- Heirloom
- Beefsteak
- 80 days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Pink
German Johnson
Heirloom beefsteak from USA. A meaty, low-seed old-time heirloom beefsteak with excellent flavor. Ready in about 80 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 17, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Beefsteak 7–18 oz (200–500 g) · Flattened globe
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Days to harvest
- 80 days 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
- Moderate (estimated) 3/5
- Skin
-
- Pink
- Interior
-
- Pink
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
German Johnson 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
“A meaty, low-seed old-time heirloom beefsteak with excellent flavor.”
Growing calendar
80 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
- Heirloom classic
- High flavor
Origin
An old heirloom from Virginia and North Carolina, believed to be one of four parent lines behind Radiator Charlie's Mortgage Lifter. It has stayed in seed-saver circles for generations on the strength of its flavor: meaty, low-seed pink-red beefsteaks with very good to excellent flavor by growers' accounts. A separate strain called German Johnson Potato Leaf is sold under a near-identical name by some of the same retailers; this record describes the regular-leaf strain that seed catalogues list simply as 'German Johnson.'
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyAll photos
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German Johnson tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover -
A truss of German Johnson tomatoes -
German Johnson tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine -
A ripe German Johnson tomato held in a gardener's hand -
Freshly picked German Johnson tomatoes -
German Johnson tomato sliced in the kitchen
Questions
How do you grow a German Johnson plant?
A German Johnson 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 German Johnson take to mature?
German Johnson is ready in about 80 days from transplant.
Does German Johnson need staking?
German Johnson 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 German Johnson be grown in a container?
German Johnson is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is German Johnson resistant to disease?
No disease resistance is documented for German Johnson.
