- Heirloom
- Paste
- 85 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Red
Blue Beech
Heirloom paste from Italy. Oversized Italian-type paste heirloom: same dry flesh, fewer fruit per pan of sauce. 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
- Paste 6–10 oz (170–280 g) · Elongated (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
- Difficult (estimated) 5/5
- Skin
-
- Red
- Interior
-
- Red
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Blue Beech 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
“Oversized Italian-type paste heirloom: same dry flesh, fewer fruit per pan of sauce.”
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
- Sauce & paste
- Canning
- Drying
- Roasting
- Sauce workhorse
- Heirloom classic
- Rare collector
Origin
According to Fedco Seeds' catalog, this variety was brought to Vermont from Italy during World War II; Fedco received seed from Annette Smith of Blue Beech Farm in Danby, Vermont, and named the variety in her farm's honor. The catalog notes it has been acclimated to Vermont's cold climate for about 50 years and is better adapted to cold than Roma. The fruit is elongated, with the dry, dense flesh of a paste type.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
We're adding trusted seed sources for this variety.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Blue Beech plant?
A Blue Beech 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 Blue Beech take to mature?
Blue Beech is ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Does Blue Beech need staking?
Blue Beech 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 Blue Beech be grown in a container?
Blue Beech is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Blue Beech resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Blue Beech.
