Better Boy
Single source · Reviewed Sep 9, 2026
Values marked like this (estimated) are model estimates, not confirmed from a source.
Hybrid F1 beefsteak from USA. High-yielding red hybrid beefsteak with broad disease resistance. Ready in about 72 days from transplant.
- Hybrid F1
- 72 days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Large fruit
- Easy-moderate (estimated)
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Beefsteak 12–16 oz (340–450 g) · Globe
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Plant height
- 6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) Tall
- Spacing
- 24 × 35 in (60 × 90 cm) (estimated)
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Position
- Handles open positions
- Growing sites
- Greenhouse · Polytunnel · Open ground
- Container growing
- Not suited to pots
- Skin
-
- Red
- Interior
-
- Red
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
6–8 ft (180–240 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Better Boy is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Flavor
“High-yielding red hybrid beefsteak with broad disease resistance.”
Growing calendar
- Sow indoors
- Transplant out
- Harvest
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost date.
Disease resistance
- V Verticillium wilt
- F1 Fusarium wilt (race 1)
- N Root-knot nematodes
Uses & tags
- Slicing
- Fresh & salads
- High yield
- Disease tough
- Beginner friendly
Origin
Better Boy is the workhorse red hybrid of American home gardens: large fruit, heavy yield and a solid V-F-N disease package. It was bred at Petoseed, the company John Peto founded after leaving Burpee, as an improvement on Big Boy, from a cross of the pink Midwestern beefsteak Teddy Jones with a red parent the company never disclosed. A single plant grown by Charles Wilber held the 1987 Guinness record for yield, 342 lb of fruit, which says less about the variety than about what a well-fed indeterminate can do given a long season.
Sources
- Better Boy Hybrid Tomato, Burpee (72 days, indeterminate, 16 oz) ↗
- Better Boy, Wikipedia (Teddy Jones x undisclosed red, John Peto; 72 days; ~340 g; V and F resistant) ↗
- Better Boy Tomato, Bonnie Plants (V, F, N; 70-75 days; 16 oz) ↗
- Better Boy Tomato: Tomato of the Month, Tomato Dirt (Petoseed, Big Boy lineage, Charles Wilber 1987 Guinness 342 lb; A and St only in some companies' strains) ↗
Where to buy seeds
| Shop | Offer | Price | Packet | Stock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato Growers Supply Company | Seeds | $3.45Checked Sep 16, 2026 | Pack (20 seeds) | Check availability | Buy |
| Eden Brothers | Seeds | $7.99Checked Sep 16, 2026 | Packet | Check availability | Buy |
| Burpee | Seeds | Check price at shop | Packet size not listed | Check availability | Buy |
Links may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Sep 16, 2026; not live.
All photos
-
Better Boy tomatoes ripening on the vine under cover -
A truss of Better Boy tomatoes -
Better Boy tomato plant in a garden bed with ripe fruit on the vine -
A ripe Better Boy tomato held in a gardener's hand -
Freshly picked Better Boy tomatoes -
Better Boy tomato sliced in the kitchen
Questions
How long does Better Boy take to mature?
Better Boy is ready in about 72 days from transplant.
Does Better Boy need staking?
Better Boy is an indeterminate plant that keeps growing and setting fruit until frost; it needs a stake, cage, or trellis for the whole season. Expect a plant of 6–8 ft (180–240 cm).
Can Better Boy be grown in a container?
Better Boy is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Better Boy resistant to disease?
Better Boy carries documented resistance to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt (race 1), and Root-knot nematodes.
See also
Other beefsteak varieties people put next to this one.
Grows like this one
Indeterminate, midseason, full sun. Same support, same calendar.
