VegetableTomato
Red Ponderosa Beefsteak Tomato
Red Ponderosa Beefsteak Tomato is a classic open-pollinated heirloom that produces magnificent fruits weighing 10 to 32 ounces with deep red color and slight ribbing. This indeterminate variety reaches maturity in 90 to 99 days and thrives in zones 3 through 10, making it accessible to gardeners across most of North America. Known also as Scarlet Beefsteak, Crimson Cushion, and Red Beefsteak, it delivers the meaty, juicy character that defines a true slicing tomato, combining reliable yields with the robust disease resistance that serious gardeners depend on.
Photo © True Leaf Market
Growing Conditions
USDA Zone
3-10
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Soil
Well-drained, Fertile Loam With Organic Matter
Growth Stats
96 in
Height
TypeIndeterminate
Spacing
18
Plant Profile
Sunlight
Full Sun
Water
Moderate
Zones
3-10
Size
96in H x ?in W
Growth
—
Care
High
Hover over chart points for details
Highlights
These are genuinely big, substantial tomatoes that earn the beefsteak name through their dense, meaty flesh and impressive size. The slightly ribbed surface catches light beautifully, and the bright red color deepens as fruits mature. Because it's open-pollinated and heirloom, you can save seeds year after year, connecting you to a gardening tradition that spans generations. Its resistance to seven significant diseases, including Fusarium Wilt, Verticillium Wilt, Late Blight, and Tobacco Mosaic Virus, means you're growing a variety that was bred to survive real-world challenges, not just laboratory conditions.
Common Uses
Red Ponderosa Beefsteak is first and foremost a slicing tomato, prized for fresh eating straight from the garden or layered into sandwiches where its substantial size and meaty texture shine. The dense flesh and low seed content make it excellent for canning whole or as sauce. Its size and appearance also make it a natural choice for exhibition at farmers markets and county fairs.
Growing Timeline
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Care Instructions
Start Indoors
Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep in moist seed-starting mix and maintain soil temperature around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Provide bright light as soon as seedlings emerge, and keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Transplant Outdoors
Harden off seedlings over 7 to 10 days by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions. Transplant outdoors after all frost danger has passed and soil temperature has reached at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit, ideally 65 to 70 degrees. Space transplants 18 inches apart in rows 36 inches apart. Bury the stem deep; roots will develop along the buried portion, creating a stronger plant.
Harvesting
Red Ponderosa tomatoes are ready to harvest when they reach full red color and yield slightly to gentle pressure. Mature fruits typically weigh 10 to 32 ounces and may show slight russetting or ribbing on the surface. Harvest by grasping the fruit and twisting gently, or use pruning shears to cleanly remove the stem. Pick fruits in the early morning when they're cool for best flavor. Tomatoes will continue to ripen after picking if placed on a warm, sunny windowsill.
Pruning
As an indeterminate variety, Red Ponderosa will continue growing and branching throughout the season. Prune lower leaves once the plant is established and flowering begins, removing leaves below the first fruit cluster to improve air circulation and reduce disease pressure. Remove suckers (shoots that emerge between the main stem and branches) on indeterminate varieties to direct energy into fruit production rather than excess foliage. Stop pruning 4 to 6 weeks before your first expected fall frost to allow the plant to harden off before cold weather.
Growing Calendar
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Companion Planting
Pests & Diseases
Ecology & Traits
Edible
Scientific Classification
Solanum lycopersicum
Family
Solanaceae
Genus
Solanum
Growth Habit
Indeterminate
Native Status
L48 (I)AK (I)HI (I)PR (I)VI (I)CAN (W)
History & Origin
“Red Ponderosa Beefsteak is an heirloom variety with roots in American gardening tradition. Its alternate names, Scarlet Beefsteak and Crimson Cushion, reflect how different seed companies and regional growers adapted and preserved this cultivar over decades. As an open-pollinated variety, it has been maintained through seed saving by home gardeners and heirloom seed companies, allowing the genetics to remain stable and true-to-type. This variety represents the gardening heritage of the pre-hybrid era, when home seed saving was not a specialty practice but standard practice.”