The name of the Big Rainbow tomato says it all. The beefsteak tomato has an unusual coloring of up to three colors. How to grow and properly care for the Big Rainbow tomato variety yourself, see our article
The 'Big Rainbow' tomato variety shows us a play of red, yellow and orange tones in summer. We present the pretty beefsteak tomato in the profile.
Big Rainbow: Profile
| Fruit | Beefsteak tomato; yellow with orange and red stripes |
| Flavour | fruity, sweet, little acid |
| Maturity | medium late |
| Growth | Stick tomato, up to 180 cm |
| Location | Greenhouse, sheltered field, pot |
Origin and history of the tomato
'Big Rainbow' is an old tomato variety that was donated to the collection of the Seed Savers Exchange Minnesota by Dorothy Beiswenger in 1983. A few years later, around 1990, the beefsteak tomato came onto the market as a variety and has been cultivated and propagated ever since. Its color and size are reminiscent of the 'Hillbilly' tomato variety.
Description and taste of the Big Rainbow tomato variety
The 'Big Rainbow' variety forms large, slightly ribbed and flat-topped fruits. With its fruits weighing up to 500 grams, it belongs to the beefsteak tomatoes. The plants measure a height of up to 180 centimeters and are quite hairy. The 'Big Rainbow' tomatoes can reach a diameter of up to 10 centimeters and impress in summer with their yellow color and the red and orange stripes and marbling. The fruits ripen mid-late from August, and the tomato plants then bear fruit reliably and plentifully until the end of October. The taste of the 'Big Rainbow' is sweet and fruity with little acid, which makes it well tolerated by people with sensitive stomachs. The variety is seed-fast and can therefore easily be propagated from its seeds.
Planting and caring for Big Rainbows: This is important to note
The Big Rainbow tomato is suitable for cultivation outdoors, in containers and of course in a greenhouse. The young plants are planted out for tomato cultivation in the greenhouse and polytunnel from the beginning of May and planted in tubs and outdoors from mid-May after the ice saints. Choose the largest possible pot or a sheltered spot in the bed for the 'Big Rainbow'. We recommend filling the planter with a substrate specially adapted to tomatoes. Our Plantura organic tomato soil already contains essential nutrients that stimulate young plants to grow. Incidentally, the high compost content also promotes a crumbly structure and the soil organisms on difficult garden soils. This can improve the soil over the long term and increase the he alth and yield of the vegetable plants. After planting, the Big Rainbow tomato should be watered extensively and supported and tied with a stake.
The beefsteak tomato should only be grown with one or two shoots. The tomatoes must be pinched out so that fewer and stronger shoots develop that can carry the heavy weight of the fruit. All surplus side shoots are regularly removed and can be fermented into a plant-strengthening tomato manure. The procedure is the same as for nettle manure, the ratio of dilution when pouring should be 1:20. The first fertilization of the nightshade plants takes place from June. As soon as the first fruits start to grow, the tomato plant needs larger amounts of nutrients. With an organic liquid fertilizer, such as our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable fertilizer, you can simply fertilize it once a week with the irrigation water. The nutrients are flushed directly to the roots and can be quickly absorbed by the plant.
Harvesting and Using Big Rainbow Tomatoes
The juicy fruits of the 'Big Rainbow' are ideal for salads, but are also enjoyed sliced on bread and burgers. As a productive beefsteak tomato, this tomato variety is also easy to process and brings its mild, sweet and fruity flavor to sauces or soups.
Seed-proof tomato varieties only have to be bought once, because the tomato seeds can be harvested, dried and stored with little effort. In our special article, we reveal how to proceed so that you can easily multiply your favorite varieties yourself and give them away to friends.