At the age of 54, gardening for 30 yrs...and tried my first Big Boy today!

**nctomatoman** · July 12, 2010

There is a really nice man in our neighborhood who is an avid gardener. Though I've shared some of my heirloom plants with him over the years we've lived here, he is pretty stuck on the big red hybrids. Being a very generous fellow, last night he brought us three lovely looking perfect, smooth red tomatoes - a Big Boy, a Whopper, and a Big Beef. Blemish free, gorgeous looking.

Though I used to grow Whopper way back before catching the heirloom/OP tomato bug (1986 or so), it has been many years since tasting it - and I've never grown either Big Beef or (gasp!) Big Boy (Better Boy was another we grew pre-heirlooms).

So Sue and I decided we would eat each tomato unadorned, sliced, divided between the two of us - one per night, starting with Big Boy tonight.

A few things surprised me....the size of the seed locules, and softness of the flesh - I think after looking at nearly seedless slabs of Lillian's Yellow and Cherokee Purple and Brandywine in recent years, seeing such a seedly/gelly tomato was unexpected. It was juicy, texture a bit soft....and we found the flavor pretty unremarkable - it reminded me of the tomatoes my family used to get at the local farm stands when we were out on our Sunday drives, when I was 10 years old or so. Not bad - tomatoey, but I guess we are spoiled - it rated a 6 or perhaps 6.5 on the 10 point scale.

In a way, that tomato is quite an old timer itself - one of the first hybrids, and for sure the most popular hybrid of its time - over 60 years old!

Question - has anyone who tried growing out Big Boy saved seed found the pink OP that is one of its parents???

And what do others here think of Big Boy?

kygreg · July 12, 2010

Have not tried Big Boy. In addition to over 100 heirloom/op varieties I grow each year, I grow from 1-4 hybrids. The only hybrid I grow every year is Big Beef.

**carolyn137** · July 12, 2010

Craig, you've forgotten my whole saga of trying to dehybridize Big Boy F1 to see if I could get out the one parent Teddy Jones, which was a family heirloom from the midwest, for which a Burpee man paid the owners $24 for all the rights to it. Yes, #24, but back then it was enough for him to build a greehosue.

OK, I won't string out the background.

I saved F2 seed and put out 12 plants. Ten were red and two were pink, but on the small side for what I expected. At that time I was also in contact with Dr. Oved Schifriss who bred Big Boy and asked him about it.

He said that the pink was way to small and just keep selecting. He said that even if I got a large enough pink it would only have about 80% of the genes for Teddy Jones.

Out of theblue and the e-mail leftbehind on a previous hard drive I got an interesting e0mail from someone who worked at Buroee at that time and he told me that Teddy Jones was the sicliest looking rampantlooking tomato he'd ever had to work with. he had seen me posting about it back then.

I can't remember why, but I abandoned the project after that. Bad ending to story.

Better Boy also has Teddy Jones as one parent, kinda a long story on that one as well, but I never did anything with Better Boy. That story from George Ball, current owner of Burpee when we were actually talking to each other, and that's another story.

**nctomatoman** · July 12, 2010

Thanks for the quick summary - so you got a pink, but it wasn't a big pink.

The big question - what do you think of Big Boy, the hybrid?!

**carolyn137** · July 13, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

Thanks for the quick summary - so you got a pink, but it wasn't a big pink.

The big question - what do you think of Big Boy, the hybrid?!

It wasn't a big enough pink according to Dr. Schifriss, who should know.

What do I think?

I've grew both Big Boy and Better Boy hybrids back in the mid-80's along with my OP's and then Big Boy again when I found out that an heirloom was one parent and I'd have to say that there are other hybrids that were bred roughly at the same time, well, a little later, that I prefer, primarily for taste. And those would be:

Ramapo F1
Supersonic F1
Moreton Hybrid
Jet Star F1

..... the first being bred by Rutgers and the next three by Harris Seeds,

And I'd put the older OP commercial variety Break O Day right up there with any of the four I mentioned above.Marvel X Marglobe in 1923 and introduced in 1931.

b54red · July 13, 2010

I was never too impressed with it myself. My every year hybrid is also Big Beef but I may be adding Jetsetter after the production this year. I also like Ramapo but it is a stingy producer for a hybrid. Moreton just doesn't have enough disease resistance for down here. For taste the best hybrid to me is Brandy Boy; though it's disease tolerance and production are not so great.

dustdevil · July 13, 2010

I grew my first Big Boy when I was 7. I grew 'em for forty years. I no longer grow them. One place I lived, I grew 'em for 26 years on the same piece of ground without any disease problems. They generally are a bit soft(mushy at times) inside, lots of gel, and so-so on the taste scale. Heirlooms brought me around to a new way of thinking. I prefer a tastier tomato nowadays!:-)

**nctomatoman** · July 13, 2010

Let me provide an update....today we tasted tomato #2 that was given to us - Parks Whopper.

wow! Now I know why I enjoyed them so much in the mid 1980s - it may have looked exactly like the Big Boy, but what was inside was very different - succulent slices, smaller seed locules, more aromatic, complex - well balanced but a nice sense of tartness. Just a fine tomato - we rated it an 8 on the 10 point scale (and may have been a tad underrated).

has anyone played around with dehybridizing Whopper?

Tomorrow we will taste Big Beef and see where it fits in this trio of hybrids.

b54red · July 13, 2010

I had almost forgotten about Parks Whopper. The first two years I grew it the results were a large wonderful productive tomato plant with delicious large fruit. The next few years I couldn't get it to grow to maturity. Can't remember if it was fusarium, nematodes or diseases that caused the problem but like Celebrity(which was not very tasty) it got left by the wayside for a more productive and dependable tomato.

Katydid · July 14, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by nctomatoman

Let me provide an update....today we tasted tomato #2 that was given to us - Parks Whopper.

wow! Now I know why I enjoyed them so much in the mid 1980s - it may have looked exactly like the Big Boy, but what was inside was very different - succulent slices, smaller seed locules, more aromatic, complex - well balanced but a nice sense of tartness. Just a fine tomato - we rated it an 8 on the 10 point scale (and may have been a tad underrated).

has anyone played around with dehybridizing Whopper?

Tomorrow we will taste Big Beef and see where it fits in this trio of hybrids.

Been reading for a while, but this prompts me to chime in...

We're growing two Park's Whopper plants this year along with sixteen other varieties (mostly heirlooms). I concur with Craig on its quality and flavor.

In fact, of the four large-fruited varieties that have ripened so far (PW, Reif Red Heart, Rose, and Vinson Watts), most of my family has preferred the PWs. (My favorite so far has been Vinson Watts).

-Barbara

Fred in Maine · July 14, 2010

I grew several Parks Whoppers last year. What impressed me right away was the plants vigor. Also it produced very well. The taste was better than average. It probably would have been tastier had it not rained most days last season. Fred

kygreg · July 14, 2010

One of the hybrids I am growing this year for the first time is Pink Girl. So far it is a big plant with dense foliage and lots of 8-12 oz fruits. It is just now begining to riipe so have not tasted. Has anyone tried this one?

Katydid · July 14, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fred in Maine

I grew several Parks Whoppers last year. What impressed me right away was the plants vigor. Also it produced very well. The taste was better than average. It probably would have been tastier had it not rained most days last season. Fred

I've noticed that as well - the plants have been absolutely loaded with fruit. And as far as vigor: my two tomato beds are jungles of eight-foot monsters, over one of which the Park's Whoppers are dominating.

-Barbara

Timmah! · July 14, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katydid

I've noticed that as well - the plants have been absolutely loaded with fruit. And as far as vigor: my two tomato beds are jungles of eight-foot monsters, over one of which the Park's Whoppers are dominating.

-Barbara

Well, you know we gotta see some pictures now, don't you?

mecktom · July 14, 2010

I also include Pink Girl as my only hybrid. It is a graet tasting tomato. Have had several this year and they are very good.

July 12, 2010	#1
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	At the age of 54, gardening for 30 yrs...and tried my first Big Boy today! There is a really nice man in our neighborhood who is an avid gardener. Though I've shared some of my heirloom plants with him over the years we've lived here, he is pretty stuck on the big red hybrids. Being a very generous fellow, last night he brought us three lovely looking perfect, smooth red tomatoes - a Big Boy, a Whopper, and a Big Beef. Blemish free, gorgeous looking. Though I used to grow Whopper way back before catching the heirloom/OP tomato bug (1986 or so), it has been many years since tasting it - and I've never grown either Big Beef or (gasp!) Big Boy (Better Boy was another we grew pre-heirlooms). So Sue and I decided we would eat each tomato unadorned, sliced, divided between the two of us - one per night, starting with Big Boy tonight. A few things surprised me....the size of the seed locules, and softness of the flesh - I think after looking at nearly seedless slabs of Lillian's Yellow and Cherokee Purple and Brandywine in recent years, seeing such a seedly/gelly tomato was unexpected. It was juicy, texture a bit soft....and we found the flavor pretty unremarkable - it reminded me of the tomatoes my family used to get at the local farm stands when we were out on our Sunday drives, when I was 10 years old or so. Not bad - tomatoey, but I guess we are spoiled - it rated a 6 or perhaps 6.5 on the 10 point scale. In a way, that tomato is quite an old timer itself - one of the first hybrids, and for sure the most popular hybrid of its time - over 60 years old! Question - has anyone who tried growing out Big Boy saved seed found the pink OP that is one of its parents??? And what do others here think of Big Boy? __________________ Craig

July 12, 2010	#3
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Craig, you've forgotten my whole saga of trying to dehybridize Big Boy F1 to see if I could get out the one parent Teddy Jones, which was a family heirloom from the midwest, for which a Burpee man paid the owners $24 for all the rights to it. Yes, #24, but back then it was enough for him to build a greehosue. OK, I won't string out the background. I saved F2 seed and put out 12 plants. Ten were red and two were pink, but on the small side for what I expected. At that time I was also in contact with Dr. Oved Schifriss who bred Big Boy and asked him about it. He said that the pink was way to small and just keep selecting. He said that even if I got a large enough pink it would only have about 80% of the genes for Teddy Jones. Out of theblue and the e-mail leftbehind on a previous hard drive I got an interesting e0mail from someone who worked at Buroee at that time and he told me that Teddy Jones was the sicliest looking rampantlooking tomato he'd ever had to work with. he had seen me posting about it back then. I can't remember why, but I abandoned the project after that. Bad ending to story. Better Boy also has Teddy Jones as one parent, kinda a long story on that one as well, but I never did anything with Better Boy. That story from George Ball, current owner of Burpee when we were actually talking to each other, and that's another story. __________________ Carolyn

July 12, 2010	#4
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Thanks for the quick summary - so you got a pink, but it wasn't a big pink. The big question - what do you think of Big Boy, the hybrid?! __________________ Craig

July 13, 2010	#8
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Let me provide an update....today we tasted tomato #2 that was given to us - Parks Whopper. wow! Now I know why I enjoyed them so much in the mid 1980s - it may have looked exactly like the Big Boy, but what was inside was very different - succulent slices, smaller seed locules, more aromatic, complex - well balanced but a nice sense of tartness. Just a fine tomato - we rated it an 8 on the 10 point scale (and may have been a tad underrated). has anyone played around with dehybridizing Whopper? Tomorrow we will taste Big Beef and see where it fits in this trio of hybrids. __________________ Craig

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July 12, 2010	#2
kygreg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: kentucky Posts: 1,019	Have not tried Big Boy. In addition to over 100 heirloom/op varieties I grow each year, I grow from 1-4 hybrids. The only hybrid I grow every year is Big Beef.

July 13, 2010	#6
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I was never too impressed with it myself. My every year hybrid is also Big Beef but I may be adding Jetsetter after the production this year. I also like Ramapo but it is a stingy producer for a hybrid. Moreton just doesn't have enough disease resistance for down here. For taste the best hybrid to me is Brandy Boy; though it's disease tolerance and production are not so great.

July 13, 2010	#7
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	I grew my first Big Boy when I was 7. I grew 'em for forty years. I no longer grow them. One place I lived, I grew 'em for 26 years on the same piece of ground without any disease problems. They generally are a bit soft(mushy at times) inside, lots of gel, and so-so on the taste scale. Heirlooms brought me around to a new way of thinking. I prefer a tastier tomato nowadays!:-)

July 14, 2010	#11
Fred in Maine Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Southern Maine Coast Posts: 19	I grew several Parks Whoppers last year. What impressed me right away was the plants vigor. Also it produced very well. The taste was better than average. It probably would have been tastier had it not rained most days last season. Fred

July 14, 2010	#15
mecktom Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Southern Virginia Posts: 342	I also include Pink Girl as my only hybrid. It is a graet tasting tomato. Have had several this year and they are very good.