🍅 Quick take: Sandburg is a rare American indeterminate beefsteak featuring heavy 10 oz (300 g)+ yellow-orange oblate fruits with distinctively ruffled, ribbed shoulders and a red marble core. Mid-season and vigorous, it thrives in high-heat environments where intense sun shifts the fruit color from golden-orange to deep, fiery red. Full summary ↓
Growers’ Notes and Photos (USDA Zones 4-11 Experience)
Sandburg
A fairly recent and relatively obscure variety out of the US. Tall, robust, mid-season indeterminate vine with great productivity. Regular leaf foliage. Mine topped out around 6 ft (1.8 m), trained to two leaders.
The fruits are large, flattened bicolors running yellow-orange with red marbling, weighing 10 oz (300 g) and bigger, showing prominently ribbed, ruffled shoulders. The flesh is juicy, golden-yellow with brilliant crimson streaks radiating from the center core. Gorgeous, rich, sweet, and delightfully fragrant.
In intense summer heat, the tomatoes take on much more red pigmentation. My earliest fruit were noticeably more orange, but towards the end of the season they ripened to nearly solid red. Super striking on the plate and very appetizing. Definitely growing this one again.
Edited December 26, 2018 by Drosera
A fairly recent and relatively obscure variety out of the US. Tall, robust, mid-season indeterminate vine with great productivity. Regular leaf foliage. Mine topped out around 6 ft (1.8 m), trained to two leaders.
The fruits are large, flattened bicolors running yellow-orange with red marbling, weighing 10 oz (300 g) and bigger, showing prominently ribbed, ruffled shoulders. The flesh is juicy, golden-yellow with brilliant crimson streaks radiating from the center core. Gorgeous, rich, sweet, and delightfully fragrant.
In intense summer heat, the tomatoes take on much more red pigmentation. My earliest fruit were noticeably more orange, but towards the end of the season they ripened to nearly solid red. Super striking on the plate and very appetizing. Definitely growing this one again.
Edited December 26, 2018 by Drosera
I have seeds for Sandburg GWR from Danko, bought as a tricolor. Seems like this line might not be fully stabilized yet. Anyone know if it’s gonna keep segregating and throw off-types? 🙁
Quick Facts: Variety Summary
- 🌿 Growth Habit: Tall indeterminate vine topping 6 ft (1.8 m). Regular leaf foliage with a sturdy frame that responds well to being pruned to two leaders.
- 🍅 Fruit Profile: Large, flattened oblate beefsteaks starting at 10.5 oz (300 g). Deeply corrugated, ribbed shoulders. Exterior coloration features golden-yellow and orange skin with a vivid red starburst radiating from the blossom end.
- 👅 Flavor & Texture: Juicy, rich, sweet, and aromatic. The interior flesh is thick and multi-locular with brilliant marble swirls.
- ☀️ Heat Response: Highly heat-responsive. In subtropical and high-UV summer conditions, lycopene production ramps up significantly, causing later fruit clusters to turn almost solid crimson-red.
- 🧬 Genetic Stability: Growers note sister selections circulating among seed collectors, including a Green-When-Ripe (GWR) tricolor variant, suggesting ongoing segregation in newer seed lines.
🍅 Have you trialed Sandburg or its GWR variant? Did your fruits stay golden-orange or turn solid crimson under the summer heat? Share your photos and notes below!
