- Heirloom
- Beefsteak
- 85 (estimated) days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Pink
Brandywine
Brandywine Pink · Pink Brandywine · Sudduth's Brandywine
Heirloom beefsteak from USA, 1889. The heirloom benchmark: huge pink potato-leaf beefsteak with dense, sweet flesh. Ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Aug 30, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Beefsteak 12–20 oz (340–570 g) · Flattened globe (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Potato 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
-
- Pink
- Interior
-
- Pink
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Potato leaf
Brandywine 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
“The heirloom benchmark: huge pink potato-leaf beefsteak with dense, sweet 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
- High flavor
- Gift worthy
Origin
Brandywine appears in the Johnson & Stokes catalogue of 1889 and was carried through the twentieth century by seed savers, most notably Ben Quisenberry, who received the pink potato-leaf strain from Dorris Sudduth Hill's family. The name now covers several distinct strains that differ in colour and leaf type, so 'Brandywine' on a seed packet needs the strain named to be meaningful. Whether the strain Quisenberry preserved is the same tomato that Johnson & Stokes sold is an open question: Burpee's catalogue gives 1886, the Johnson & Stokes advertisement 1889, and Hill's family account points to around 1900. The frequently repeated Amish origin appears only from 1987 onward and is not documented.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked daily- True Leaf MarketSeeds
250 Mg Packet
Check availability
$2.99Checked Nov 1, 2026 - Baker Creek Heirloom SeedsSeeds
Packet size not listed
In stock
$3.00Checked Nov 1, 2026 - Tomato Growers Supply CompanySeeds
Pack (30 seeds)
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$3.35Checked Nov 1, 2026 - Eden BrothersSeeds
Packet
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$5.99Checked Nov 1, 2026
Links may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Nov 1, 2026.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Brandywine plant?
A Brandywine 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 Brandywine take to mature?
Brandywine is ready in about 85 days from transplant.
Does Brandywine need staking?
Brandywine 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 Brandywine be grown in a container?
Brandywine is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Brandywine resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for Brandywine.
