How to Grow Ferry-Morse Big Boy Hybrid Tomatoes
Developed by Dr. Oved Shifriss of W. Atlee Burpee & Company, Big Boy tomatoes (lycopersicon Big Boy) produce large, sweet, dark red tomatoes that can weigh as much as a pound each. As the Ferry-Morse Seed Company notes, they are among the most popular hybrid tomatoes. Big Boys have been a favorite of home gardeners since 1949. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Ferry-Morse Big Boy tomato seeds
- Seeding flat with clear cover
- Six packs
- Pencil
- Seed-starting mix
- Watering can with rosette attachment
- Tomato fertilizer
- Garden trowel
- Tomato cage OR garden stakes
- Garden ties
Instructions
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1
Fill a seeding flat with 3 inches of seed-starting mix. Water the mix thoroughly using a watering can fitted with a rosette attachment.
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2
Poke 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch holes in the seed-starting mix using the eraser end of the pencil. Space the holes 1 inch apart.
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3
Drop a Ferry-Morse Big Boy tomato seed into each hole. Press the soil over the top of each seed and firm it into the soil with your fingers.
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4
Cover the seeding flat with the clear cover and place the flat in a sunny window. Seedlings should sprout in seven to 10 days.
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5
Fill the six packs with seed starting mix. Poke a hole in the center of each pot using the pencil, as in Step 2.
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6
Remove the Big Boy seedlings from the seeding flat after they form their first true leaves. Use the tip of the pencil to bore beneath the seedling and support the roots as you move it to the filled six packs. Hold the leaves gently to steady the seedling as you move it. Don't hold the stem: It is too fragile and is likely to bruise or break. Plant each seedling in a hole in a pot, and gently firm the soil around it. Water the seedling.
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7
Move the potted seedlings to a sunny location and keep them watered while they grow.
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8
Harden off the seedlings, beginning one week before the last frost date in your area. To harden them off, take them outside and place them in a sheltered location for one hour, or until they begin to wilt. Bring them back indoors. Repeat this process the next day, leaving the seedlings outdoors for two hours or until they wilt. Do the same for the next five days, increasing the time outside each day until the seedlings can stay outdoors for 24 hours without any sign of stress or wilting. They are then ready to plant in the garden.
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9
Plant the tomato seedlings in fertile garden soil in a sunny location. With a trowel, dig a hole in the soil that's slightly wider and deeper than the pot containing the seedling. Tip the root and surrounding soil out of the pot, and set the root ball in the hole, then firm the soil around it. Work tomato fertilizer into the soil surrounding the stem, taking care to avoid nicking the stem or disturbing the seedling roots. Water the soil around the seedling. Repeat with the remaining seedlings, placing them two feet apart.
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10
Push a tomato cage, narrow side down, into the soil surrounding the seedling.
Or, hammer a stake into the soil next to the tomato. Make sure you hammer it deeply enough into the soil that it will be sturdy enough to support a heavy, fruit-laden tomato plant. -
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Water the tomato plants if rain doesn't provide two inches of water per week. Apply water from the watering can or hose directly at the base of the Big Boy tomato, and avoid splashing water onto the leaves, as this can promote disease. Train and tie the tomato vines to the stakes or tomato cage as they grow taller.
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12
To prevent the weight of the tomatoes from breaking the stems, tie dropping vines to the stakes or tomato cage as the fruit sets on, grows heavier and ripens.
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13
Harvest each tomato when it is slightly soft and deep red from top to bottom. Gently twist the tomato stem to release it from the plant. Eat, cook or preserve each ripe Big Boy tomato within a day or two of harvest.
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