Big Boy
Big Boy: 78-85 days to harvest, 6-12 days to germinate, 24-36 inches between plants, pH 6.0-7.0, hardy in zones 10-11. Fruit runs to about 10-16 oz. Give it full sun (6+ hours) and high water. Because this is a hybrid, seed saved from it will not repeat the parent — plan on fresh seed each year.
Sowing
Start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Transplant after soil warms to 60°F with sturdy support.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Water
- High — consistent moisture needed
- Soil
- Well-drained garden soil, moderately fertile
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.0
- Spacing
- 24-36 inches
- Height
- 1-10 feet
- Season
- Year Round
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- Deep red
- Size
- 10-16 oz
- Shape
- Large, round, smooth, and uniform
- Flavour
- Classic tomato flavor, well-balanced sweet and tangy
In the kitchen
All-purpose - slicing, sandwiches, cooking, canning, sauces. The standard for homegrown tomato flavor.
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Tomato hornworm, aphids, whiteflies, cutworms
- Diseases
- Early blight, late blight, fusarium wilt
- Resistance
- Good overall disease resistance, less prone to cracking than many large varieties.
Planting calendar by USDA zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant | Direct sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | April – May | June – July | — | September |
| 3 | April | June – July | — | September – October |
| 4 | March – April | June | — | September – October |
| 5 | March | May – June | — | August – October |
| 6 | March | May – June | — | August – October |
| 7 | February – March | April – May | — | July – September |
| 8 | February | April – May | — | July – September |
| 9 | January | March – April | — | June – August |
| 10 | January | February – March | — | May – July |
| 11 | January | January – February | — | April – June |
| 12 | January | January – February | — | April – June |
| 13 | January | January – February | — | April – June |
Companion planting
8 beneficial pairings indexed for this variety, 4 to avoid.
Avoid
Nutrition (per 100 g)
- Calories (per 100 g)
- 27
- Protein (g)
- 0.83
- Fat (g)
- 0.63
- Carbohydrate (g)
- 5.51
- Fibre (g)
- 2.1
- Vitamin C (mg)
- 27.2
- Vitamin E (mg)
- 0.98
- Vitamin K (µg)
- 4.2
- Vitamin B6 (mg)
- 0.06
- Folate (µg)
- 10
- Calcium (mg)
- 11
- Iron (mg)
- 0.33
- Magnesium (mg)
- 11.9
- Phosphorus (mg)
- 28
- Potassium (mg)
- 260
- Zinc (mg)
- 0.2
Where to buy seed and equipment
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Cultivar facts compiled from public horticultural references including USDA GRIN and NC State Extension. Descriptions are original to this catalogue.
Grown Big Boy?
Post a crop report — day counts, reservoir readings, what worked. Variety-specific logs are the most useful thing on the forum.
Similar varieties
Other tomatoes with a comparable time to harvest, so a season that suits Big Boy suits these too.
- Burpee's Big Girl 78 days
- Burpee's Big Boy 78 days
- Brandywine 78 days
- Striped German 78 days
- German Red Strawberry 80 days
- Valencia 76 days