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Brandywine
Tomato (Beefsteak) in the UK
This is a classic, big pink heirloom, famous for its proper exceptional flavour. If you're after a tomato that tastes like tomatoes used to, this is the one for you.
Sow window for Tomato (Beefsteak) generally.
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How to grow it
Beefsteaks are a bit hard, like I say, because they need a long, warm season here in the UK. You'll want to sow indoors, definitely, from March through to April. Get your seeds into small pots or trays, about 1 cm deep, in some good seed compost. They need warmth to get going, ideally 20-25°C, so a heated propagator or a warm spot with a grow light is just the ticket. Don't rush 'em, give them a good start.
Once your seedlings have their first proper leaves, carefully prick them out into individual 9cm pots. Keep them warm and in a sunny spot. Come late May, once all danger of frost is well and truly past – which for us up north is mid to late May, mind – start hardening them off. Plant them out into your greenhouse, or a very sheltered sunny spot on the plot, giving each plant about 60cm clearance. These get big, so good support from the off is crucial.
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Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.