🍅 Quick take: Rufus Carrigan Mexican Pink is an indeterminate, mid-to-late season heirloom beefsteak producing dense, low-seed fruit. Tested under poly in a short-season Zone 4 climate, it showed reliable production, setting 3-4 heavy slicers per truss with a classic, balanced tomato flavor. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zone 4 Greenhouse Experience)
Indeterminate vine, mid-season leaning towards late. Puts out large, meaty pink beefsteaks with very few seeds. Flavor ended up being your classic, old-school tomato taste. Heavy producer – consistently set 3 to 4 big fruit per truss. Grew mine under cover in the greenhouse. Seed source: T. Kouchnareva.
Quick Facts: Variety Summary
- 🌿 Growth Habit: Tall indeterminate vine requiring heavy trellising. Mid-to-late season cycle.
- 🍅 Fruit Profile: Thick-walled, dense pink beefsteaks with nearly seedless locules.
- 📈 Performance: Strong fruit set even under greenhouse cover, averaging 3-4 sizable slicers per cluster without skipping trusses.
- 👅 Taste: Old-fashioned, balanced flavor profile (tart-sweet balance rather than pure sugar).
👨🌾 Editor’s Note: Provenance & History
This heirloom traces back to Mooresville, North Carolina. Seeds were reportedly brought from Mexico in the mid-1950s by an acquaintance of Rufus Carrigan, who grew and preserved the family strain for decades. It gained wider appreciation among heirloom growers for its hefty, almost coreless flesh and exceptionally low seed count.
This heirloom traces back to Mooresville, North Carolina. Seeds were reportedly brought from Mexico in the mid-1950s by an acquaintance of Rufus Carrigan, who grew and preserved the family strain for decades. It gained wider appreciation among heirloom growers for its hefty, almost coreless flesh and exceptionally low seed count.
🍅 Have you grown this variety? Let us know your USDA zone and how it performed outdoors vs. under cover in the comments below!
