Beefsteak tomatoes

General tips / questions on seeding & planting

Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter

Beryl
KG Regular
Posts: 1588
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:06 pm
Location: Gosport, Hants.
Contact:

I've not grown Beefsteak tomatoes before. Can you tell me if it correct to pinch out the first flower on each truss to avoid overcrowding.

Thanks
Beryl.
User avatar
dan3008
KG Regular
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 4:39 pm
Location: Sheffield, UK

Tomato, tomato (that makes so much more sense when out loud) some people sware by it, some say it doesn't matter
To adapt a bee keeping saying, ask 2 gardeners a question get 3 opinions
Once the game is over the king and the pawn go back in the same box. Anonymous

Exploring is like walking, where the walking decides where we're going. Bob the dinosaur from dinopaws
User avatar
Geoff
KG Regular
Posts: 5575
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 5:33 pm
Location: Forest of Bowland
Been thanked: 129 times

I don't - I'm usually thankful for anything I get off Beefsteaks as they don't usually set very many. What varieties are you growing? I grew Beefmaster and Cherokee Purple both for the first time last year and was well pleased with them both so have included them again.
Beryl
KG Regular
Posts: 1588
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:06 pm
Location: Gosport, Hants.
Contact:

I've no idea the variety it was one I was given and when I asked the name I got the same answer. One of our newbies seems to be trying anything and everything without labeling either and said he had heard the practice so I wondered if I would give it a go.

Bit hit and miss I think isn't it. But thanks for your replies.

Beryl.
PLUMPUDDING
KG Regular
Posts: 3269
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 10:14 pm
Location: Stocksbridge, S. Yorks

I've never removed any flowers from beefsteak tomatoes. The practice is probably to remove the first flower which seems to be more dominant and so produce a larger crop of slightly smaller fruits. Conversely, if you wanted one very large fruit for showing you would leave the first large flower and remove the rest. I haven't tried this so can't prove this.

Some good beefsteak varieties I've tried are Wladek, Double rich, and Cherokee green. Super Marmande is good too. I've been disappointed with the flavour of Brandy wine.
Last edited by PLUMPUDDING on Thu May 12, 2016 5:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Beryl
KG Regular
Posts: 1588
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:06 pm
Location: Gosport, Hants.
Contact:

Thank you Plumbpudding. I think maybe it could be a Marmande but so far I am not convinced by replies there is much to be gained by pinching out.

Beryl
PLUMPUDDING
KG Regular
Posts: 3269
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2008 10:14 pm
Location: Stocksbridge, S. Yorks

Predictive text turned Marmande into marmalade!!!
User avatar
Pa Snip
KG Regular
Posts: 3091
Joined: Sat Dec 06, 2014 8:20 pm
Location: Near the big house on the hill Berkshire

The effectiveness of removing flowers depends on what purpose you are growing the tomatoes for, and that is not as stupid a statement as it sounds !!

If growing solely for eating then pinching out a few flowers should give some extra strength and size to the remaining fruit, and to the plant itself

If growing for show purposes and hoping to produce tomatoes that slice into decent sandwich sizes then leaving just the strongest looking flower on each truss is a common method.

2014 we tried Faworyt and the best result was a 1lb tomato. Excellent flavour

Last year we tried the new Gigantomo, which I mentioned on a thread here at the time. Good flavour, think I could have done better with them so trying them again this year.

Ma Snip also trying Pink Brandywine this year for the first time

On the Gigantomo I will probably pinch out to the three strongest looking per plant as these will be grown for show purposes

The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.

At least travelling under the guise of the Pa Snip Enterprise gives me an excuse for appearing to be on another planet
User avatar
Pawty
KG Regular
Posts: 604
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 6:12 pm
Location: Hampshire

I'm rubbish at pinching out ... So I'm afraid I can't help.

We grow marmande - mixed results, if you can get them to ripen they have great taste. I don't have a greenhouse so have to grow them outside and I can't help think the beefsteak needs more heat than I can provide?

I wish I had a photo but with marmande I have found that the first fruit is always a bit of a mutant? Massive/multiple flower thing that then forms a really weird looking fruit. Don't know if anyone else has found this?
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic