PlantFiles: Tomato
Lycopersicon lycopersicum 'Burpees Big Boy'

There is a also a de-hybridized version of Big Boy; here's the description: "82 days. Indeterminate, 1 pound flattened globe, red flesh, excellent yield, acidic taste. This is an open pollinated version of the hybrid."

This is a great slicer and it has wonderful flavor. The plant gets huge and needs support.

I got a few plants that had already been started. I got them when they were pretty small, about 5 or 6 inches tall. They grew quickly when I planted them. About two weeks later they are between 1.5 and 2 feet tall. I can see the difference in growth each day. It sounds like these things grow huge. This is my first garden, by the way.

A 1949 round red. Globe shaped fruits average about 10 ounces. I first grew this cultivar in 1950 and was impressed with the toughness of the skin. I threatened to tan the skins and sell them for shoe leather. Many later commercial varieties have surpassed the skin toughness however. It is a reliable performer under varied conditions.

I like this tomato very much - more than Better Boy, actually. I usually keep my vines trimmed even with the top of the house, but I have also grown them up against the sides of our barn and they do quite well - reaching over 10 feet tall. The fruits are large and firm and there are lots and lots of them on a vine. I would recommend it to anyone.

Coastal Northern California is difficult for growing tomatoes -- too cold and foggy. Big Boy is extremely vigorous even here (it broke my normally sturdy wire box cage) but I found the flavor to be relatively insipid compared to heirloom types. Still, it makes a nice bruschetta (chopped tomatoes, fresh basil & olive oil), and is certainly better than grocery-store tomatoes any day.