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| Hi- I really would like to grow this tomato once more but I can't remember if it's Burpee's big boy hybrid. Can an expert identify it just by looking at the tomatoes on the vine? I remember the taste was great, it produced plenty and I was very happy with it. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Sorry but just as we have to tell everyone who asks for an ID from a photo there is just no way to tell. It could easily be any one of over 200 varieties. Many seed vendors sell Big Boy. It is a very common grown variety. Dave |
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| Thanks Dave for letting me know. I'll just grow it again and see what happens. |
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| I think they look pretty and probably tasty too. Name is not important, IMO. But if you bought the plant or seeds, it is likely that it is not heirloom. Most hybrids have unifoirmly shaped fruits, not usually the heirlooms. So if you save seeds an plant them, may or may not get the same thing. But I am sure it will be some decent tomato plant, liking to one of its parents.. |
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| Seysonn- I know it's either Burpee's big boy or better boy, so I emailed Burpee and am awaiting a confirmation from them. They were delicious and plentiful. |
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| Then it is in all likelyhood a hybrid. I have grown Better boy before. I remember fruit size was about yours and maybe smaller,growing in clusters. I think it was one of the earliest ones I had. |
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| I used to grow both big boy and better boy. It looks like better boy to me. In my area of Southwest Ohio, big boys looked like beefsteaks -- bigger, more wide than high, and less like smooth balls than better boy. Better boy was always more prolific. Taste was similar. |
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| Seysonn & Ohiofem- you were both right- I heard back from Burpee's overnight and the answer is Better Boy! I will certainly grow this again. It was a great performer for me. Thanks so much for helping me out. Nerry |
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- Posted by carolyn137 z4/5 NY (My Page) on Tue, Nov 12, 13 at 14:30
| What's interesting to me is that Big Boy and Better Boy share one parent in common. Big Boy F1 was bred by Dr.Oved Schifriss when he was still at Burpee and one of the parfent was Teddy Jones, a large pink beefsteak heirloom from theMidwest. Burpee paid $24 for all the rights to Teddy Jones way back then. And yes, I know the other parent but promised Oved I woud never tell, and I haven't. He passed away quite a few years ago. Also at Burpee at the same time was John Peto. He left Burpee and took seeds for Teddy Jones with him, formed Petoseed in CA and there Better Boy was bred, with TJ as one parent. I don't know the other parent. Carolyn, who tried to dehybridize Big Boy to get Teddy Jones out, and Oved was helping me, and from 12 plants set out from saved F2 seed I got onl;y two that were pink, but Oved said they were way too small, and I kind of abandoned the project when he told me that the maximum number of genes I could get out of TJ was about 80%. For those wondering, no there never has been and never will be any public sources for TJ seeds. ( smile) |
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| Probably I will grow a Better Boy next year , IFF I can find the seedling. That will be my only hybrid attempt, probably. The rest will be Heirlooms. |
This post was edited by seysonn on Mon, Feb 17, 14 at 6:58
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