Schematic diagram, not a photo. A reference illustration is in progress.

No. 040 · hybrid

Better Boy

Better Boy is an indeterminate hybrid beefsteak with red fruit. It ripens in about 75 days.

Typebeefsteak
Habitindeterminate
Days to maturity75
Fruit size12 to 16 oz
Colorred
Difficultyeasy

Flavor

Described in catalogs as classic tomato flavor with a balance of acid and sugar, meaty and well suited to slicing. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Origin

An F1 hybrid developed by breeder John Peto, a cross between the Teddy Jones heirloom and an undisclosed red variety, marketed as an improved version of Big Boy.

What it does well

  • Broad VFN disease resistance to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, and nematodes
  • Heavy yields of large beefsteak fruit on vigorous vines
  • One of the most popular and reliable home garden hybrids in the US

Where it frustrates

  • An F1 hybrid, so seed cannot be saved true
  • Indeterminate vines grow tall and need sturdy staking or caging

Like Better Boy, but...

Sold out, or after a change? The closest alternatives, and how they differ.

Big Beefbut Big Beef adds nematode and broader disease resistanceCelebritybut a more compact determinate hybrid

Where to buy seed

Related reading

Sources