White Beauty Tomato Info
White Beauty tomatoes are heirloom beefsteak tomatoes with a creamy white flesh and skin. These tomatoes were popular in gardens between the mid 1800’s and 1900’s. Afterward, White Beauty tomatoes seemed to drop off the face of the earth until their seeds were rediscovered. White Beauty tomato plants are indeterminate and open pollinated. They produce an abundance of meaty, nearly seedless, creamy white fruits from mid to late summer. The fruits turn slightly yellow as they ripen. The unique colored fruits of White Beauty tomatoes are used for slicing and adding to sandwiches, added to decorative vegetable platters, or made into a creamy white tomato sauce. The flavor is generally sweeter than other white tomatoes, and contains the perfect balance of acid. The average fruit is about 6-8 oz. (170-227 g.), and was once listed in Isbell’s Seed Company’s 1927 catalog as “the best white tomato.”
Growing White Beauty Tomatoes
White Beauty tomatoes are available as seeds from many seed companies. Some garden centers may also carry young plants. From seed, White Beauty tomatoes take 75-85 days to mature. Seeds should be planted ¼-inch (6.4 mm.) deep indoors, 8-10 weeks before your region’s last expected frost date. Tomato plants germinate best in temperatures that are consistently 70-85 F. (21-29 C.), too cold or too hot will inhibit germination. Plants should sprout in one to three weeks. After danger of frost has passed, White Beauty tomato plants can be hardened off, then planted outdoors about 24 inches (61 cm.) apart. White Beauty tomatoes will require the same care as any other tomato plant. They are heavy feeders. Plants should be fertilized with a 5-10-5, 5-10-10, or 10-10-10 fertilizer. Never use too much nitrogen fertilizer on tomatoes. However, phosphorus is very important for tomato fruit set. Fertilize tomatoes when you first plant them, then feed them again when they produce flowers, continuing to fertilize once every other week after that.
