Big Boy Tomato

The tomato that taught American gardeners what a hybrid could do

In 1949, most American home gardeners had never grown an F1 hybrid tomato. Open pollinated varieties were the standard. They were what everyone’s grandfather grew, what came true from saved seed, what everyone assumed was as good as tomatoes could get.

Then Burpee introduced Big Boy. Dr. Oved Shifriss, working as Burpee’s research director since 1942, crossed two carefully selected parent lines. One is speculated to trace back to heirloom selections from the Odessa region of Ukraine. What emerged was larger, more vigorous, and more productive than what most growers had seen before. University of Arkansas Extension describes it as a variety that “ushered in the modern era of tomato breeding.”

That’s a big claim. It holds up. Big Boy showed a generation of home gardeners what hybrid vigor looked like in practice. It’s been in Burpee’s catalog ever since, which is about as clear a verdict as the tomato world offers.

What the fruit is like

Big Boy produces large, smooth, globe shaped red tomatoes. Most fruit runs 8 to 10 ounces. On a healthy, well fed plant, individual tomatoes reach a pound or more.

The flavor is what longtime growers come back for. Sweet, fragrant, balanced. There’s a classic tomato aroma that some varieties have lost in the pursuit of shelf life or disease resistance. Big Boy kept it. Growers who grew up with Big Boy in their parents’ garden describe it as what a tomato is supposed to smell like when you pull it off the vine.

The flesh is meaty and dense. Good for slicing. Good on a sandwich. Good in a salad where you want tomato flavor to carry the dish rather than disappear behind dressing.

Days to maturity: 75 to 80 days from transplant. That puts it firmly in mid season. Not as early as Better Boy or Celebrity, but not as slow as Brandywine or Pineapple.

The disease resistance gap

This is the honest conversation Big Boy content usually avoids.

Big Boy does not carry the full VFN disease resistance package. Better Boy does. That N stands for nematode resistance, which matters enormously in Southern gardens and in beds with a history of nematode pressure. Big Boy is susceptible. Plant it in infested soil and you’ll lose it before it sets significant fruit.

Beyond nematodes, Big Boy is also susceptible to early blight, septoria leaf spot, and anthracnose. It’s a reasonably vigorous plant, but it has no coded resistance to the fungal diseases that plague tomatoes in hot, humid climates. In regions with consistent summer rain and humidity, that gap matters.

In good soil with good airflow and consistent moisture, Big Boy performs well. In problem conditions, Better Boy is the better choice for the same general flavor profile.

How to grow the Big Boy Tomato, start to finish

Starting seeds

Start indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost date. Sow seeds a quarter inch deep in a clean seed starting mix. Keep soil temperature between 70 and 80°F. A heat mat removes the guesswork in early spring when ambient temperatures are still variable.

Set up fluorescent or LED grow lights close to the canopy from the day seedlings emerge. Keep them 2 to 3 inches above the plant tops and raise them as growth continues. Big Boy is an indeterminate vine that reaches 6 to 10 feet. A weak seedling produced by inadequate light never fully recovers once it’s in the garden.

Pot up to individual containers when the first true leaves appear. Feed weekly at half strength with a balanced liquid fertilizer from potting up through transplant day. A well fed seedling establishes in the garden far faster than one that was cramped or underfed during the seedling phase.

Big Boy is a hybrid. Seeds saved from the fruit don’t grow true the following year. Buy fresh seed each season. If seed saving is a priority for you, an open pollinated variety gives you that option.

Transplanting

Move plants outside after your last frost date, once nights hold reliably above 50°F. Cold nights below 54°F during flower formation cause catfacing. Big Boy produces large fruit and is susceptible to it. Waiting for genuinely warm conditions before transplanting prevents most of the scarring on that first flush of tomatoes.

Harden off over 7 to 10 days. Set plants outside for increasing periods each day before leaving them permanently in the garden. Indoor seedlings moved directly to outdoor sun and wind experience shock. A proper hardening period costs time but prevents the setback that happens when you skip it.

Bury two thirds of the stem at planting. Tomatoes produce roots along any buried stem section. A vine that will eventually reach 6 to 10 feet and carry multiple pound or more each tomatoes benefits from every bit of root depth you can give it. Strip any leaves that would end up below soil level before planting.

Space plants 24 to 48 inches apart. Big Boy develops a large canopy. The wider end of that range suits wetter climates where fungal disease pressure is higher. More space means more airflow around the foliage, and airflow is your main defense against the fungal diseases this variety has no resistance to.

Soil and feeding

Rich, well drained soil loaded with compost, pH 6.2 to 6.8. Work a balanced organic fertilizer into the planting hole before setting the plant in. This slow release base supports root development without pushing sudden leafy growth early in the season.

Switch to a lower nitrogen tomato feed once the first flowers open. High nitrogen after flowering drives leaf growth at the expense of fruit. Feed every two weeks through the full season. Big Boy is still setting and sizing fruit through late summer. Tapering nutrition in August while the plant is producing is a common mistake.

Calcium matters with large fruited varieties. Big Boy is susceptible to blossom end rot. A compost rich soil base provides the calcium most plants need, but consistent watering is what moves that calcium into developing fruit. Keep moisture even. Keep pH in range. Keep nitrogen moderate. Those three habits together prevent most blossom end rot before it starts.

Light and water

Full sun, 8 hours minimum. Big Boy is a mid season variety producing fruit up to a pound. It needs full heat and light to ripen that fruit on schedule. Partial shade extends the time to first harvest and reduces both yield and the fragrant, sweet flavor that makes Big Boy worth growing.

Water deeply and consistently at the base of the plant. Target 1 to 2 inches per week. Irregular watering once fruit sets leads to cracking. Big Boy skin cracks when a surge of moisture follows a dry period in the root zone. A drip line or soaker hose keeps moisture off the foliage and delivers it where it’s needed without the fluctuation that splits ripe fruit.

Lay 2 to 3 inches of straw mulch around the plant after a deep watering. Mulch stabilizes soil moisture between rain events. It reduces the wet to dry swings that crack large fruit. It suppresses weeds that compete for moisture and nutrients at the root level. Apply it early and keep it topped up through the season.

Our guide to watering tomatoes covers the rhythm in more depth. And our guide to fertilizing tomatoes handles the feeding schedule.

Support and pruning

Big Boy is fully indeterminate. It reaches 6 to 10 feet and keeps growing until frost. A heavy duty cage or tall, sturdy stakes set at planting time handle the load. Standard short cages fail under this plant. Set the support before the roots spread. Trying to stake an established plant disturbs the root zone and is always harder than it looks.

Tie growing stems to the support with soft plant ties or strips of fabric. Nothing that cuts into stems as they thicken. Check and adjust ties every two weeks. A loop that was comfortable in May can damage a swelling stem by August.

Remove suckers below the first flower cluster. This keeps the lower canopy open for airflow and reduces the soil splash that introduces fungal spores to lower leaves. Above the first cluster, let the plant develop naturally. Big Boy sets fruit on those upper branches. The canopy also shades large fruit from sunscald. Leave the upper growth intact.

Strip any foliage touching the ground. Soil to leaf contact is the primary route for early blight and septoria leaf spot spores to enter the plant. Keep the lowest foot of the plant clear of leaves and debris throughout the season. Strip spotted leaves the day you see them. Both diseases climb from the bottom up and get ahead of you fast.

Problems to watch

Early blight and septoria leaf spot. The most common fungal problems with Big Boy. Brown spots on lower leaves, spreading up the plant through the season. Water at the soil. Keep foliage dry. Strip spotted leaves the same day you see them. Rotate beds each year. There’s no resistance in this variety to lean on. Catching it early is the whole strategy.

Catfacing. Large beefsteak varieties are the most susceptible group. Big Boy qualifies. Cold flower formation nights below 54°F cause scarring and puckering around the blossom end of the first few fruits. The fruit is safe to eat. Trim the affected area and use it. Midseason fruit comes in clean.

Blossom end rot. More of a risk on large fruit varieties than on cherry types. Consistent moisture and a calcium rich compost base prevent most of it. Fix watering consistency first. Mulch second. Calcium sprays treat the symptom rather than the cause, which is irregular moisture disrupting calcium uptake.

Cracking. Irregular watering after a dry spell splits ripe fruit. Big fruit is more vulnerable than small fruit because the pressure from expanding flesh is greater. Consistent moisture and mulch are the prevention. Pick fruit as it hits color rather than waiting for peak ripeness on the vine if rains are forecast. Our tomato fruit problem guide covers cracking, catfacing, blossom end rot, and every other common symptom in detail.

Hornworms. A large vine producing big fruit through midsummer is exactly what they target. Check the undersides of leaves and look for stripped stems weekly. Dark droppings on the ground below a branch are the sign. Handpick or treat with Bt at first appearance.

For identification and treatment, our tomato disease guide covers the full list.

Container growing

Possible, but demanding. Big Boy reaches 6 to 10 feet and carries fruit up to a pound each. Containers limit the root volume that vine needs to sustain that production through a full season.

If you want to try it, use a 10 gallon container of quality potting mix at minimum. Many growers go to 15 or 20 gallons for better results. Set a tall stake or heavy duty cage at planting. Water daily in summer heat. Feed every week to 10 days because containers flush nutrients much faster than ground beds. Expect the plant to perform below its potential relative to a ground planted vine.

For container growing, there are more compact choices. Big Boy belongs in the ground where it was designed to grow.

Our guide to growing tomatoes in pots covers container growing in full.

Big Boy vs Better Boy vs Big Beef

Better Boy is the most direct comparison. Both are large red slicers from the same era of hybrid breeding. Better Boy carries VFN disease resistance; Big Boy does not have nematode resistance. Better Boy ripens slightly earlier. In gardens with disease pressure, Better Boy is the practical choice. In healthy soil in a cooler climate, longtime Big Boy growers often prefer the flavor.

Big Beef is another large red hybrid with stronger disease resistance and reliable production. It’s a newer variety with a similar flavor profile and better adaptability to high heat. If disease resistance matters and you want a large red slicer, Big Beef is worth growing alongside Big Boy for a direct comparison.

Our growing tomatoes guide covers the full season timing for mid season large fruited varieties like Big Boy.

The verdict

Big Boy has been in American gardens for over 75 years. That longevity is earned. The flavor is genuine. The fruit is large and beautiful. The aroma is what longtime tomato growers remember and chase.

It asks for good soil, consistent water, real support, and a gardener who stays ahead of the fungal diseases it can’t fight on its own. In those conditions, it delivers what it’s always delivered: a large, sweet, fragrant red tomato that still makes the shortlist when experienced growers name their favorites.

Give it full sun, thick mulch, and consistent moisture. Strip spotted leaves early. And if you’re in a Southern garden with a history of nematodes in the soil, grow Better Boy instead and save yourself the trouble.