Heirlooms close to Big Beef?
 

What’s the closest heirloom tomato variety that’s similar to the big beef hybrid in production and taste?

IMO, no heirloom is as productive, disease tolerant, and widely adapted as Big Beef. There are a few that can produce heavy crops and are otherwise worth the effort. Lynnwood, Red Brandywine, Burgundy Traveler, and BBXEPB are a few that can crank out the tomatoes.

It's not red, Indian Stripe, regular leaf, out produces Big beef almost every year.

Not enough for a true trend, but the three year attempt at Big Beef from three different sources yielded small, round, red grocery store type tomatoes with fairly low production and less flavor. For me, Big Beef was a Big Bust. Too many good ones out there to try again.

I just want to find a heirloom red that will produce and save seeds for the next year. Maybe brandywine red.

In my limited experience, Creole is similar to Big Beef. Good mix of acid and tomato flavor. Production is decent, and performs as good as any tomato in the garden. Later in the season the shoulders tend to crack.

Krasnyi Velikan. Definitely gave Big Beef a run for the money on production the year I grew it. Since it's a Russian commercial it may have some disease tolerance but I don't know for sure.



Info from Andrey-



Krasnyi Velikan (~Red Giant (Rus.>Eng.) *midseason, indet. (1.5-1.7 m tall), vigorous regular leaf plant with a high yield of red, oblate 250-500 g fruits, good flavor. From Russian CV Sedek.

Thanks for all the info. I’ll keep on looking for suitable varieties that I can save seeds and continue to grow.

Are you after total production or the big slicers?

One favorite is the old Bonny Best/John Baer: cranks out a big supply of 5-8 oz globes. Old-fashioned flavor. Wisconsin 55 has been reinvigorated using original seed found in a freezer at the U of WI. 6-10oz red globes. Nepal 6-9oz globes. For beefsteaks I like Pruden's Purple (a little earlier than the Brandywines, but similar). A few times I grew one called "Wanda's Potato Top", but gave it up as a space hog: 7 foot cage required, but would drown you in tomatoes.



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[QUOTE=Patihum;770442]Krasnyi Velikan. Definitely gave Big Beef a run for the money on production the year I grew it. Since it's a Russian commercial it may have some disease tolerance but I don't know for sure.

Info from Andrey-

Krasnyi Velikan (~Red Giant (Rus.>Eng.) *midseason, indet. (1.5-1.7 m tall), vigorous regular leaf plant with a high yield of red, oblate 250-500 g fruits, good flavor. From Russian CV Sedek.[/QUOTE]

Krasnyi Velikan is CV. It is among many Russian commercial varieties with not so heirloom taste, but it is prolific indeed;)

Red Brandywine Landis Valley is a great tomato, though smaller and rounder than Big Beef. Equally productive, and maybe slightly bigger is Druzba. And similar, to that, but pink, is Eva Purple Ball (again, pink, not purple tomatoes).

Two plants of Neves Azorean Red is the way that I would go, although I find pinks are better than reds. Two will outproduce one, and NAR has much better flavor than BB, in my garden.

In Canada, I think you will struggle with many of the late season varieties being recommended.
I am also if the opinion that as far as red hybrids are concerned you may find better ones for Toronto than big beef.
I was very impressed with the performance, production fruit quality and flavour of Jolene for example last season in my Vancouver island garden.and there are a great many others. Benevento is one you may want to try as well
KarenO

For me it is one called Purple Potato Top, that I got from Tatiana's. Similar in every respect to Pruden's Purple (earliness, productivity, growth vigour) but compares in the density and richer taste of the Big Beef. It is more heart shaped, and not really purple.