Guido? Mrs. Bot's Italian Giant?

[Dee]

I am driving myself a tad nuts trying to decide on a red beefsteak variety for my garden. I usually focus on growing hearts, as I rarely have issues with warping, cat-facing, or other weirdness with hearts. I don't have a lot of experience growing beefsteaks.

Has anyone grown Guido or Mrs. Bot's Italian Giant? Those are my main choices right now. If so, I'd love your honest feedback. (Jewish is also on the "Indeterminate red" shortlist, but I've grown in before, so am familiar with it.)

If there is another red beefsteak you love (productive and flavourful), feel free to make recommendations! I'm in zone 3, so varieties that are 80dtm or less are ideal. I might take a chance on one that pushed 85dtm if it was worth my while. Our summers used to be short and cool, though in recent years, it has swung to the opposite extreme, with heat waves and drought.

[Mark_Thompson]

@Cornelius_Gotchberg You grew some pretty impressive Guido last year right, or am I mistaken?

[MissS]

@Cornelius_Gotchberg You grew some pretty impressive Guido last year right, or am I mistaken?

He sure did. He sent me seeds, so if anyone would like some, just PM me and a SASE.

Gudio on the right

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[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

@Cornelius_Gotchberg You grew some pretty impressive Guido last year right, or am I mistaken?

What the divine @MissS said, and I took the liberty of adding the appropriate adjective MONSTER to its description; there are plenty more if anyone's interested.

FWIW, it was planted in the same row with four (4) Big Zac plants, resulting in a MASSIVE haul!

Coincidence? You be the judge...

The Gotch

[Tormato]

Need it be a red?

In my garden, great tasting pink varieties easily outnumber red ones, by about a 100:1 ratio. That said, Neves Azorean Red, Shuntukski Velican and Bacon Lettuce and This are the top tasters for red beefsteaks, here. I don't know their DTMs, but reds are usually a bit later than pinks, for me.

Mat-Su Express is a fairly early red. Because of its earliness, first fruits can have catfacing. It's not very large to begin with, and later in the season fruits get much smaller. But, earliness and great flavor, in a red, is a rare combination, from what I've seen. That's why I throw this one out there.

For a short season, great tasting beefsteak, I'm always going to recommend Pervaya Lyubov (but, it's a pink).

[Dee]

What a fantastic harvest, @Cornelius_Gotchberg! (Thanks for posting those pictures, too, @MissS)

@Tormato No, it doesn't absolutely have to be a red one. I am just driving myself bonkers, trying to grow as much variety as I can. I have 2 or 3 indeterminate pinks and 1 pink dwarf on my short list right now. They do tend to be earlier than many of the indeterminate reds and I prefer the flavour as well. The reds I grow usually end up either dehydrated or in sauces.

Pervaya Lyubov is a new one to me - thank you for the recommendation, I will keep an eye out for that one! Have you ever heard of/grown Whittemore? It looks like a lovely big, pink tomato and I've read positive things about it.

[Tormato]

Because of its spelling (two tees), I thought that I may have been vaguely familiar with Whittemore. There is an older thread at T'viile about tomatoes NOT to grow. Craig L. has it on his list.

However, being a pink beefsteak, I would consider growing it, just like ALL pink beefsteaks that cross my path. And, when at least 2 people say that a variety is their favorite tomato, which I've seen in reviews of Whittemore, I reserve a spot in the garden for such a tomato.

That's my benchmark for first selections to get a spot in the garden, at least 2 people saying that it is their all-time best tasting tomato. That benchmark has worked very well for me, over the years. It's been the single best indicator of what a great tasting tomato just might be, prior to trialing it.

[Cornelius_Gotchberg]

That's my benchmark for first selections to get a spot in the garden, at least 2 people saying that it is their all-time best tasting tomato. .

Funniest thing happened on my quest to find reviewS of the elusive Bacon Lettuce and This Red Beefsteak Tomato variety...https://www.google.com/search?q=bacon%2 ... nt=gws-wiz

A place has been reserved, notwithstanding...

The Gotch