's the difference?▼
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Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
- BreederJohnny's Selected Seeds
- USDAUSDA FoodData Central
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.