Beefsteak tomato plants, also called slicers, are easy to grow with these simple tips for success.
Here are 5 All-America Selections winners that consistently produce outstanding fruit.
Select heirlooms for exceptional flavor.
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Grow heirloom beefsteaktomato plantsfor their superior flavor.
Beefsteak heirlooms have a very short harvest window in vegetable gardens.
Be sure to pick fruit as soon as it develops full color and before the flesh becomes soft.
Deep planting will create a sturdier plant.
Ideally the lowest set of leaves on the transplant are just above ground level.
Use stakes or cages.
Preventing beefsteak tomato plants from sprawling on the ground in your garden will produce more pest- and disease-free fruit.
Sink a sturdy, 8-foot stake in the ground alongside the plant at planting time.
Be sure the stake extends 2 feet into the soil to amply support these heavy plants.
Loosely tie the main stem to the stake.Support the tomato plantby adding ties weekly as it grows.
Heavy-duty wire tomato cages are effective too.
Cages, just like stakes, should be put in place at planting time.
Thread the stems and branches in and out of the cage over the course of the growing season.
Beefsteak tomatoes demand regular, deep wateringto develop their massive fruit.
Prune beefsteak tomato plants.
Excess foliage can limit the size of beefsteak fruits anddelay ripening.
The suckers do not bear fruit.
They are simply excess leafy growth.
Dont overfeed beefsteak tomatoes.
Too much nitrogen fertilizer causes tomatoes to produce plenty of foliage, but few fruit.
As the compost breaks down, it releases nutrients that are absorbed by the tomatos root system.
Harvest based on color and firmness.
Beefsteak varieties regularly produce fruit that weighs a pound or more at maturity.
The large fruit takes several weeks of moderate heat, moisture, and sunlight to ripen fully.
Give beefsteaks plenty of time to ripen on the vinebefore harvest.
You will likely pick ripe grape andcherry tomatoesa couple of weeks before you harvest your first beefsteak variety.
Beefsteaks are ready to harvest when they reach their mature color but still maintain some firmness.
Go with a big container.
Beefsteak tomatoes need large containers to grow well as potted plants.
Beefsteaktomatoes growing in containersneed regular, deep watering to thrive.
Plan to water daily in summer.
