Big Beef and Better Boy - Page 3

Ozark · April 16, 2015

Having been so unimpressed several years ago with Big Beef OP (my post near the top), I think I'm using Big Beef F1 like others here. It's the workhorse of my tomato garden, the hybrid with good production and disease resistance and better-than-hybrid flavor.

The flavor doesn't compare with that of many heirlooms, but it's good. Production is heavy and dependable. It provides good tomatoes, in quantity, for frequent summertime batches of fresh pico de gallo salsa and for my wife's home-canned Italian tomato sauce (which is really excellent). For those uses, top-notch heirloom flavor doesn't come through anyway - natural tomato flavor mostly gets overwhelmed by other ingredients and seasonings.

I have 66 tomato seedlings growing under lights now, 8 of which are Big Beef Hybrid. I give most seedlings away to friends and neighbors and plan to grow about 24 tomato plants in my garden this year - 3 of which will be Big Beef. They're a little boring compared to heirloom varieties, but experience has shown they'll come through for me.

beefsteak · April 16, 2015

OK folks enlighten me. Last season I grew 2 Big Beef hybrid I bought at a local garden store and they were fantastic in taste and production. Now a lot of folks here say they don't compare to heirlooms in the taste department. I have grown a polish heirloom, I can't remember the name of it and the famous Brandywine and I was not impressed with the taste, very bland. Now I like what I call the old fashioned tomato flavor, I guess that is a strong flavor. I also grew Better Boy and Big Boy in the past and did not like them either. So tell me what is a good red strong flavored heirloom tomato? I'm open to suggestions but I do like big sandwich size tomatoes. I've grown many large hybrid tomatoes over the years, some were good, some not so much. I like them 10 or 12 ounces or bigger doesn't have to be supersize, I'm not in competition. Now in the sweet cherry tomatoes I like Super sweet 100's, I have never tasted a cherry tomato that beats that for sweetness, but I'd try something else.
I usually grow between 8 and 12 tomato plants in my garden and have plenty to give away, in fact I give away more than I eat because I don't can any, only eat them fresh. I don't can because I can't eat chili or spaghetti or most things with sauce in them, I used to but my stomach can't handle them anymore, (sad ain't it).

manyplews · April 16, 2015

For 30 years,I grew Better Boy as our main crop and canning tomato.Last year I planted Big beef and Better Boy.
The Big Beef did better - they were more disease resistant and the fruit was slightly larger.
This year,we will use all Big Beef.

Cole_Robbie · April 16, 2015

Cosmonaut Volkov is my favorite big red heirloom so far. It produces well and I thought it tasted better than Big Beef.

Ed of Somis · April 16, 2015

beef...you will get a thousand opinions on the best tasting tomato. I have 2 Big Beef hybrids growing for the first time this year. The reviews from people were generally just so positive. I have 17 plants that have been in the ground for a month...and the 2 Big Beef plants are slightly larger (and healthy) than the rest. I am really looking forward to this one, Brandy Boy, and Cowlick's Brandywine this year!

Gardeneer · April 16, 2015

Speaking of Big Beef OP and hybrid.

Now I have one of each. I will grow them side by side and I should be able to make a report. That will be probably in July.
I will keep you posted.
Thanks for your comments.

Gardeneer.

Gardeneer · June 5, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Speaking of Big Beef OP and hybrid.

Now I have one of each. I will grow them side by side and I should be able to make a report. That will be probably in July.
I will keep you posted.
Thanks for your comments.

Gardeneer.

Trying to dust it off.

I planted out those on April 17, in the same bed.
As of this date they both have flowers and maybe tiny fruits.
BgBF F1 flowered by about 10 days sooner, May 13th.
They are roughly the same size and have similar foliage.

Gardeneer

Ozark · June 5, 2015

Turns out, I have Big Beef and Better Boy growing in the same garden this year also - so we'll see how that works out.

I raised some Big Beef seedlings as I do every year, and transplanted three into the garden in the first week of May. They're doing fine, growing and blossoming but no tomatoes set on yet.

About two weeks ago I lost a Genuwine seedling to a burrowing mole and with this discussion in mind I replaced it with a Better Boy plant from Lowe's. That plant is a little more advanced than my home-grown seedlings and it has three green tomatoes set on - the first 'maters to appear in my garden except for Sungold. Growing both, I'll get to see exactly how those hybrid varieties "BB" and "BB" compare.

I know I'll like Sweet Ozark Orange again a lot better than either of 'em - but that's (really bad pun) comparing apples and oranges.

mashermike · June 5, 2015

Big Beef is my goto tomato. When all the others are getting sick or stressed this one keeps on keeping on. Here's one just getting rolling.

COMPOSTER · June 5, 2015

I don't grow many hybrids but was pleasantly surprised by the taste of Big Beef. Along with Sun Gold it will probably be one of the few hybrids to visit my garden beds on a annual basis.

Glenn

seaeagle · June 5, 2015

Better Boy grows better and tastes better here, although it takes a break in the hot part of the summer sometimes.Big Beef, the few that ripened right tasted really sweet, but most were bland.Better Boy has two distinct flavors to me, I guess you call that complex, and is still one of the best tasting tomatoes for me.

April 16, 2015	#31
Ozark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ozark, Mo. Posts: 201	Having been so unimpressed several years ago with Big Beef OP (my post near the top), I think I'm using Big Beef F1 like others here. It's the workhorse of my tomato garden, the hybrid with good production and disease resistance and better-than-hybrid flavor. The flavor doesn't compare with that of many heirlooms, but it's good. Production is heavy and dependable. It provides good tomatoes, in quantity, for frequent summertime batches of fresh pico de gallo salsa and for my wife's home-canned Italian tomato sauce (which is really excellent). For those uses, top-notch heirloom flavor doesn't come through anyway - natural tomato flavor mostly gets overwhelmed by other ingredients and seasonings. I have 66 tomato seedlings growing under lights now, 8 of which are Big Beef Hybrid. I give most seedlings away to friends and neighbors and plan to grow about 24 tomato plants in my garden this year - 3 of which will be Big Beef. They're a little boring compared to heirloom varieties, but experience has shown they'll come through for me.

April 16, 2015	#32
beefsteak Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: NW PA zone 5 Posts: 121	OK folks enlighten me. Last season I grew 2 Big Beef hybrid I bought at a local garden store and they were fantastic in taste and production. Now a lot of folks here say they don't compare to heirlooms in the taste department. I have grown a polish heirloom, I can't remember the name of it and the famous Brandywine and I was not impressed with the taste, very bland. Now I like what I call the old fashioned tomato flavor, I guess that is a strong flavor. I also grew Better Boy and Big Boy in the past and did not like them either. So tell me what is a good red strong flavored heirloom tomato? I'm open to suggestions but I do like big sandwich size tomatoes. I've grown many large hybrid tomatoes over the years, some were good, some not so much. I like them 10 or 12 ounces or bigger doesn't have to be supersize, I'm not in competition. Now in the sweet cherry tomatoes I like Super sweet 100's, I have never tasted a cherry tomato that beats that for sweetness, but I'd try something else. I usually grow between 8 and 12 tomato plants in my garden and have plenty to give away, in fact I give away more than I eat because I don't can any, only eat them fresh. I don't can because I can't eat chili or spaghetti or most things with sauce in them, I used to but my stomach can't handle them anymore, (sad ain't it).

April 16, 2015	#33
manyplews Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SW Pa. Posts: 35	For 30 years,I grew Better Boy as our main crop and canning tomato.Last year I planted Big beef and Better Boy. The Big Beef did better - they were more disease resistant and the fruit was slightly larger. This year,we will use all Big Beef.

April 16, 2015	#34
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Cosmonaut Volkov is my favorite big red heirloom so far. It produces well and I thought it tasted better than Big Beef.

April 16, 2015	#35
Ed of Somis Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Somis, Ca Posts: 649	beef...you will get a thousand opinions on the best tasting tomato. I have 2 Big Beef hybrids growing for the first time this year. The reviews from people were generally just so positive. I have 17 plants that have been in the ground for a month...and the 2 Big Beef plants are slightly larger (and healthy) than the rest. I am really looking forward to this one, Brandy Boy, and Cowlick's Brandywine this year!

April 16, 2015	#36
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,919	Speaking of Big Beef OP and hybrid. Now I have one of each. I will grow them side by side and I should be able to make a report. That will be probably in July. I will keep you posted. Thanks for your comments. Gardeneer.

June 5, 2015	#38
Ozark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ozark, Mo. Posts: 201	Turns out, I have Big Beef and Better Boy growing in the same garden this year also - so we'll see how that works out. I raised some Big Beef seedlings as I do every year, and transplanted three into the garden in the first week of May. They're doing fine, growing and blossoming but no tomatoes set on yet. About two weeks ago I lost a Genuwine seedling to a burrowing mole and with this discussion in mind I replaced it with a Better Boy plant from Lowe's. That plant is a little more advanced than my home-grown seedlings and it has three green tomatoes set on - the first 'maters to appear in my garden except for Sungold. Growing both, I'll get to see exactly how those hybrid varieties "BB" and "BB" compare. I know I'll like Sweet Ozark Orange again a lot better than either of 'em - but that's (really bad pun) comparing apples and oranges.

June 5, 2015	#39
mashermike Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: GA Posts: 55	Big Beef is my goto tomato. When all the others are getting sick or stressed this one keeps on keeping on. Here's one just getting rolling.

June 5, 2015	#40
COMPOSTER Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Connecticut Posts: 252	I don't grow many hybrids but was pleasantly surprised by the taste of Big Beef. Along with Sun Gold it will probably be one of the few hybrids to visit my garden beds on a annual basis. Glenn

June 5, 2015	#41
seaeagle Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: virginia Posts: 743	Better Boy grows better and tastes better here, although it takes a break in the hot part of the summer sometimes.Big Beef, the few that ripened right tasted really sweet, but most were bland.Better Boy has two distinct flavors to me, I guess you call that complex, and is still one of the best tasting tomatoes for me.