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

No. 071 · heirloom

Box Car Willie

Box Car Willie is an indeterminate heirloom slicer with orange-red fruit. It ripens in about 80 days.

Typeslicer
Habitindeterminate
Days to maturity80
Fruit size10 to 16 oz
Colororange-red
Difficultyeasy

Flavor

Described as a sweet-tangy, old-fashioned tomato flavor, a dependable all-purpose fruit. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.

Origin

An old-fashioned heirloom named for the Grand Ole Opry singer Boxcar Willie, associated with the Bratka family and revived by Carolyn Male in the mid-1990s.

What it does well

  • Large, crack-free, reported disease-resistant fruit
  • Heavy, dependable yields
  • Good for slicing, canning, and cooking

Where it frustrates

  • Tall indeterminate vines need sturdy support
  • Mid to late season for the coolest zones

Like Box Car Willie, but...

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

Better Boybut an open-pollinated heirloom rather than a hybridRutgersbut larger and more orange-red

Where to buy seed

Sources