The Big Beef tomato is suitable for lovers of American cuisine - a large-fruited variety of Dutch selection, multi-chambered with dense, juicy pulp, looks great sliced and on sandwiches. Despite the fact that it appeared in Russia relatively recently, summer residents grow it and other varieties of this species in greenhouses and open ground.
All about beef tomatoes
Agrofirm "Gavrish" is the main supplier of beef category tomato seeds. Not all gardeners know what beef tomatoes are and what their beauty is.
This type of tomato has a peculiarity in the structure of the fruit - multi-chamberedness: ordinary tomatoes have 2 chambers, and beef tomatoes - 4. Large fruit is a distinctive feature of beef tomatoes. Usually their fruits reach large sizes and can weigh more than 1 kg.
Advantages and disadvantages
Let's start with the shortcomings, the main two:
- do not tolerate transportation well;
- stay for a short time, no more than 2 weeks, more often - 1.
The advantages of beef are impressive:
- large fruit;
- productivity;
- a large selection of varieties of different ripening periods, growth, colors;
- stable immunity to many infections and pests (fusarium, verticillium, cladiosporosis, mosaic, bronze, root-knot nematodes);
- good taste;
- widely used in cooking;
- high content of nutrients in the pulp.
Interesting varieties
An example of large fruit is the Porter tomato. Determinate variety with bright, beautiful fruits of huge size. Weight 1.8 kg is the norm for this beef. Grown by seedlings. Sow seedlings from March to mid-April. The fruits ripen early - after 80 days you can taste the first tomatoes.
Beef Brandy is an excellent decoration for dishes. Its fruits have an original ribbed shape and are painted a beautiful pink color. The pulp contains few seeds, is aromatic and very sweet. Grown in a greenhouse. The main characteristic of this variety is productivity.
Correct agricultural technology allows you to get 25 kg of tomatoes per square meter. When planting, you need to follow the 70*45 cm pattern. The plant is tall (1.8 m) - this means that a garter is needed. It is recommended to form a bush with 1 stem. Stepchildren are removed throughout the season.
Fans of pink-fruited tomatoes should pay attention to the F1 Master hybrid. The fruits are pink, smooth, round.The average weight of the fruit exceeds 200 g. The plant has extended fruiting. The ovary is formed evenly throughout the season, so the fruits ripen from mid-summer to autumn.
Big beef f1 - the most large-fruited and famous tomat from the category of beefsteak varieties. This is a mid-early (100 days), indeterminate (1.8-2 m) hybrid. It produces very large fruits, their average weight exceeds 300 g.
The pulp has a good aroma and taste, which harmoniously combines sweetness and acidity. The first generation hybrid can be grown both in open ground and in greenhouses made of polycarbonate or film. The giant from Holland pleases gardeners with a harvest: per 1 sq. m grow up to 10 kg of fruit.
What gardeners say
There are reviews about the varieties of this group, but not many, because beef began to gain popularity among gardeners quite recently. The geography of use of beefsteak tomatoes is expanding every year.
Tatiana, Nikolaev:
“Master is my favorite beef. Such a delicious miracle, I grow it in open ground without any problems. During the season I carry out only two root feedings. The fruit has an excellent, sweet taste, the flesh is tender and juicy. The shape of tomatoes is weird, but I even like it. For me, the main thing is taste, and the Master variety has excellent taste.”
Svetlana, Belgorod:
“I would like to share my impressions of growing Big Beef F1. I bought the seeds from the company Poisk. Of the 10 pieces that were in the pack, all of them sprouted. Seeds were sown without treatment. The description of the variety says that they are treated with a fungicide. It also says that they need potassium. I put banana peels in the holes. I grew it like all tall tomatoes. From 5 to 8 fruits were formed in the cluster. As for the taste, I can say that it very much depends on the soil - its quality means a lot.Tomatoes on sandy soil are less sweet than on black soil.”
Features of cultivation
Beef tomato requires good agricultural technology, like all large-fruited varieties.
Care rules to follow:
- Strict planting scheme - 2 plants per 1 sq. m.
- Feed throughout the season.
- Form the plant into 1 stem, pinch out the shoots every week.
- Adjust the number of ovaries in the brush (3-5 pcs.).
Beef tomato grows best in soils:
- lungs;
- fertile;
- pH level = 6-7.
The size and taste of the fruit largely depend on the structure of the soil and its fertility. Feeding is no less important - it needs to be done every month. During the flowering and fruiting period, focus on potash fertilizers. Potassium in additional nutrition should be 2 times more than nitrogen - its excess is undesirable, tomatoes begin to fatten.
Ash is an excellent supplier of potassium. A handful of ash in the hole when planting, and your tomato is provided with the necessary mineral element for the entire season.
Watering is no less important than fertilizers. In the greenhouse, water every 3 days, in open ground depending on the weather. Water generously. After each watering, ventilate the greenhouse. To retain moisture, the soil can be mulched. A good mulch is dry lawn grass.
Application
The fruits are usually used to prepare summer salads and various sandwiches. Due to their large size, they are convenient to stuff with cheese, cottage cheese, and meat. The juicy pulp serves as an excellent raw material for making sauces and ketchups. Large tomatoes can be cut and canned. Suitable for making winter salads and tomato paste.
Conclusion
For any gardener, beefsteak tomatoes will be a hit of the summer: large fruits will decorate the table both on holidays and on weekdays, and their photos will appear on a page on social networks.
