Schematic diagram, not a photo. A reference illustration is in progress.

No. 017 · hybrid

Big Beef

Big Beef is an indeterminate hybrid beefsteak with red fruit. It ripens in about 73 days.

Typebeefsteak
Habitindeterminate
Days to maturity73
Fruit size8 to 16 oz
Colorred
Difficultyeasy

Flavor

Described in catalogs as full flavored and among the best, meaty not mealy, with a balanced combination of size, taste and earliness. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Origin

Bred by Colen Wyatt at Seminis Vegetable Seeds and named a 1994 All-America Selections winner.

What it does well

  • 1994 All-America Selections winner
  • Broad disease resistance including Verticillium, Fusarium races 1 and 2, nematodes and tobacco mosaic virus
  • Large fruit with reliable, early yields

Where it frustrates

  • Tall indeterminate vines can reach 6 to 7 feet and need sturdy support
  • As an F1 hybrid, seed cannot be saved true to type
  • Big fruit benefits from steady watering to avoid cracking

Like Big Beef, but...

Sold out, or after a change? The closest alternatives, and how they differ.

Celebritybut Celebrity is a more compact, semi-determinate disease-resistant hybridBrandywinebut Brandywine is a large heirloom with richer flavor and less disease resistance

Where to buy seed

Related reading

Sources