Take care
Foliage and unripe fruit are mildly toxic to pets and humans due to solanine; ripe fruit is edible.
Beefsteak Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
Start beefsteak tomato indoors 4 weeks before your last spring frost, then plant out 2 weeks after your last spring frost. Space plants 36 in (91 cm) apart.
Photo: Rob Bertholf, CC BY 3.0 · source
When to plant
Timed from your frost dates, so it holds wherever you garden. Give yours and every step below becomes a date.
Optimal Indoor Start
From seedRecommended- Start indoors4 weeks before your last spring frost
- Begin hardening off1 week after your last spring frost
- Plant out2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 70 days after planting out
Optimal Transplant
From seed- Plant out2 weeks after your last spring frost
- First harvestabout 70 days after planting out
Growing beefsteak tomato
- Spacing in the row
- 36 in (91 cm)
- Between rows
- 48 in (122 cm)
- Planting depth
- 0.25 inches
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Soil
- Well-draining, loamy (pH 6.0-6.8)
- Germination
- 5-10 days at 75-85°F
- Harvest season
- Summer to Early Fall
- Mature height
- 48-72 inches
- Support
- Staking, Caging, Trellis
- Life cycle
- Annual
Sow indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Use heat mat and grow lights for optimal germination.
Watering. Consistent, deep watering. Avoid overhead watering to prevent disease. Maintain even soil moisture.
Feeding
- Seedlings
- Start with dilute balanced liquid fertilizer (e.g., 5-1-1) after true leaves appear.
- Growing
- Switch to a balanced fertilizer (e.g., 5-10-5) or organic compost once established outdoors.
- Flowering and fruiting
- Apply a high-potassium fertilizer (e.g., 5-10-10) when fruits begin to set.
- How often
- Every 2-4 weeks during active growth and fruiting.
- Note
- Monitor plant health and adjust feeding. Avoid excessive nitrogen after flowering.
Your beefsteak tomato, planned to the day.
Canopy turns these timings into dates from your own frost data, places every plant at its spacing on your garden map, and tracks it all the way to harvest.