Welcome to the Tomato of the Month for August 2009! This is the first of a series of posts I will be featuring on the first day of each month. Each month will bring a new variety of tomato, and some information about each one. With thousands of different varieties of tomatoes available, it should be an interesting opportunity to find and learn about all types of different tomatoes.
As the title suggests, the featured tomato for August is the Better Boy tomato.
The Better Boy Hybrid Tomato
The Better Boy Tomato is a hybrid (meaning that it was bred by crossing varieties) tomato that is resistant to Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium Wilt, and nematodes (or VFN; For more information about what the disease codes mean, please visit, Tomato Disease Resistance List). Better Boy’s are indeterminate tomatoes, that mature in 70 to 75 days, and produce beautiful medium to large-sized, smoothed-skin fruit. The fruits have a classic tomato flavor that is balanced just right between sugars and acid. The taste, and ease of growth, of these fabulous tomatoes have made it the most popular tomato grown in the U.S.
Better Boy tomatoes should be grown using cages, stakes or some other type of support to maintain healthy, productive plants. Plant these tomatoes about 36 to 42 inches apart for optimal spacing – they can get quite large when fully grown in late summer.
The Better Boy tomato is great for slicing on sandwiches, in soups, and are ideal for salads. The possibility of uses for this awesome tomato are endless!
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