- Hybrid F1
- Slicer
- 72 days to maturity (from transplant)
- Indeterminate
- Yellow
Lemon Boy
Hybrid F1 slicer from USA, 1984. Clear yellow hybrid slicer: low acid, mild, and unusually disease-tough for its colour. Ready in about 72 days from transplant.
Single source · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Values marked like this (estimated) are estimates.
At a glance
- Fruit type
- Slicer 7–10 oz (200–280 g) · Globe (estimated)
- Leaf type
- Regular leaf
- Days to harvest
- 72 days from transplant · Midseason
- Plant height
- 5–7 ft (150–210 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
- Difficulty
- Easy-moderate (estimated) 2/5
- Skin
-
- Yellow
- Interior
-
- Yellow
Plant size and habit
Tall · Indeterminate
5–7 ft (150–210 cm) (estimated) · Regular leaf
Lemon 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 5–7 ft (150–210 cm).
Flavor
“Clear yellow hybrid slicer: low acid, mild, and unusually disease-tough for its colour.”
Growing calendar
72 days from transplant Midseason
Timing shown for temperate climates; sow indoors 6–8 (estimated) weeks before your last frost date. Look up your last frost date by ZIP code →
Disease resistance
- V Verticillium wilt
- F1 Fusarium wilt (race 1)
- N Root-knot nematodes
Uses & tags
- Slicing
- Fresh & salads
- Novelty color
- Disease tough
- Beginner friendly
Origin
Lemon Boy introduced a clear lemon-yellow slicer, not the golden shade of older yellows, with hybrid vigour and a proper disease resistance package, at a time when yellow tomatoes mostly meant fragile heirlooms. The flesh is low in acid and mild, which some read as bland and others as the point.
Sources
Where to buy seeds
Prices rechecked dailyLinks may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Prices checked Nov 1, 2026.
All photos
Questions
How do you grow a Lemon Boy plant?
A Lemon Boy plant grows 5–7 ft (150–210 cm) tall (estimated). Space plants 24 in (60 cm) apart in rows 35 in (90 cm) apart (estimated). Start seed indoors 6–8 weeks before your last frost (estimated); it germinates in 7–14 days (estimated). It needs full sun.
How long does Lemon Boy take to mature?
Lemon Boy is ready in about 72 days from transplant.
Does Lemon Boy need staking?
Lemon 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 5–7 ft (150–210 cm).
Can Lemon Boy be grown in a container?
Lemon Boy is better suited to open ground or a greenhouse bed than a container.
Is Lemon Boy resistant to disease?
Lemon Boy carries documented resistance to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt (race 1), and Root-knot nematodes.
