Share your pictures? Hide split images
I have read and agree the terms and conditions of service.

Tomato Brandywine - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Solanum lycopersicum Brandywine
Tomato

5,0/5
5 reviews
0 reviews
0 reviews
0 reviews
0 reviews

VERY GOOD

Gerard A., 01/09/2018

Leave a review → View all reviews →

Shipping country:

Schedule delivery date,

and select date in basket

This plant carries a 6 months recovery warranty

More information

Value-for-money
Beefsteak is a type of tomato variety that produces large fruits weighing between 150 and 200 g, usually pinkish-red in colour, with slight ribbing at the top and occasionally irregular shapes. In terms of taste, it is considered one of the best tomatoes. Sow your seeds in March or April to harvest from July to September.
Ease of cultivation
Beginner
Height at maturity
2 m
Spread at maturity
50 cm
Soil moisture
Moist soil
Germination time (days)
14 days
Sowing method
Sowing under cover, Sowing under cover with heat
Sowing period March to April
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Harvest time July to September
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Description

The Brandywine Tomato is the typical variety of "Beefsteak". It produces large fruits, weighing from 150 to 200 g, often slightly ribbed and sometimes misshapen. However, its flavor ranks among the best tomatoes. Its dense and juicy flesh offers a highly aromatic taste with a slightly vinous aftertaste that appeals to enthusiasts. Its texture makes it suitable for juices and purees, cold soups like gazpacho with a hint of garlic, or grilled with herbs. Brandywine has a very smooth, slightly cut foliage resembling potato leaves. It is quite productive but does not tolerate humidity well. This indeterminate variety needs to be staked early as it can grow rapidly to a height of 1.20 to 2 m (4 to 7ft). Start sowing in March or April to harvest from July to September.

The tomato is native to South America and Central America. Several varieties were already cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. The variety of tomatoes available is still astonishing. The term "tomato" comes from the Inca word Tomatl, which refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are tomatoes of all colours (red, of course, but also green, yellow, and even some very rare blue varieties), in all shapes and sizes. Ancient varieties are indeterminate plants and can live for two years. More recent varieties have determinate growth and stop growing once they reach a bush-like shape, so they do not require staking or trellising.

The tomato, like many other foods, was brought to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. It took much longer for tomatoes to become popular in our cuisine. For a long time, they were cultivated for their aesthetic and medicinal qualities. They were mistakenly believed to be toxic because of their resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another member of the Solanaceae family. Tomatoes only became a regular part of our diet in the early 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It becomes lignified over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers grouped in cymes, which will turn into fruits.

It must be admitted that the tomato fruit is very attractive and adds a pleasant colour to the vegetable garden. It also has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it contains a very interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. And the longer the tomato is cooked, the more lycopene becomes available. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

Today, its culinary and nutritional qualities are well established. For gardeners, tomatoes are an essential vegetable of the summer. They only need to consider how they want to use them to guide their choice among the many existing varieties. Will they be used for salads, sauces, consumed fresh, or cooked. They will also need to decide when to harvest them. The answer will, of course, depend on the average summer sunshine in the region where their garden is located. Rest assured, there are tomatoes for every situation! And while tomatoes do require a lot of sun and heat, they do not necessarily need a lot of space. Therefore, there is no reason not to grow them in containers on a balcony, where smaller fruit varieties are preferred. Be careful, though, as immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Harvesting: depending on the variety, it can take 50 to 100 days from transplanting to harvest. There is no foolproof way to determine when a tomato is fully ripe. It should be picked when it has fully developed the colour it was announced to have and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its stem.

Storage: tomatoes do not keep as long when they have a high water content. They can be kept for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator or spread out in the open air. To keep them longer, consider culinary methods such as tomato confit, sun-dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, preserves, jams, or juices. Tomato confit is particularly simple and delicious: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place the tomato halves face up on a baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least an hour. Remove the tomatoes and consume immediately or store them in a glass jar, covered with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: it is recommended to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of complete crop loss due to climatic conditions or specific diseases. To prevent the occurrence of "blossom-end rot" - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants. When transplanting, do not hesitate to bury the stem up to the first leaves. This will stimulate the root system, ensuring a bountiful fruit harvest. Successful garden associations often translate to successful culinary combinations. It's a good mnemonic to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.

Harvest

Harvest time July to September
Type of vegetable Fruit vegetable
Vegetable colour red
Size of vegetable Giant
Interest Flavour, Nutritional value, Productive
Flavour Sugary
Use Table, Cooking

Plant habit

Height at maturity 2 m
Spread at maturity 50 cm
Growth rate fast

Foliage

Foliage persistence Deciduous
Foliage colour dark green
Aromatic? Fragrant foliage when creased

Botanical data

Genus

Solanum

Species

lycopersicum

Cultivar

Brandywine

Family

Solanaceae

Other common names

Tomato

Origin

Cultivar or hybrid

Annual / Perennial

Annual

Product reference337111

Other Tomato seeds

14
3,95 € Seeds
39
From 5,50 € Seeds
26
From 2,90 € Seeds
12
3,95 € Seeds
6
7,90 € Seeds

Planting and care

Soil preparation: Tomato plants are extremely easy to grow. Sunlight and warmth are crucial for the success of this crop. However, they can tolerate any type of soil, although they prefer rich and well-draining soil. If the soil is too compact, you can add a bit of sand to improve its texture.

Sowing under cover: From mid-February to May, sow your seeds indoors or in heated greenhouses in trays at around 20°C (68°F). Bury the seeds under 5 to 7 mm (0in) of special seed compost as they need darkness to germinate. Avoid using compost at this stage, as it may burn the future roots. Tomato plants grow very quickly, with seeds typically germinating within two weeks. Don't discard a tray if the seeds haven't sprouted within this time period, as some varieties take longer. Once the plants have reached a height of about fifteen centimetres, consider transplanting them.

Transplanting in open ground: Once the risk of frost has passed, usually after the "Ice Saints" in mid-May, transplant your seedlings into the open ground. Choose the sunniest and warmest spots in your garden. Positioning them at the base of a south-facing wall is ideal. Loosen the soil and dig a hole that is at least 3 to 4 times the volume of the plant's root system. Add some well-decomposed compost at the bottom. Place your plant in the hole, burying it up to the first set of leaves, and then fill in the hole. Firm the soil, create a basin around the base, and water generously. Be careful not to wet the leaves to protect your plants from fungal diseases.

Maintenance: Applying a mulch around the base of your plants helps retain moisture and reduces the need for weeding. Tomato plants do not require a lot of watering, as their root system can access deep water sources. Only water them generously during prolonged periods of drought.

17
14,50 € Each
6
19,50 €

Seedlings

Sowing period March to April
Sowing method Sowing under cover, Sowing under cover with heat
Germination time (days) 14 days

Care

Soil moisture Tolerant
Disease resistance Good
Pruning instructions Some gardeners are not in favor of pruning tomato plants. Others advocate for removing leaves in direct contact with the soil to prevent fungal diseases. They suggest removing the suckers, which are all the new shoots in the axils of the leaves as they appear, in order to concentrate the sap on the main branches and fruit clusters. The goal is to obtain fewer but larger fruits. Others also remove leaves around the fruits to give them permanent access to sunlight. We find that systematically practicing one or the other of these methods is not necessarily suitable for the multitude of situations encountered in gardens. Depending on the exposure, the variety planted, the region, the soil etc, all these methods have their reasons for being. Above all, we recommend a fair balance that only you are able to experiment with the constraints that are yours.
Pruning Pruning recommended once a year

Intended location

Type of use Container, Vegetable garden, Greenhouse
Hardiness Hardy down to 1°C (USDA zone 10b) Show map
Ease of cultivation Beginner
Soil draining and rich in organic matter
Exposure Sun
Soil pH Any
Soil type Silty-loamy (rich and light), 130
5/5
No reviews
No reviews
No reviews
No reviews

Vegetable seeds

10
4,50 € Ribbon seeds
23
From 2,50 € Seeds
6
From 1,60 € Seeds
20
From 8,50 € Seeds
23
From 2,10 € Seeds

Available in 2 sizes

11
From 3,90 € Seeds
2
From 2,50 € Seeds

Haven't found what you were looking for?

We only deliver seed and bulb products to your country. If you add other products to your basket, they cannot be shipped.