🍅
Tomato
Brandywine
NightshadesTransplant
☀️
Sun
full sun
💧
Water
Every 3 days
🌱
Germination
8 days
🕐
Days to harvest
90 days
📏
Planting depth
0.25 inches deep
↔️
Row spacing
36 inches
When to Plant
Start indoors 8–9 wks before last frost
Growing Guide
Soil: rich, well-drained · pH 6.0–6.8
Same as Beefsteak. Brandywine is an heirloom indeterminate variety that needs very rich soil and generous space. Plan for 5–6 feet between plants.
- Brandywine has potato-leaf foliage — don't mistake it for disease
- Needs a long season — start 8 weeks before last frost
- Requires stout support (minimum 6-foot stake or heavy cage) as plants can reach 8+ feet
- Do NOT over-fertilize with nitrogen late in season — focuses on leaves instead of fruit
- Fruit is notoriously late — be patient; peak flavor is worth the wait
Care
💧 Water every 3 days
🌿 Fertilize every 14 days
📐 Spacing: 24 inches apart · 36 inches between rows
Harvest & Storage
Ready in 90 days with a harvest window of 14 days.
- Fully ripe Brandywine is deeply colored (pinkish-red) and heavy for its size
- Check every 2 days once the color change begins — ripe fruit can crack in wet weather
- Best eaten the day it's harvested; flavor and texture are incomparable when truly ripe
Storage
Brandywine has very poor storage life compared to modern varieties — this is the price of extraordinary flavor. Use within 1–2 days of picking. Never refrigerate.
Companion Planting
Grows well with:
basil
Keep away from:
fennel
Essential Tools
- Extra-sturdy 7-foot stake or heavy-gauge cage
- Regular soft ties (weekly tying needed as plant grows)
- Pruning shears
Pests & Diseases
- Late blight (Phytophthora infestans): grey-brown water-soaked lesions spreading rapidly in cool, wet weather — use copper-based preventative spray; remove infected material immediately
- Blossom end rot: dark sunken spot at blossom end — calcium deficiency caused by irregular watering; mulch deeply and water consistently
- Tomato hornworm: large green caterpillar stripping leaves — hand-pick; parasitic wasps provide natural control
- Early blight (Alternaria): brown bullseye spots on lower leaves — remove affected leaves promptly, rotate beds
- Note: Brandywine and other heirloom varieties have significantly less disease resistance than modern hybrids — good rotation, airflow, and preventative copper sprays are especially important