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Brandy Boy
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Posted by
Hudson...WY Z3 (
My Page) on
Sun, Jun 9, 13 at 10:20
| Our GH Brandy Boy's are doing awesome to date. This is the first year we have planted them but very impressed so far - they are our first GH tomatoes to ripen. Of the 3 varieties we planted - German Giant, Better Boy and Brandy Boy - Brandy Boy has been the most prolific and hardy of the three. Next will be the taste test! 
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Brandy Boy
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RE: Brandy Boy
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| In my garden, of about 15 varieties, the plant grows well, but as of today, the plants have very few blooms, and no fruit. This is my second year to try them with very dissapointing results. It may just be my region? |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| Quitman - I agree - the region may be the difference. I have found that to be the probable cause of failure with other varieties which I have tried. Shortage of blossoms with Brandy Boy not a problem here! 
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RE: Brandy Boy
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| They are an attractive tomato - hope they taste as good as they look! 
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RE: Brandy Boy
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| Boy, they sure love your greenhouse environment! nice looking fruits. |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| About one slice of these tomatoes is all you need to cover bread for a BLT! Brandy Boy did not disappoint - great flavor!! 
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RE: Brandy Boy
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| Oh good, you're making me look forward to having my first Brandy Boy. :) They are the most robust looking of my plants, so I was envisioning good things from them. I mean, all my plants are healthy, it's just the Brandy Boys seem very... husky, I guess. As compared to all the cherry types, who seem overeager. Cheers! |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| Hi Sunnibel - Yes - our Brandy Boy's are very robust with thick stalks - very sturdy plants! We prune ours and allow them to split into two main branches then split again at about 6' - then split again at about 8' - so now they have 8 main branches at the top of the plant. I would be interested in seeing photos of your fruit - the fruit on our Brandy Boys appear more ripely than those shown in seed catalogs - not that we were disappointed! Many of the fruit are of large size too - as shown in the photo. We are very impressed with this variety - large robust plants - early to ripen - prolific - great flavor - most blossoms have set fruit and very attractive fruit !! 
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RE: Brandy Boy
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| What is the main difference between Brandy Wine and Brandy Boy? I have grown BrandyWine before and have one this year two. As I see BB's fruit in the picture , I think it is just like BrandyWine fruit, in shape and size. Talking about STURDY stem, that is true. Mine is growing slowly but very thickly. |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| I will try to remember to take a picture, but they are just now setting fruit. It will be a little bit of a while before I get to sample mine! |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| Hi Seysonn - "What is the main difference between Brandy Wine and Brandy Boy"? Brandy Boy is a Burpee Hybrid - here is the info straight from Burpee's catalog.............. A huge pink beefsteak tomato with incredible heirloom flavor and very high yields.
Burpee Exclusive
Customer Favorite!
One of the all-time classic tomatoes is now even better. Brandy Boy captures all the rich flavor of the beloved Brandywine heirloom tomato"long the flavor favorite among heirloom tomatoes"with a more shapely form, tidier growth habit, improved disease-resistance and bigger, earlier yields. Our new hybrid produces loads of large pink fruits up to 5½" across. The fruits ripen evenly and share Brandywine's soft heirloom texture, thin skin and exceptional tangy-sweet taste. Tomato-lovers, Brandy Boy is for you. Indeterminate.
Seasonality: Mid Season
Fruit Weight: 14 ounces
Fruit Bearing: Indeterminate
Days to Maturity: 75-78 days
Sun: Full Sun
Height: 75 inches Brandy Boy is very productive - 5-12 blossoms on a cluster - how does that compare with your Brandy Wine? I have never grown Brandy Wine but from what I have read - the main difference is that Brandy Boy is a hybrid that Burpee developed to improve yields when compared to Brandy Wine - and they certainly succeeded! It would be interesting to see how your Brandy Wine is doing compared to our Brandy Boy even though we are in different zones - any photos of your Brandy Wine plant - fruit size - and tomato slice comparison would be helpful. We were thinking of planting a Brandy Wine next year but after the trying the Brandy Boy - I am not sure I have a reason to? You may change our mind? |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| Thanks Hudson. My Brandy Wine just starting to set buds. I bought it as a small seedling from Lowes long time ago. It has been growing fin but slowly . It has developed a thick and healthy main stem. We have not been having many warm TOMATO days here in PNW. As of today, it is going to warm up a bit and the night lows to climb over 50F. I will definitely, will report on my BW when it gets to production stage. |
RE: Brandy Boy
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- Posted by arley 7b/8a SC (My Page) on
Sun, Jun 16, 13 at 10:44
| I have a few Brandy Boy plants along with several other varieties. Maybe it's me, maybe it's the location (border of zone 7 and 8) but they're not as vigorous as many other varieties. All of mine were started from seed (the seedlings were pretty vigorous and sturdy compared with others), treated the same as every other transplant I planted, but so far they have indifferent growth and have set just a few fruits. The ones that outshine them so far are Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Arkansas Traveler, Opalka and Marianna's Peace. Of course, the season's just starting; just harvested my first ripe tomato yesterday (Druzba). We'll see who does best here. |
RE:(Hudson) question
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| Hudson, very impressed with your results! I grow in containers (outside) as well. May I ask you as to what kind of soil you use for your containers??? I am learning...and my tomatoes are doing fair (somewhat slow and sparse growing..with some end rot). thankyou |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| Arley, I wonder what the difference is. My Brandy Boys look way healthier than my one Cherokee Purple (which looks just as lack luster as last year's CP plants). Not doubting that yours aren't performing as you say, just curious about the difference too. |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| The region combined with growing conditions must have a lot to do with success. We planted a Roma Tomato plant last year with total failure. The plant was very dense (compact) - didn't have many blossoms - didn't set many fruit - and did not look happy in our GH - even though it looked very healthy? Why? Not sure - but you can bet there is little chance we will try that variety again! Fireduck - Brandy Boy seems to be very compatible in our GH environment with our Wyoming cold outside temps. We do not grow in containers outside - rather in raised beds within our GH.
Here are our soil recipes - they have worked for us - although I know there are many recipes that may work just as well or better. Recipe for planting seeds:
1 - gallon coco peat (Coir)
1/4 - gallon well composted fine compost
1/4 - cup colloidal phosphate
1/4 - cup glacial rock dust (Azomite)
1/4 - cup greensand Container soil recipe:
1 - cup blood meal or cotton seed meal
1 - cup colloidal phosphate
1 - cup greensand
1 - cup glacial rock dust (Azomite)
4 - #10 cans of peat moss
4 - #10 cans of coco peat (Coir)
3 - #10 cans of vermiculite
2 - #10 cans of clean excellent garden soil
3 - #10 cans of compost We mix the container soil recipe in our electric cement mixer - much easier - then scoop it as needed out of the cement mixer. We developed our recipe from viewing many options on the internet. We use Azomite because it mined close by in Utah. There are many substitutes for the ingredients and you will just have to find what is readily available in your area. |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| One can't make this stuff up - Brandy Boy is a producer!! 
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RE: Brandy Boy
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| Ok, finally had my first Brandy Boy yesterday... It is definitely a winner for me! The taste is exactly what I like in a tomato, sweet, tart, and tomato-y. I've only picked two so far, but both weighed a respectable 12 oz. and the plants have a nice sturdy look and it seems quite a few more fruit to come. It is the first non-cherry tomato I've grown that I really like. We'll see how it goes over the rest of the season, but I am optimistic! |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| Please share some photos Sunnibel! Our Brandy Boys continue to produce! It seems other varieties have the largest tomatoes in the first 3-4 feet of the plant and then seem to get smaller as the plant grows. Our Brandy Boys are now 10-12' high and the fruit at 6-7' is as large as the lower fruit! I don't think the rest of the Brandy Boy season will disappoint you - it hasn't us! 
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RE: Brandy Boy
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| Hi Hudson. Do you use any Ca products in your container or raised bed soil recipe? Your toms look soooo yummy! |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| Hi Romcorn - Thanks! We do not add Ca in our soil except with the trace amount found in Azomite and perhaps other fertilizers. We do add Azomite to all of our soils - raised beds - containers - garden etc. I roto-till Azomite in our soil every spring - we have noticed a difference! We do not have a problem with BER though except with sauce tomato plants - I don't think sauce tomato plants like Wyoming - I set myself up for failure every year I plant them! Why do you ask? Are you having problems with BER? |
RE: Brandy Boy
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| I'll have to check and see if I can post pictures from my phone on here yet. Last time I checked it still wasn't supported by GW, but I have a terrible time with pictures from my ipad. I just picked a BB fruit yesterday that weighed an even 2 lbs! Sadly it got a bit damaged since it was wedged between cage and stems a bit. I just made some basil vinegar, so I think we'll put it to good use... |
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