Things To Know About Beefsteak Tomato Plant

Beefsteak tomato plant is a type of tomato that is large with thick flesh whose reputation is popular among home gardeners. This type of tomato is juicy, and you can get several large pieces per fruit which is ideal for many dishes. My favorite part about beefsteak tomatoes is that they taste amazing with every bite. Not to mention that they grow easily and quickly, they are definitely the type of tomato that you should grow.

What Are Beefsteak Tomato Plant?

Beefsteak tomatoes are the biggest tomatoes, often weighing at least 1 pound or more per fruit. They have a smooth shape, and their colorations range from orange to pink and vibrant red. Beefsteak tomatoes have meaty flesh and numerous seeds, and many of their types are great for indoor gardening. The appearance and size of beefsteak tomatoes make them ideal for burgers and sandwiches. Depending on the variety, they can be sweet to the taste which is quite unique from other tomatoes out there. The interesting thing about beefsteak tomatoes is that they are available year-round with a peak season in the summer months. This type of tomato grows quickly while caring is relatively easy, and it takes about 85 days to harvest.

Beefsteak Tomato Plant Care

• Add fertilizer every 3 weeks with 1 pound per square foot for the tomatoes.
• Just like other tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes also require warmth to grow well. You can use a black plastic mulch to radiate heat and warm the soil for your tomatoes.
• Give your beefsteaks full direct sunlight at least 8 hours a day so that they can grow healthily and well.
• Make sure to keep an eye on diseases and pests because all beefsteak tomato varieties are prone to them.
• Provide your beefsteak tomatoes with enough fertilizer, light, and water, and make sure that the soil is nutrient-rich and well-drained.
• Remove weed from the bed and mulch between rows to conserve moisture and minimize weeds.
• Rotate the tomatoes to a new spot each year because many tomato diseases can remain in the soil. This is to protect them and to give them a fresh start to avoid soil-borne diseases. It also gives you the chance to fortify the soil with garden plants that naturally feed the soil like beans and peas.
• Tomatoes are warm-weather crops so make sure to protect them from even a light frost. When the temperatures start to go down, you need to cover them with a frost blanket to maintain heat.
• Water your beefsteak tomato plants with 1 to 2 inches of water per week. Deep watering will encourage deep root systems which is just the thing that they need.

Plants To Avoid Growing Next To Beefsteak Tomato Plant

You should avoid planting your beefsteaks near arugula, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cress, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, radish, rutabaga, and turnip. At the same time, make sure to keep your tomatoes away from corn, fennel herb, and potatoes. The plants that you can grow your beefsteaks near are asparagus, carrots, chives, garlic, onions, nettle, and roses. Sometimes tomatoes can help to deter parasites or other harmful conditions to these plants which is great.

Beefsteak Tomato Plant FAQs:

FAQ1: What are tomatoes used for?

Besides burgers and sandwiches, beefsteak tomatoes are ideal for a number of other dishes. You can dice them and cook them as a quick pasta sauce, use them in a stacked salad, or soup. Because of their juiciness and mild taste, beefsteak tomatoes are also great for canning and sauce-making. They are also great for snacks if you are a vegetarian or a vegan who enjoys fresh veggies. Simply slice them and sprinkle some sea salt for taste, and that’s a quick and delicious snack for you.

FAQ2: What are the benefits of beefsteak tomatoes?

Beefsteak tomatoes are rich in nutrients, and they are very beneficial to our health. Beefsteak tomatoes also provide many good things that our bodies need on top of being delicious. Could be one tomato a day keeps the doctor away, so let’s see their benefits below.

• Beefsteaks help to minimize bad cholesterol and triglycerides which lessening the chances of heart diseases. Thanks to the fatty acids and flavonoids in them, daily consumption can fight hypertension and promote good heart health.
• High vitamin A that beefsteak tomatoes provide helps to improve eyesight and minimize the risk of cataract progression.
• The presence of the antioxidant lycopene that beefsteaks have can help to boost our immunity. They are rich in vitamin C that is beneficial for the immune system to keep us healthy and strong.
• Tomatoes have low calories, and beefsteaks are one of the best fruits that help with weight loss. They are rich in nutrients while having low-calorie content which makes them an ideal choice for diet. Because there are many ways to cook or prepare them beefsteak tomatoes will never be boring to eat.

FAQ3: What are the common diseases & pests of beefsteak tomatoes?

Some common diseases that beefsteaks are prone to are blossom end rot and fungal diseases like early and late blight. These are the results from humid and soggy or too wet soil due to too much moisture or water. To prevent this, you should water your tomatoes early in the day so that the sun can dry them naturally. As for the pests, there are so many such as aphids, flea beetles, rodents, tomato hornworms, and other insects. I wouldn’t recommend pesticides, and handpick them is one of the first things to do when you notice them on time. Make sure to daily check for beetles, eggs, and larvae so that you can deal with them right away.

FAQ4: What is the best soil for growing beefsteak tomatoes?

As I mentioned above, tomatoes prefer fertile, warm, and well-drained soil that is high in organic matter. You can use fertile clays and loams to produce the highest yields or lighter soils for early harvests. Tomatoes can also tolerate slightly acidic soils, and they are most productive with pH between 6.0 to 6.8. Remember that tomatoes cannot tolerate saturated roots or wet soils, so avoid overwatering and protect them from heavy rains. Moreover, the richer and deeper the soil also means the better the root development. I recommend giving them high-quality composts so that they can grow well.

FAQ4: Determinate vs Indeterminate

So what are these determinate or indeterminate labels that you see on a packet of tomato seeds or tomato plants? These two terms refer to the growth habit of the tomato plants, essentially mean either bush or vining. Let’s dig deeper into the details of these two terms below.

Determinate Tomatoes

This type of tomato is varieties that grow to a fixed mature size and ripen all their fruit in a short period. Once this first batch has ripened, the plant will begin to diminish and will set little to no new fruit. Determinate tomatoes also go by the name of bush tomatoes because to do not extend in length throughout the growing season. At the same time, they are also small with a height of 4 to 5 feet tall only. If you grow this type, pruning and removing suckers are not necessary since they will stop growing on their own. The thing to remember is that you still cage or stake to support them because they are large and plump. Determinate tomatoes are what to go for when you want a lot of tomatoes at once for canning, juice, or sauces.

Indeterminate Tomatoes

As for the indeterminate tomatoes, they are vining plants that continue to extend in length throughout the growing season. The interesting part is that their varieties also continue to set and ripen fruit until the frost kills them. Indeterminate tomatoes give you a slow yet steady supply of tomatoes instead of one large harvest. Another difference from determinate tomatoes is that they start ripening a little later in the season. That is because they spend a good amount of time growing tall before giving fruit. This is the type of tomatoes whose suckers you need to prune and remove to prevent unmanageable growth. However, make sure to not pinch out a sucker that is directly below a blossom. This can lead to uneven growth in the plant which will reduce your harvest.

To grow beefsteak tomatoes, you will need a heavy cage or steaks to support them because they are large. You can start to grow this type of tomatoes indoors around 6 weeks before the anticipated transplanting date. The great thing about beefsteak tomatoes is that they are easy to care for and grow, and they grow quickly. Now you can start growing your own beefsteak tomatoes indoors by following some of the tips below:

• Sow the seeds ½ inch deep in a well-drained and soilless starting mix to achieve the best results. Because seeds require warm soil between 65 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit to grow, warmer soil will promote faster germination.
• Beefsteaks are large, and that also means they need a lot of nutrients to grow. You have to choose the right fertilizer to encourage good yields and strong growth. The best food for tomatoes should contain balanced macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. So make sure to look for those in fertilizer that you pick for your beefsteaks.
• To reduce the risk of root disease, avoid planting them on soils that you have recently grown certain plants. Those include eggplant, peppers, potatoes, and tomatoes, for at least two years.
• You can prune and stake the plants to allow them to grow up to 6 feet in their favorable growing seasons. There should be enough space for them to grow, so make sure not to plant your beefsteaks too close to each other. That is because it can result in shadows or shades that affect their growth in some parts.
• Once the last frost has passed and temperatures do not drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, you can consider transplanting. You should not rush this process because cold air and soil can stress the plants. Wait until the sun warms the soil enough so that your beefsteaks can flourish healthily. Pick the ones that are short and sturdy with dark green color, and avoid the leggy or tall ones. When they are too mature, which you can tell by the color, they often stall which is not good.
• When harvesting, make sure to pick all of your ripe beefsteak tomatoes. If you grow them right, happy plants produce quickly so you might miss a few. When those few rot on the ground or vine, they introduce fruit flies and molds. Once the vines stop producing in the fall, pull them to keep your garden clean and fruitful for next year.
• As for storage, you should keep beefsteaks away from direct sunlight and at room temperatures. Because they are sensitive to coldness, the fridge is not the ideal place to store them. Putting them in the fridge also slows down the ripening process that can degrade the flavor of the tomatoes. If you want to accelerate their ripening process, you can put them in a paper bag with a banana or apple. And you should put them in the fridge if you want to extend the life or keep them longer.

For details on how to grow beefsteak tomatoes, you can check out the guides from Gary below.

Final Thoughts

Growing tomatoes sounds like a lot of work, but they are actually pretty easy once you get a hold of them. I personally like beefsteak tomatoes because of their firmness, size, and taste that are second to none. Plus with the fact that they are great to grow indoors, there is no reason not to have them in the garden. If you find beefsteaks interesting, it is time to give them a try. You will definitely love the final results that they deliver.