Blue Beech
Single source · Reviewed Sep 9, 2026
Values marked like this (estimated) are model estimates, not confirmed from a source.
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.
- Heirloom
- 85 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Large fruit
- Difficult (estimated)
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Paste 6–10 oz (170–280 g) · Elongated (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- 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
- 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
- Sow indoors
- Transplant out
- Harvest
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost date.
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 bigger than most paste varieties, with the same dry, dense flesh, so it reduces to sauce in fewer fruit.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
We're adding trusted seed sources for this variety.
All photos
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Blue Beech tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover -
A truss of Blue Beech tomatoes -
Blue Beech tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine -
A ripe Blue Beech tomato held in a gardener's hand -
Freshly picked Blue Beech tomatoes -
Blue Beech tomato sliced in the kitchen
Questions
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.
See also
Other paste varieties people put next to this one.
Grows like this one
Indeterminate, mid-late, full sun. Same support, same calendar.
