Tomato 'Big boy'

Solanum lycopersicum

How to grow Tomato 'Big boy'

  • Full Sun

  • Medium

Seedlings emerge in 7-10 days at 70-75°F. Transfer seedlings to individual containers when they are 2" tall.

Give plants full sun and 1" of water each week. Water container plants when they are partially dry, but not wilted; they may need watering every day. If you are training the plants to trellises or stakes, prune the developing plants to keep one or two strong stems. Every week, remove the side shoots that develop from where each leaf meets the main stem. In general, tomatoes will stop producing fruit when temperatures drop below 50°F or rise above 90°F. In hot, dry weather, plants may drop their flowers or fruit, but when conditions improve, they generally recover fully. Tomatoes may be scalded by the sun in too-hot temperatures, when the fruit is not shaded from the direct sun. The fruit needs warmth—not light—to ripen, so you can cover the developing tomatoes with the leaves to shield them. Do not plant tomato family crops in the same spot 2 years in a row.

Try to plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Big boy is thought of as tender, so it is really important to plant out well after your last frost date. Ideally plant in loamy soil and try to keep the ph of your soil between the range of 5.0 and 6.0 as Big boy likes to be in moderately acidic soil to weakly acidic soil.

Growing Big boy from seed

Start seeds indoors six weeks before last frost date. Seeds saved from this (hybrid) variety are not likely to grow true to the parent plant.

Sow at a depth of approx. 0.78 inches (2.0 cm) and aim for a distance of at least 2.60 feet (80.0 cm) between Tomato plants. Soil temperature should be kept higher than 12°C / 54°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Big boy about 42 days before your last frost date.

Transplanting Big boy

Transplant out when around 15cm (6 inches) high.

Before transplanting, move to a sheltered area outside for a week. Transplant hardened-off seedlings to the garden after all danger of frost. Set plants 18" apart in rows 3’ apart.

Plant to the first set of true leaves to promote strong root growth.

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Big boy is a tender plant.

Harvesting Big boy

This variety tends to be ready for harvesting by mid summer.

Tomato Big boy Etymology

Bred in 1948 by Oved Shifriss of Burpee. 1

Big boy folklore & trivia

Hybrid which was introduced for sale by Burpee in 1949. 2

Misspellings of Tomato 'Big boy'

Burpee’s big boy, Burpee big boy

Other Names for Tomato 'Big boy'

Burpee’s Big Boy Hybrid

Footnotes