Big Boy Tomato

Solanum lycopersicum 'Big Boy'

vegetable

Big Boy is a longtime favorite hybrid slicing tomato introduced by Burpee in 1949 and still one of the most-grown big reds in American gardens. The indeterminate vines produce large, smooth, deep-red globes that commonly run from 10 oz to a full pound or more, with thick meaty walls and the rich, balanced old-fashioned flavor that made the variety famous. It keeps growing and setting fruit until frost, ripens its main crop about 78 days after transplanting, and the heavy fruit needs sturdy staking or a tall cage.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Basil — Repels thrips and whiteflies and may improve flavor
• Borage — Attracts pollinators and parasitic wasps that prey on hornworms
• French Marigold — Suppresses root-knot nematodes
• Calendula — Acts as an aphid trap crop and draws hoverflies

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Tomato hornworm →

  Interplant dill and basil to attract parasitic wasps; handpick at dusk

• Blossom-end rot →

  Water deeply and evenly; mulch; keep calcium adequate

• Early blight →

  Mulch against soil splash, prune lower leaves, avoid wetting foliage

🌾 Harvest & storage

Main-crop fruit ripens about 78 days from transplant. Pick when the tomato is fully red but still firm, twisting it gently from the vine, and harvest every few days as the heavy fruit ripens. Vine-ripened fruit has the best flavor, so store at room temperature and never refrigerate ripe tomatoes, since cold flattens the flavor.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Tomatoes are low in calories and a good source of vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin A, and they are the leading source of lycopene, the red antioxidant linked to heart and prostate health that the body absorbs better from cooked tomatoes.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Eat the ripe fruit only. Tomato leaves and stems (and large amounts of very unripe green fruit) contain solanine-type compounds and are not for eating.