Beefmaster & Betterboy Tomatoes

Hybrid Tomatoes

• Beefmaster and Better Boy are both hybrid tomatoes. Among other things, this means that these tomatoes will not breed true. Saving seeds from these varieties will produce plants, but they will be unlike the parent plants. Instead, they will exhibit a variety of traits from their mixed backgrounds. If you wish to save seeds, select plant that are labeled as heirloom tomatoes.

Determinates and Indeterminates

• Tomatoes have two main fruiting styles. Some set fruit all at once and are mainly used for canning -- these are the determinates. They tend to be bushier plants and don't require as much pinching. Beefmaster and Better Boy are both indeterminates, which means that they set fruit throughout the season. Indeterminates are preferred for fresh eating, but the vines grow much larger, requiring more support and pruning.

Beefmaster

• Beefmaster is a beefsteak style tomato. It sets large red fruit that weigh between 1 and 2 pounds. Fruits are described as solid and meaty. They will begin to ripen approximately 80 days from transplanting. Beefmaster tomato plants are resistant to nematodes, fusarium race 1 and verticillium wilt. They are also reported to be resistant to alternaria stem canker and stemphylium, or gray leaf spot.

Better Boy

• Better Boy tomatoes are slightly smaller than Beefmaster and are considered flattened globe tomatoes. Their fruits average 12 ounces and are ready a few days earlier than Beefmaster, starting around 72 days after transplant. They are more resistant to cracking than Beefmaster. Better Boy carries resistance to nematodes, verticillium wilt and fusarium races 1 and 2. Better Boy is also resistant to alternaria stem canker and stemphylium.