- Heirloom
- Beefsteak
- 85 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Bicolor
Big Rainbow
Heirloom beefsteak from USA, 1983. Large bicolour beefsteak: red streaking rising into yellow flesh. Ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Beefsteak 16–26 oz (450–740 g) · Flattened globe (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Days to harvest
- 85 days (estimated) from transplant · Mid-late
- Plant height
- 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) Tall
- Spacing
- 24 × 35 in (60 × 90 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Difficulty
- Challenging (estimated) 4/5
- Skin
-
- Bicolor
- Interior
-
- Yellow
- Red
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Big Rainbow is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Flavor
“Large bicolour beefsteak: red streaking rising into yellow flesh.”
Growing calendar
85 (estimated) days from transplant Mid-late
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
No documented disease resistances — protect this variety with good airflow and crop rotation.
Uses & tags
- Fresh & salads
- Slicing
- Juicing
- Heirloom classic
- Gift worthy
- Novelty color
Origin
Big Rainbow is a family heirloom from Polk County, Minnesota. Its seed reached Dorothy Beiswenger of Crookston in the early 1980s as an unnamed variety; she named it and listed it in the Seed Savers Exchange 1983 Yearbook, and it was first sold commercially in 1990. Growers report fruit of 18 to 26 oz, with red streaking that starts at the blossom end and works upward into yellow flesh, so a cross-cut slice shows a different pattern at every height in the fruit. Yields are moderate and the season is long, which is the usual trade for fruit this size.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyLinks may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Nov 1, 2026.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Big Rainbow plant?
A Big Rainbow plant grows 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) tall (estimated). Space plants 24 in (60 cm) apart in rows 35 in (90 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–14 days (estimated). It needs full sun.
How long does Big Rainbow take to mature?
Big Rainbow is ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Does Big Rainbow need staking?
Big Rainbow is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Can Big Rainbow be grown in a container?
Big Rainbow is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Big Rainbow resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Big Rainbow.
