Tomato, Brandywine

Brandywine is the legendary heirloom beefsteak with huge pink fruits (often over a pound) and rich, complex, old-fashioned tomato flavor. These indeterminate vines need serious staking but reward you with the kind of tomatoes that remind people why homegrown tastes so much better than store-bought.

Tomato: Homegrown tomatoes are the undisputed crown jewel of the summer garden, completely redefining what this vegetable can taste like. Everything from cherry-sized sweets to beefsteak slicers. Choose determinate varieties for compact growth and simultaneous ripening for canning, or indeterminate types that climb 6-8 feet and produce continuously until frost. Check out heirloom varieties for complex, wild flavors and diverse colors—purple, striped, black, yellow—while hybrids tend to offer reliablemore production and disease resistance.

• Growing Tips: Transplant 1-2 weeks after the last frost when soil reaches 60°F, spacing 24-36 inches apart; bury the stem deeply to promote more root development; provide support trellises (cages or stakes).

• Sun Requirements: Full sun (8+ hours is required for best production).

• Preferred Soil: Rich, well-drained soil with consistent moisture and high phosphorus; these are heavy feeders requiring a regular fertilization program.

• Harvest Details: Pick when fruits are fully colored and slightly soft to the touch, typically 60-85 days after transplanting; flavor peaks when vine-ripened; harvest regularly to encourage continued production.