Better Boy Tomato

Why Better Boy is the best-selling US tomato

Better Boy has held the title of best-selling tomato transplant in the US for over 30 consecutive years. It produces large, meaty red slicers on disease-resistant plants that grow in every US zone. No other tomato in the same weight class has matched it for reliability across such a wide range of American growing conditions.

Ball Horticultural Company, which tracks retail sales at garden centers, reports Better Boy has never dropped out of the top two in slicing tomato sales since its introduction. The reasons are practical: it reliably sets fruit through heat waves, resists the three most common soil-borne diseases in US garden beds, and produces 10–16 oz tomatoes that perform well for home cooks.

For comparison: popular heirloom varieties like Brandywine and Cherokee Purple can produce excellent fruit but lack disease resistance, are more temperature-sensitive, and require longer seasons. In short-season zones or in beds with soil-borne disease history, Better Boy wins on reliability alone.

Better Boy vs. other popular tomatoes

Better Boy is the reliable middle ground between the disease-resistant but smaller Celebrity and the large-but-vulnerable heirlooms. For most US home gardeners, 72 days and VFN resistance in a 12-oz package is the optimal combination.

Big Boy vs. Better Boy: Big Boy is the parent variety. Better Boy was developed from it with added disease resistance and slightly earlier maturity. Better Boy outperforms Big Boy in most US garden conditions for this reason.

For other tomato growing information, see how to grow tomatoes for full-season planning and how to prune tomatoes for stem management techniques.

Growing Better Boy: zone-by-zone timing

Better Boy grows as a warm-season annual in all US zones. Plant transplants outdoors 1–2 weeks after the last frost date when soil is consistently 60°F at 3 inches depth.

Zone timing (transplant dates):

• Zone 3–4: Early to mid-June. Short-season concern — Better Boy’s 72-day window gives tight margins. Start from seed indoors 8 weeks before transplant date. Consider using a season extender (row cover or black plastic mulch) to gain 1–2 extra weeks.
• Zone 5: Mid- to late May. 72 days from transplant gives ripe fruit by late July to early August.
• Zone 6: May 10–20. Ripe fruit by late July. A long productive window through October.
• Zone 7–8: May 1–15. Ripe fruit in mid-July. Often a second production flush in September after midsummer heat breaks.
• Zone 9–10: Two-season growing: spring (plant February–March) and fall (plant July–August). Better Boy struggles to set fruit when temperatures exceed 95°F consistently.

Check your last frost date at the planting zones guide to calculate your transplant window.

Planting and spacing

Plant Better Boy transplants 24–36 inches apart in rows 36–48 inches apart. Better Boy is an indeterminate vine — it needs more space than determinate bush varieties.

Trench planting: Lay the transplant on its side in a shallow trench so the bottom 6–8 inches of stem is buried. Tomatoes root along the buried stem. This technique produces a stronger root system and more stable plant. This is especially useful if your transplants are leggy (tall and spindly from being started indoors too long).

Depth: Set the transplant so only the top 6–8 inches of leaves are above ground. Remove all leaves that will be below soil level.

After planting: Water deeply (1 gallon per plant) and install the stake or cage immediately. Don’t wait — driving a stake through established roots damages them. Set the support at planting.

Staking options: A single indeterminate tomato like Better Boy grows 4–5 feet and produces heavy fruit clusters. A standard 3-ring wire tomato cage (48 inches) is barely adequate. A 5-foot or 6-foot cage, a heavy wooden stake, or a Florida weave system (horizontal twine between posts) supports the plant better. See tomato companion plants for companion planting options that help manage pests and disease at the same time.

Watering Better Boy tomatoes

Better Boy needs consistent moisture — approximately 1–1.5 inches of water per week. Inconsistent watering is the primary cause of blossom end rot and fruit cracking in this variety.

The most common watering mistake: wet and dry cycles. Two days after a heavy rain, the gardener doesn’t water; then 4 days of heat with no rain; then a heavy watering; then nothing again. These swings create calcium deficiency (which causes blossom end rot) and fruit cracking.

Consistent watering is simpler than it sounds:

1. Water deeply twice per week if no rain, rather than lightly every day
2. Drip irrigation or soaker hose at the soil surface — not overhead
3. 2–3 inches of shredded straw or wood mulch around the plants to slow evaporation

If blossom end rot appears (dark, sunken spots on the bottom of developing fruit), the cause is almost always irregular watering, not calcium deficiency in the soil. Fix the watering schedule first. See how to grow tomatoes for a full watering calendar by zone.

Fertilizing Better Boy

Better Boy responds well to a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) at planting and a low-nitrogen fertilizer once it sets fruit. High nitrogen after fruit set produces leafy plants with few tomatoes.

Fertilizer schedule:

1. At planting: work a slow-release balanced fertilizer into the planting hole per label directions
2. At first fruit set (when small green tomatoes are marble-sized): switch to a low-nitrogen fertilizer like 5-10-10 or a dedicated tomato fertilizer
3. Every 3–4 weeks through the season: apply the low-nitrogen fertilizer according to label directions

Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers (especially lawn fertilizers with 30%+ nitrogen) after first fruit set. The plant will grow 6 feet of lush vine and produce minimal fruit.

Pruning and training Better Boy

Prune Better Boy to 1, 2, or 3 main stems. More stems mean more total fruit. Fewer stems mean larger individual fruit and better air circulation.

Single stem: Remove every sucker — the shoots that emerge in the joint between the stem and a branch. One main stem, staked vertically. Produces the fewest but largest fruits. Best for gardeners with limited space or who want the biggest possible individual tomatoes.

Two-stem: Keep the sucker immediately below the first flower cluster as a second leader. Stake or tie both stems. Good balance of fruit size and yield. This is the approach I’ve used most consistently.

Three-stem: Same as two-stem but also keep a second sucker. More total fruit, slightly smaller average size. Needs a heavy cage or multiple stakes.

No pruning (bush approach): Let it grow naturally. Total yield is high but air circulation is poor — disease risk increases. Fruit is smaller. Not recommended for Better Boy specifically, which has vigorous growth.

For full sucker removal technique, see how to prune tomatoes.

Common problems with Better Boy

Blossom end rot: Dark, sunken spots on the blossom end of fruit. Caused by calcium uptake failure due to inconsistent watering — not by calcium deficiency in the soil. Fix watering schedule. Remove affected fruit (they won’t recover). New fruit set after consistent watering will be clean.

Fruit cracking: Radial cracks from the stem end or circular shoulder cracks. Caused by rapid water uptake after dry periods. Mulch heavily and water consistently to prevent.

Hornworms: Tomato hornworms (3–4 inch green caterpillars) eat foliage rapidly and can defoliate a plant in 2–3 days. Check the undersides of leaves daily in July and August. Hand-pick. A parasitic wasp commonly lays eggs on hornworms — if you see white cocoons on the hornworm’s back, leave it. The wasps will emerge and attack more hornworms.

Leaf roll: Lower leaves roll upward in hot weather. This is a normal physiological response to heat stress — not a disease. No treatment needed.

Fusarium wilt: Even though Better Boy carries Fusarium resistance (F rating), it is resistance to race 1 only. Race 2 and Race 3 can still affect it. If plants wilt during the day and don’t recover at night — with the internal stem tissue showing brown streaking — Fusarium is the likely cause. Remove and dispose of plants; do not compost. Rotate to a different bed next season.

For a full pest management guide, the NC State Extension tomato production guide covers Better Boy and other major US tomato varieties with current treatment options.