The Brandywine tomato is a highly prized heirloom variety known for its exceptional flavor and massive fruit size. These beefsteak-style tomatoes often weigh over a pound, delivering a rich, slightly spicy taste. Understanding the plant’s natural growth pattern is paramount for a successful harvest, as it dictates the necessary support, pruning, and overall cultivation approach.
The Growth Habit of Brandywine Tomatoes
The Brandywine tomato is an indeterminate variety, defined by its vigorous, vining nature. This means the plant will continue to grow, lengthen, and produce flowers and fruit simultaneously until the first killing frost of the season. The primary stem does not terminate in a flower cluster, allowing for continuous growth, often reaching impressive heights of six to ten feet under ideal conditions.
The most common types, such as the ‘Pink Brandywine’ and ‘Red Brandywine,’ share this indeterminate growth habit and are known for their distinctive, broad, potato-like leaves. While some seed companies may market a “Brandywine Bush,” this is a different, often shorter, determinate cultivar bred for smaller spaces. The true, traditional heirloom Brandywine is a long-season vine that requires substantial support and care.
Determinates Versus Indeterminates
The difference between determinate and indeterminate growth habits is fundamental to tomato cultivation. Determinate varieties, often called “bush” types, grow to a predetermined height, typically between three and four feet. The main stem of a determinate plant ends in a flower cluster, signaling the end of its vertical growth.
The fruit on a determinate vine ripens in a concentrated flush, often within a month or two, which is an advantage for harvesting large quantities for canning or sauce-making. Because of their compact, self-limiting size, these plants require minimal to moderate staking or caging. Determinate plants are an excellent choice for container gardening or for climates with short growing seasons.
In contrast, indeterminate varieties, like the Brandywine, are true vines that produce fruit clusters and vegetative growth along their entire length throughout the season. This means they offer a steady, continuous harvest of tomatoes from mid-summer until the weather turns cold. The continuous growth necessitates robust support systems to manage the heavy, sprawling foliage and the weight of the developing fruit.
Essential Care for Indeterminate Brandywine
The indeterminate nature of the Brandywine demands a more involved approach to support and pruning than a typical bush tomato. Given the potential for the vine to reach eight feet or more, a standard conical tomato cage will not provide adequate stability for this heavy, vigorous plant. Instead, gardeners should plan for a robust support structure, such as heavy-gauge steel cages, wooden stakes at least six feet tall, or vertical trellising systems like cattle panels.
The support system must be installed at the time of planting to avoid damaging the root system later when the vine is large and heavy. The potato-leaf foliage is dense, which means air circulation can be a problem, increasing the risk of fungal diseases like blight. To mitigate this, lower leaves that touch the soil should be removed, and the plant should be spaced 24 to 36 inches apart from its neighbors.
Pruning is necessary for managing continuous growth and directing the plant’s energy into fruit production. This involves removing “suckers”—new shoots that emerge in the crotch between the main stem and a leaf branch. Suckering allows the plant to focus resources on its main stems and developing fruit.
Because the Brandywine is a long-season tomato, requiring 80 to 100 days from transplant to harvest, it benefits greatly from an early start indoors. Seeds should be sown four to six weeks before the last expected frost date to give the plant a head start on the season. Consistent watering at the base of the plant is important, ensuring the plant receives about an inch of water per week, especially during fruit development.