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This year, we are including disease resistance codes for those varieties known to have resistance. These codes refer to the ability of the crop variety to withstand or weather microorganisms (viruses, fungi, bacteria, nematodes, etc.) that would otherwise harm or kill the plant. Please understand that resistance is not the same as immunity, and the level of resistance is variable. For more detailed information, read the article 'Decoding Tomato Disease Resistance Codes'
Disease Resistance Codes we are Tracking in Contra Costa County:
| A | Alternaria stem canker |
| F | Fusarium |
| V | Verticillium |
| LB | Late Blight |
| EB | Early Blight |
| TMV | Tobacco Mosaic Virus |
| N | Nematodes |
| ToMV | Tomato Mosaic Virus |
| TSWV | Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus |
Beefsteak Tomatoes
Note: Assume all varieties will be available at all three sale locations unless otherwise noted.
Alice's Dream
Beefsteak / Yellow-red-black / To 14 ounces / 80 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
Known for its sweet, complex flavour and wonderful citrus aroma, this Polish variety is an accidental cross between Blue Gold and an unknown Indigo tomato. Very productive even in low temperatures, they also have good disease resistance. High in anthocyanins (the same healthy pigments that make other fruits and veggies purple/blue/black), these orange-black fruits with red veins are meaty and juicy. Like all anthocyanin tomatoes, the more direct, unobscured light received, the darker the shoulder splashes will be.
Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only. * Photo courtesy of Baker Creek HeirloomSeeds/rareseeds.com
Ananas Noire
Beefsteak / Multicolor / 16-24 ounces / 80 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
Customers love this classic Belgian tomato. This yellow beefsteak with red blush can be 1 to 1½ pounds! Great, sweet, lip-smacking taste with a hint of acidity. (“Black Pineapple with a distinctive, streaked interior of pink, red, green and yellow. Large and sprawling plant whose fruits have a complex, sweet and rich taste. Makes a great tomato sauce.")
Available in Walnut Creek Only. * Photo courtesy of Baker Creek HeirloomSeeds/rareseeds.com
Aunt Ruby’s German Green
Beefsteak / Green-yellow / 16 ounces / 78 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
This one from “Aunt Ruby” of Greeneville, Tennessee, makes 1 pound lime to yellow-green fruit with a superb fruity, slightly tangy taste. A favorite in Master Gardener tastings! It's a big producer and quite disease-resistant. (“This green beefsteak was the star in my garden this year. It has a deliciously sweet flavor with a complex undertone. Tomatoes have light green skins at maturity with just a hint of yellow. Flesh is green, blushed with pink. A bit difficult to harvest at the perfect moment, this tomato does not keep well off the plant. But, it’s worth the trouble for its truly amazing flavor and beautiful coloring!”)
Available in Walnut Creek Only. * Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange
Big Beef V,F,N,A,TMV
Beefsteak / Red / 10-16 ounces / 73 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate
An unbeatable combination—big, tasty and early! Throughout the entire season, this highly disease-resistant hybrid produces colossal, bright red fruits with a rich tomatoey flavor. It is adaptable to a wide variety of growing conditions, even cool, foggy West County. (“This tomato had so much fruit, more than I have seen on other varieties. I grew it at home and we also grew it at Our Garden where it got so many comments as to how full it was with fruit. I could always count on Big Beef for a yummy tomato. I will now grow this variety every year!”).
* Photo courtesy of Johnny's Selected Seeds, johnnyseeds.com
Big Rainbow
Beefsteak / Yellow-red / To 24 ounces / 90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
Spectacular fruit up to 2 pounds, delicious and sweet tasting. Quite striking when sliced, as the yellow fruit has neon-red streaking through the firm, meaty, low-acid flesh. Good disease resistance. (“A show stopper! This tomato is so lovely sliced, you won’t even want to eat it! Beautiful fruit with small seed cavities, a favorite in my garden every year.”)
Available in Walnut Creek Only. * Photo courtesy of Baker Creek HeirloomSeeds/rareseeds.com
Black Sea Man
Beefsteak / Deep red-brown / 8-12 ounces / 75 days / Open Pollinated / Determinate
A hardy Russian heirloom that produces early and does well in containers. With attractive marbled flesh and a rich flavor, this potato-leafed variety is hard to beat! (“The mahogany brown medium sized fruit has a delicious sweet-tart, complex tomato flavor. It has a combination of red, pink, green, and mahogany flesh, yielding the most unusual & beautiful tomato when sliced. A smallish plant, but a very good producer.”)
Small Space/Container Friendly
Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only. * Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange
Box Car Willie
Beefsteak / Orange-red / 10-16 ounces / 80 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
Yields abundant crops of 10 to16 ounce bright orange-red tomatoes with a rich, sweet flavor and enough acid to lend a little tanginess. Highly versatile; good choice for canning, sauce, or salads. With good resistance to disease and cracking, its long season makes it a mainstay of your tomato crop. (“A great, old-fashioned beefsteak with that old-timey taste.”)
Available in Walnut Creek Only.
Brandywine Pink—Sudduth’s Strain
Beefsteak / Pink / 16 ounces / 90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
An Amish heirloom treasure, still considered the world’s greatest tasting tomato! Flattened pink fruits grow to 7 inches in diameter and up to one pound on large vines. (“Excellent flavor and very productive!”)
Available in Walnut Creek Only. * Photo courtesy of Seed Savers Exchange
Brandywine Red
Beefsteak / Red / 16-24 ounces / 75 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
One of the most popular and best-tasting heirloom tomatoes. Vigorous plants produce large-lobed beefsteaks that are perfect for slicing. Luscious, old-timey red tomato flavor. Long season. (“This plant does not stop! What a beauty, so BLT-delicious and we don't even eat bacon. It’s in all my sandwiches—tomato/egg, tomato/cucumber, tomato/bean spread. The look, the smell, the taste—it just keeps saying that this is the one!”)
Available in Walnut Creek and Antioch only.
Buffalo Steak V,F,N,ToMV
Beefsteak / Deep Red / 8-9 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate
Buffalo Steak produces lovely fruits that are meaty and have a tangy tomato taste. A highly disease-resistant hybrid with a prolonged harvest which is perfect for home gardens. Tomatoes all summer long!
Available in Walnut Creek Only.
Carbon
Beefsteak / Deep red-green / 10-14 ounces / 90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
These deep red-purple tomatoes with dark-olive shoulders are worth waiting for because their complex, rich taste has won many taste awards. Plants yield prolific amounts of crack-resistant, 10 to14 ounce dark fruits perfect for sandwiches and salads.
Available in Walnut Creek Only.
Carmello V,F,ToMV
Beefsteak / Red / 10-12 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate
This one has a deservedly great reputation both in America and Europe due to its wonderful flavor, perfect sugar/acid balance, and crack-resistant skin. Bright red juicy tomatoes are 10 to 12 ounces with a beautiful round shape. Expect very high yields on disease-resistant plants.
Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only. * Photo courtesy of Territorial Seed Company
Caspian Pink
Beefsteak / Pink / 16+ ounces / 80 days /Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
From southern Russia’s warm Caspian Sea region, this is the first tomato to beat Brandywine in California taste tests! Often called the “Queen of the Pinks,” with an incredibly sweet and juicy fruit that can reach one pound or larger. Great either fresh or cooked. Will do well in cooler areas. (“A beefsteak that grows in West County! Was one of the best tomatoes in my garden.”)
Available in Walnut Creek Only.
Celebrity Plus V,F,N,A,TMV,TSWV
Beefsteak / Red / 7-9 ounces / 78 days / Hybrid / Determinate
This vigorous determinate has everything you love about the original Celebrity, now with enhanced disease resistance. The fruits average 7 to 9 ounces, with more uniform shoulder ripening and better crack tolerance.
Small Space/Container Friendly.
* Photo courtesy of Johnny's Selected Seeds
Chef's Choice Black V,F,TMV
Beefsteak / Deep Red-Brown / 8-10 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate
If you have come to love the Chef’s Choice tomato series, try the Black, a beefsteak with dark green, brown, and black hues. The flesh is juicy and sweet. This All-America Selections (AAS) award winner has a good disease resistance package and good crack tolerance. It can produce 30 or more 8 to 10 ounce fruit on each plant, under good growing conditions. ("Master Gardeners who tested this one raved about it. Our most talked about tomato last season!").
Chef’s Choice Pink F,N,A,TMV
Beefsteak / Pink / 12-14 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate
A hybrid that is easier to grow than some heirlooms, but just as flavorful. This disease-resistant, rugose-leaved hybrid produces beautiful deep pink, meaty, large fruits with a great old-fashioned tomato taste and it's early ripening to boot!
Available in Walnut Creek Only.
Cherokee Purple
Beefsteak / Deep Pink / 12 ounces / 75-90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
An Ark of Taste variety. Pre-1890 variety, reputed to be an old Cherokee Indian heirloom. Uniquely colored dusty rose-brown fruit with delicious, old-time flavor. (“The taste was outstanding. It wants a sunny spot. Very pretty-looking fruit, dark pink with green shoulders.”)
Available in Walnut Creek Only.
First Prize V,F,N,TMV
Beefsteak / Red / 10-12 ounces / 75 days / Hybrid / Indeterminate
These vigorous plants produce loads of delicious 10 to 12 ounce fruit, even when conditions are not ideal. A trial winner for its high yields, good disease resistance, mid-early maturity, and great flavor. First fruit mature early and low on the plant, which continues to bear tomatoes over a long season.
Available in Walnut Creek and Antioch only.
Hawaiian Pineapple
Beefsteak / Yellow-Red / 16-24 ounces / 95 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
The name itself explains how wonderful this tomato is: large, yellow & red, 1-pound fruit with excellent flavor—sweet and fruity, somewhat pineapple-like in taste. (“Beautiful, large golden yellow tomatoes. Its internal coloring is also a bright golden yellow with red highlights—very eye-catching on its own or as an addition to mixed salads. This size makes for perfect sandwich slices. Fabulous flavor is accentuated when allowed to fully ripen—sweet, juicy, with hints of citrus. If that's not enough, it’s also a prolific producer!”)
Available in Walnut Creek Only.
Italian Red Pear
Beefsteak / Red / 8-18 ounce / 70-75 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
This old Northern Italian variety is an outstanding producer of huge (as in 8 to 18 ounce) very tasty fruit. Great for salads and sandwiches, it's really meaty and contains few seeds. Pear shaped with vertical ribs - a must try. Early for such a large plant, this is not the small pear shaped tomato called red pear sold by U.S. seed companies.
Available in Walnut Creek Only.
Jolene V,F
Beefsteak / Red / 8-10 ounces / 73 Days / Hybrid / Determinate
NEW FOR 2026! With excellent disease resistance, Jolene is more than just a beautiful tomato. This variety will set fruit in heat when other tomatoes will not. Offering large 8 to 10 ounce fruit, with excellent flavor and a beautiful deep red color - what's not to love?
Small Space/Container Friendly
Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only * Photo courtesy of Johnny's Selected Seeds
Mortgage Lifter
Beefsteak / Red / 16-32 ounces / 80-90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
As its name indicates, a prolific family heirloom from 1940s Kentucky where, using the proceeds from its sale, “Radiator Charlie” Byles paid off his $6,000 home mortgage (those were the days!!) in just six years. Produces 1 to 2 pound big, red, very flavorful beefsteak tomatoes. Plants are very productive, disease-resistant and long-bearing. (“Just all around perfect tomatoes, no problems, good yield, medium-to-large fruits with that wonderful, old-fashioned tomato taste.”).
Paul Robeson
Beefsteak / Deep Red / 7-10 ounces / 90 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
Produces 7-10 ounce, blackish brick-red fruits whose sweet and smoky flavor is unparalleled. A Russian heirloom that was named to honor the American opera singer and racial equality/social justice advocate, Paul Robeson (1898-1976), who was idolized in Russia. (“We love this variety in East County!”).
Persimmon
Beefsteak / Orange / 12-32 ounces / 79 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
Vigorous and prolific heirloom produces 12 ounce to 2 pound persimmon-colored beefsteak tomatoes. Right at home in short-season gardens. Very meaty and with few seeds, this popular variety is also low in acid. (“Beautiful and large with rose/orange skin and flesh. Real eye candy in a tomato salad. Sweet, rich tomato taste—another taste test winner. Persimmon is said to have been grown in Thomas Jefferson's garden.)
Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only. * Photo courtesy of Territorial Seed Co.
Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye
Beefsteak / Deep Pink multi / 8-12 ounces / 65-75 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
8 to 12 ounce fruits are dark wine color with metallic green striping, and the flesh is pink with yellow streaks. One of the best of the Boar Series by Brad Gates. The flavor is outstanding - sweet and complex like the finest heirlooms. They have an engaging tanginess, almost as if lightly salted. Compact plant.
Vorlon
Beefsteak / Deep Red-black / 16 ounces / 80 days / Open Pollinated / Indeterminate
A cross between Cherokee Purple and Pruden’s Purple created this stunning "purple-black" beefsteak with a rich, smoky-earthy taste that Baker Creek called its “best tasting tomato” the last few years. Up to 1 pound fruits appear mid-season. (“Even in Richmond, Vorlon produced the most delicious tomatoes in my garden.”)
Available in Walnut Creek and Richmond only.
Download Shopping Lists (PDF files that can be printed)
- Our Garden (Walnut Creek) (coming soon)
- East County (Antioch) (coming soon)
- West County (Richmond) (coming soon)