Tomato Seedlings, Big Beef
SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Solanum lycopersicum
VARIETY:
"Big Beef". Nice combination of size, taste, and earliness. 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. High resistance to Alternaria stem canker, Fusarium wilt races 1, 2, gray leaf spot, nematodes, tobacco mosaic virus, and Verticillium wilt. AAS winner. Indeterminate.
CULTURE:
Transplant into a medium-rich garden or field soil 12-24" apart for determinate varieties, 24-36" apart for indeterminate, unstaked varieties, and 14-20" for staking. Plant 3-8" inches deep, covering the root ball well and up to the cotyledons (first leaves). If using grafted plants, take care to ensure the graft union is not touching soil. Water seedlings with a high-phosphate fertilizer solution. For earliest crops, set plants out around the last frost date under floating row covers, which will protect from frost to about 28°F (-2°C). If possible, avoid setting out unprotected plants until night temperatures are over 45°F (7°C). Frost will cause severe damage. Abundant soil phosphorus is important for early high yields. Too much nitrogen causes rampant growth and soft fruits susceptible to rot.
