Big Beef And The Boys

[LMinAL]

I'm growing 3 Better Boys (just intended to plant 1 then my husband came home with a couple from someone he works with) and 1 Big Beef. I grow a Better Boy each year as it is reliable and a steady producer down here. I grew Big Beef last year and was pleased with it as well. They both had about the same taste to me, but the Big Beef was larger of course and had less gel and seeds.

So far, they are both growing well, disease free and putting out flowers! They've been planted out for almost 3 weeks now.

[isuhunter]

[MrBig46]

That's how US hybrid tomatoes look in my garden. They are kept on one stalk by the me. Best of all is the Big Beef F1 already it has four inflorescences. Worst Best Boy F1. Better Boy was wandered off and I do not know if the picture is Better Boy or a Large Red.
Vladimír

[Shapshftr]

I am growing Big Boy and Better Boy. I got the plants from my friend who grows them every year. I know in the past when I have been in his garden, one of them was a very prolific producer, but can't remember which. They both have good tasting fruits, but I still think heirlooms taste better. They bear good sized fruits that are quite picture perfect. I also like that they are meaty tomatoes. One year when fungus attacked all the tomatoes in his garden, one of those 2 varieties was more resistant to it. Again, I don't know which it was.

[Gardeneer]

Vlado,
Thanks for the review of your plants.
In my garden , so far , Better Boy is the leader in fruit setting. But it is too early to declare a winner. They all ( Big Beef, Better Boy , Big Boy ) are about 5 ft tall.

I will try to take new pictures today.

Gardeneer

[MrBig46]

I'm looking also for my friend beefsteak tomatoes with high fertility. She needs a lot of tomatoes for processing, fresh taste is not so important. San Marzano tomatoes are good, but late (for us DTM 90 and more), so the harvest is relatively low. Big Beef F1 looks like it be relatively early.
Vladimír

[RJGlew]

Originally Posted by MrBig46

That's how US hybrid tomatoes look in my garden. They are kept on one stalk by the me. Best of all is the Big Beef F1 already it has four inflorescences. Worst Best Boy F1. Better Boy was wandered off and I do not know if the picture is Better Boy or a Large Red.
Vladimír

Great pictures Vlad - thank you for sharing, and your plants look great. I seem to recall that Best Boy F1 from Burpee is a determinate, so one stalk may not be best. I will be interested to hear about how you rate their taste - for me, Steak Sandwich F1 is tops, with Big Beef F1 second. I find the rest of them taste pretty similar, with Park's Whopper F1 just a bit lower.

[MrBig46]

Robert,
thank you for the warning that Best Boy is a determinante. I think you wrote to me anymore, but I forgot. I will have to mark in order I not prune it.
Vladimír

[MrBig46]

The promised photos: Big Beef F1, Burple´s Big Boy F1, Better Boy F1, Park´s Whooper F1, Steak Sandwitch F1.
Vladimír

[isuhunter]

Here is BigBeef and BrandyBoy (and a Cherokee purple)


BrandyBoy

[Captain Neon]

So far, I have been very pleased with my Brandy Boy plant. I've enjoyed the couple I've harvested very much. I've got a couple Brandywines that are ripening on the window sill. I hope to have a couple BLT this evening after finishing job #2 before bed. The proof will be in the eating.

[Ricky Shaw]

Pic 1 Big Beef, best year ever, much better production in containers than raised beds.

Pic 2 Brandy Boys, just ripening and tastes very good, but I like the reds more.

I grew Better Boy only for many years until I started growing open pollinated varieties. When I grew it, it was the most reliable, productive, mid sized, tasty, hybrid available. I've grown Big Beef a few times including this year and found it to be very similar to Better Boy with two exceptions. It is slightly less productive, but produces much larger tomatoes than Better Boy. Big Beef seems to simply die when the weather becomes too hot. Better Boy becomes dormant in hot weather, but starts producing again when the highest heat of summer has passed. It produces a good crop of smaller fall tomatoes.

Ted

[wildcat62]

Just saw this thread. In my diseased mess of a garden the Big Boy outperformed the Big Beef in both production & taste. I'd post pics but I'm ashamed of the way it looks. Still getting plenty of tomatoes but it looks awful. EB is out of control at this point.

I'm really straining my brain. My brain radiator is about to boil over but I can not remember what "EB" is. Please help!

Ted