There’s no one around who doesn’t like to have tomatoes. It’s not just tomato that is a good fruit that allows you to cook different delicious food items but many more. If you want to improve your skin health or lessen heart problems, for example, tomato plays 100 on 100.
But, different types of tomatoes are available like a big boy, better boy, early girl, hybrid, best boy, etc. Isn’t it confusing which type of tomato to plant in terms of thousands of options? Well, this tomato guide is specially designed based on the top demanded big boy and better boy tomato. So, you can determine your right decision between big boy vs better boy tomato if you’re undetermined.
Whether personal or commercial, the suitable tomato variety will get you a good impact shortly. Because tomato is a vegetable that thrives all over the year. So why late? Let’s explore all the amazing facts on big boy vs better boy Tomatoes.
Table of Contents
Big Boy and Better Boy Tomatoes in Brief
Both the big boy and better boy tomatoes are different in terms of their definition. They have other appearances, sizes, and seasons of growing. Here is the definition based on their nature-
Big Boy Tomato
The big boy tomato originated in Pennsylvania, Bucks Country, by the Burpee Seeds. It is the globe-shaped tomato variety that comes in a sweet-tart taste. If you want a smooth-skinned or flavor-filled tomato for your slicing tom, these tomatoes will be a perfect choice.
You’ll get the big boy tomato booming in most climates. Remember, the specialty of the big boy tomato is its size. This tomato is extensively large if you compare it to other types of tomato.
However, these boy tomatoes appeared commercially in 1949; since then, they have been a trendy vegetable for home gardeners. You must know the two classes of tomatoes where one is determinate types, and another is indeterminate types. In the sense of that class, the big boy tomato belongs to the indeterminate class.
So, this tomato type comes in a bushy appearance, and it will allow you to grow it throughout the season. It is a mid-season vegetable that can begin to produce fruit approximately 78 days right after propagating seeds.
The big boy tomato will produce fruits right before its first frost fall. It comes with firm flesh and bright, glossy red color. It will come in weight from 10 to 16 ounces while matured.
Better Boy Tomato
The better boy tomato qualities will offer excellent consistency throughout the year and a classic tomato flavor. It is already 50 years since the better boy tomato appeared. The better boy tomato is the developed version of the big boy tomato.
In this case, you can call the big boy tomato the parent tomato of the better boy tomato. You’ll get this hybrid tomato with more disease resistance than any other tomato type to all kinds of diseases.
It is an indeterminate tomato type that will be best suited for tepee-style staking. The better boy tomato also takes 70 to 75 days to mature like the big boy tomato.
It comes with a high yield and offers an easy-growing procedure of high popularity among gardeners. However, this vegetable fruit herb is completely a buzz among gardeners. So, there’s no option to be confused on are better boy tomatoes good?
Big Boy Vs Better Boy: Characteristics
The big boy and the better boy tomato varieties have different characteristics. Go through the characteristics given below. And it will help you distinguish the big boy from the better boy tomato-
Plant height
The intermediate tomato variety big boy grows like a vine and arrives at to 10″ height maximum. You can make good support for this larger tomato plant using a tomato case.
On the other hand, the better boy tomato characteristics come with an 8 feet tall maximum of its height. In this case, the height of the better boy is 2 inches less than the big boy. And its minimum height or length is 5 inches which stands for 6 inches in terms of big boy tomato.
Weight
If you’ve a query like how big do big boy tomatoes get? Remember, the big boy tomato is such big that you need only 2 tomatoes to make a 1kg. It comes in 225 to 250gm in its total weight. Incredible! These big boy tomatoes are bigger than all other typical tomato types.
However, it is pretty easy to differentiate these two types in terms of their weight. I mean, while the weight is 250 gm maximum for big boy, it goes 455gm maximum in the case of better boy. The importance of the better boy tomato ranges from 320 to 455gm. In this case, the better boy tomato size looks bigger than the big tomato.
Ripening time
These tomato vegetables take all-around 70 to 80 days to ripen the tomato from the day you sowed your seeds. If you want a fast-ripening tomato variety, the big boy isn’t your choice because of its late ripening in the season. However, this plant works fine for outdoor gardening as well.
While it takes 70 to 80 days to ripen for big boy tomato, the better boy tomato needs 75 days maximum to be ripened after the day you sowed seeds.
Season to harvest
Here, the harvest time for both the big boy tomato and the better boy tomato is quite similar. It lasts for a 10-week harvest season for both types of tomato.
And each plant of this variety can produce 50 to 100 tomatoes. And, it goes for 30 to 50 tomatoes for each better boy tomato plant.
However, if you’re looking for an exact time when to harvest better boy tomatoes, make sure the tomato is entirely red in color. If the tomato is red, firm, and round in size and shape, it is ready to harvest.
Texture
The texture of the big boy tomato is fleshy, juicy, smooth and glossy, while it’s juicy and crispy in terms of better boy tomato texture.
Growing Requirements: Big Boy Vs Better Boy Tomato
It is relatively easy to grow the big boy tomato from its seeds. But there are two different indoor and outdoor big boy tomato plantation procedures.
Growing Requirements – Big Boy Tomato
Indoor
Step-1: Sow the Seeds
Take a tray full of potting soil and sow the tomato seeds. Now water the tray to get your potting mix soil well-settled. Make sure the seeds are ¼ inch deep in the potting mix.
You shouldn’t sow more than 2 seeds in one cell. Also, you’ve to be careful about the tray drainage holes so that the soil never can be too wet.
Step-2: Heat and Light
Place the tray on a surface indoors that is suitable to get sunlight and heat enough. The seeds will germinate perfectly if the soil temperature ranges from 24° C to 32°C.
Keep the seeds in the same soil temperature for 6 days minimum. But, if you cannot manage the sunlight properly, use a plant light or LED light around the plant at 4 inches above.
Step-3: Water the Seeds
Water the vegetable seeds regularly using a spray bottle or water can so that the water can reach evenly on the roots. Ensure the water is clean and fresh to protect the root level well.
Step-4: Transplant the Seed
Once the seeds grow 3 times taller than the potting mix soil tray, it is ready to be transplanted in a bigger container. So, complete step number four to get a full tomato plant.
Outdoor
If you want to plant or grow your big boy tomato outdoor, go through the following steps given below-
Step-1: Set Off the Seeds
While you want to grow your big boy tomato outdoors, you’ve to ensure the temperature. Take your seeds outside if the temperature is more than 50°F. And keep them there for hours a few days before you sow them.
After days, the seeds are ready to sow in the soil. In this case, choose a place where the sunlight and wind don’t come directly.
Step-2: Get a Garden Bed Ready
You need to prepare a garden bed before you plant the seeds. At this point, you can remove the dead plant and work with a granular fertilizer on 6 inches top of the soil. Use a cultivator to keep the soil surface flat. Now, water the soil bed and allow it to be saturated.
Step-3: Plant the Seedlings
It’s now time to plant your tomato seeds into the soil. But remove the bottom leaves of seedlings before you plant them. Plant the seedlings deep into the soil line. To grow properly, you should-
- Dig a standard size planting hole.
- Put the seedlings into that hole.
- Backfill the sides between the root balls and plant holes.
- Keep space between the seedlings from 24 inches to 48 inches.
- Water properly while finished planting.
Step-4: Soil Mulching / Tomato Cages
Use mulch around the soil surface to get soil nutrients. It will allow you to buffer the moisture levels and soil temperature to lessen the precipitation. Also, you can use tomato cages to protect your tomatoes from the danger of frost.
Growing Requirements- Better Boy Tomato
You can plant your better boy tomato following only 4 easy steps-
Step-1: Frosting
Frost the vegetable seeds minimum of 6 weeks, and if possible, go for 8 weeks for frosting indoors. Cover the soil so that the soil condition can be warm and moist.
Step-2: Transplanting
Transplant while the seedlings have appeared. Make sure to place your seedlings in a place where it is full of sunlight and bright windowsill. I recommend you to use a grow light unless there’s enough sunlight available.
Step-3: Set Off Your Seedlings
You must harden off the seedlings right before 1 week of planting. Then plant the seedlings in your garden indoors.
Step-4: Select Where to Harden
Select a spot where your plant will get enough direct sunlight and wind to grow faster. The soil type must be fertile to get a good result. And, once you finish step number 4, you are done. Isn’t it pretty easy?
Plant Care Requirements: Better Boy Vs Big Boy Tomato
The better boy and big boy are popular tomatoes for their easy caring methods. Only by following some essential factors can you keep these determinate and indeterminate plants healthy and disease-free. Here’s how-
Light
The big boy tomato and the better boy come differently in terms of light. The better boy tomato requires direct light in full sun for abundant harvests. It requires average sunlight for 6 to 8 hours every day.
But, the big boy tomato never requires any direct sunlight. The direct sunlight harms the big boy tomato plant. In this case, you’ve to ensure the planting zones are perfect for plants ripening season/days to maturity.
Soil
If you want a good result, you must focus on the soil type. The better boy tomato grows well in nutrient-rich or slightly acidic soil. Because these soil types are high organic, your plant will be healthy and foliage if the soil pH ranges from 6.5 to 6.8. Visit here to know in detail about the soil pH.
The soil type shouldn’t be so soggy in the case of big boy tomato as well.
Water
Try keeping the soil moist to get your better boy tomato plant healthy. The moist soil can allow you to avoid blossom-end rot or fruit split. So water the stem, not to the soil too much, which will keep the foliage dry.
Also, proper watering will help you avoid soil-borne diseases and fungi. However, the big boy tomato requires regular watering to keep the plant stem fit.
Vegetable fertilizer
Mix some compost in the potting mix to enrich the soil in terms of both the better boy and big boy tomato types.
Again, you’ll get some well-balanced fertilizer on the market that you can use for both of these plants.
Humidity / Temperature
The better boy tomato plant will remain cool if the temperature is moderate. Ensure the temperature isn’t frost as the better boy tomato plant performs well in warm climates and humidity. Hot climates, on the hand, are pretty harmful to the boy tomato plant.
However, the boy plant isn’t frost tolerant and remains well if the humidity ranges from 75° to 90°F. But, if you cannot manage the temperature, the light frost will be okay.
FAQs
1. Are Better Boy tomatoes hybrid?
Yes, the disease-resistant better boy tomatoes are completely mid-season hybrid tomatoes. Yet, it is highly recognized due to its disease resistance quality. And, you can make any food items using this tomato type.
For example, I can say juice, salad, canning, etc., are the top recipe to make with better boy tomato. So, these boy tomatoes will bring you complete satisfaction if you’re an avid or beginner gardener. You might get your answer of what are better boy tomatoes good for? Right?
2. Is Big Boy a hybrid tomato?
Yes, the big boy tomatoes are hybrids. And, this tomato is special for making different delicious dishes like the better boy tomato.
3. Are Big Boy tomatoes good for canning?
Yes, the big boy tomatoes good for canning. Also, you can use them for making sandwiches and burgers. And you can use this hybrid tomato to make a salad in different flavors like Caprese salad, or fresh salad, or even can make some additions to salads. Amazing!
4. What is the hardiest tomato?
The Golden Nugget is called the hardiest tomato. You can also choose the Orange pixie, Siletz, and Oregon Spring tomato as the hardiest tomato.
5. What wilt happen to my big boy or better boy tomato plants?
Well, two common diseases, Verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt, can be seen if you don’t take proper care of your plants.
6. Where to Buy Better Boy Tomato Seeds or Plants?
Check out the following 3 top sites where you can buy all types of tomato plants, whether big boy, better boy or any other type of tomato plant.
Before You Go
Big Boy Vs Better Boy tomato: the relationship between the two is that of a parent and their child. The better boy is an improved variety of the big boy.
Both varieties are large tomatoes though the better boy often weighs more. And both tomatoes require different planting and care needs.
Another large-size tomato variety that can compare to these two boys is the Old German tomato. Here is an article on this stylish and tasty variety: Old German Tomato Review
