Days to Maturity: 90 from transplant
Indeterminate
A joy to grow as well as to eat, this exciting heirloom is over the top in color, size, vigor, and flavor. When you want a really exceptional tomato, choose Big Rainbow.
The fruit eventually reaches about 2 pounds (yes, that's POUNDS), but when young it is striped like an upside-down traffic signalgreen shoulders, yellow belly, and red underside and blossom scar. As it matures, the green disappears and the red flushes upward through the yellow, until the ripened tomato is a rich gold with heavy red striping. Cut it open and this play of colors continues, for unparalleled plate appeal.
You might think that in order to set such giant fruit, the indeterminate vine would have to be stripped of many buds or young fruit, but this is not the case. Not only does it set a generous crop of fruit, it keeps bearing right up until frost in many regions. Find a very sturdy support for this tomatoit's going to tip the scales when in full fruit.
This vine is resistant to foliar diseases, making it an excellent choice for humid or rainy climates, crowded veggie patches where air circulation may be poor, and any garden where overhead watering is used. You will appreciate its lush greenery, especially compared to some of the more modern hybrid types you may also have in the garden. Big Rainbow is out to perform.
These tomatoes have no green shoulders, little catfacing, and more flavor than you could possibly expect. Like many heirlooms, its flavor is rich and intense, but Big Rainbow seems particularly dense in taste, as if all the colors were accompanied by their own specific flavors. An exciting eating experience for folks raised on the supermarket tomato, even longtime growers of heirloom types are surprised and delighted by Big Rainbow's parade of flavors.
Start seeds indoors 5 to 6 weeks before the last frost date. Plant outdoors when danger of frost is past and night temperatures consistently remain above 55°F. If an unexpected late frost is forecasted, protect young plants with plastic sheeting or other cover. Set plants 2 to 2½ feet apart.
