Tomato 'Beefsteak'

When you buy a tomato called Beefsteak, take heed where you get it. At least some stores seem to have their own strain. To illustrate thi...Read Mores point, I grew out Beefsteak tomatoes from two different sources this year: Peaceful Valley, and American Seed. To further illustrate it, my experience with this tomato is totally different than the other reviewers'.

Peaceful Valley's Beefsteak was probably my most indeterminate tomato of all the varieties I grew (about 30). American Seed's might have even been determinate. It didn't get so big, but it was robust. Both plants produced medium-sized tomatoes (not big at all; probably about Early Girl size to a bit bigger). The fruits on both plants were perfectly round, and perfectly smooth (not ribbed). Peaceful Valley's was much earlier, and more productive. It was actually fairly productive, considering the conditions.

I don't recall the taste of American Seed's. Peaceful Valley's tasted pretty good, but the awesome thing was that it retained the taste after being cooked, and was great as a pizza topping because of this.

Neither Peaceful Valley's nor American Seed's Beefsteak were heat-tolerant (meaning, they didn't set fruit in arid to semi-arid 90+° F. weather).

So, I wouldn't say either Beefsteak variety that I have produces big tomatoes, nor that either does well in the heat. Pruden's Purple, German Pink, Green Giant and Golden King of Siberia were all quite large, though.

I encourage the other reviewers to tell us their seed sources, and what years the seeds were packed for. The Peaceful Valley's were packed for 2015, I believe. The American Seed ones were older (unfortunately, I don't have the year).

1st yr growing, plants had great yield, fruits were tasty and good for slicing. heat did not bother this one.

exellent yield ,even in HOT weather. Earlyer than all he other large tomatoes,HUGE vines an fruit had awsome flavor ......overal i would ...Read Morerate this variety EPIC!!

whoever said that the seed isn't good, is wronge its a hierloom tomato, not a hybred, and people have saved the seed for numbers of years...Read More to create such a tomato-- I loved the flavor, but I could only get to taste one, because are summer this year was a very wet one and the tomatos started rotting with late blite when they were still green :( , despite that the one i did have had a really really good flavor, which is why i gave it a neutral.