The Better Boy hybrid is one of the best tomatoes enjoyed by home growers as it matures in 70-75 days, bears smooth-skinned fruits with excellent flavor, and is easy to grow.
It is also appreciated for its extreme popularity due to ease of cultivation and resistance to Verticillium and Fusarium Wilt. Being an indeterminate type, Better Boys are best grown in cages or tepee-style stakes.
Best Soil for Growing Better Boy Tomatoes
Just like other Better Boy varieties, Better Boys can be grown in any good tomato growing soil. Although all Better Boys are tough against wilting, it his recommended to practice good crop rotation. It is important to add that Better Boys do well in slightly acidic soils with a pH of 6.5-7.0.
Proper Care of Better Boy Tomatoes
Better Boy hybrids are one of the more care-free of the tomato crops home gardeners enjoy. On average, they thrive in frost free areas for 72 days before producing ripe fruit. They will also yield better if they are spaced at least 36 inches apart from other plants.
To maximize plant yield, use stakes, hoops, or other supports to encourage the plants to grow upright, and pinch off early buds and shoots. Around midseason, incorporate a balanced (10-10-10) fertilizer or compost into the soil.
Make sure to water frequently, but avoid oversaturation. Adequate water is crucial for maximizing growth and avoiding splitting and blossom end rot during and after fruiting.
When to Harvest Better Boy Tomatoes
Farm Better Boy tomatoes when they feel firm and round, with a rich red hue. With optimal growing conditions, this phase begins around the 70-day mark, but may take longer in the face of adversity. The majority of Better Boys will be fully ripe by 80 days, with nearly all yields expected by the 90-day mark.
Better Boy Tomato Pests and Diseases
Although Better Boys are generally disease-resistant and will suffer little or no disease if properly rotated, they are vulnerable to nearly all pests. Encourage beneficial insects for pest control, like ladybugs and dragonflies, and birds, which help with other tomato varieties.
Watering using drip or furrow methods is best done in the mornings as it avoids many other concerns.
How to Prepare Better Boy Tomatoes
Better Boy tomatoes are exceedingly prevalent due to their high yields, as these tomatoes can be put to use in a myriad of ways as they are one of the most popular tomato varieties. They are effusively juicy, have a modest number of seeds, and possess a crisp texture when they are ripe.
Better Boys may be used as slices in salads, in sandwiches, as saucing and salsa ingredients, and even stewed. Better Boys are less bitter than other tomato varieties even when unripe, meaning they can be pickled or fried without much taste distortion.
Tips for Growing Better Boy Tomatoes
Like most hybrids, Better Boy tomatoes have a few noteworthy secrets. For starters, one must begin the seeds indoors; doing so will allow the plants to grow ‘size and stamina’ for 6-8 weeks which will enable them to be transplanted successfully.
Although Better Boys do not make great container tomatoes, growing them in large buckets and placing them on porches, kitchen gardens, or other outdoor areas makes for very pleasing decorative foliage. Better Boys can be grown in large buckets of approximately five gallons.
Soil nutrition plays a vital role in increasing yield, particularly for Better Boy tomatoes. With Better Boy‘s, the soil must be primed to the plant’s needs prior to the transplanting, and enriching the soil with compost at least once during the season (ideally, twice) will significantly improve nutrient retention.