questions about Celebrity, Better Boy, and Big Boy tomtaoes

[Thomas Jacobs]

I've been told that Celebrity, Better Boy, and Big Boy produce large numbers of tomatoes. Is this true?

My local garden store claims that Celebrity is the best of the three for production. However, I've heard that Celebrity tomatoes are prone to "green shoulders" and miscellaneous problems.

I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has grown these varieties.

[FarmerDill]

Celebrity- This is a determinate tomato which basicly means it typically is abushy plant only getting on average about 4 feet tall. It is a newer hybrid, than Big Boy or Better Boy and has greater disease resistance. That is probably the major reason for its popularity in the south as it is resistant to Nematodes, grey leaf spot, alternaria stem canker as well as two races of Fusarium. It is a typical round red 1/2 lb tomato. Earliest of the three.

Better Boy - Indeterminate 6 - 8 foot vine. Good disease resistance . 3/4 lb round red tomatoes.

Big Boy- Indeterminate - 6-8 ft vines. This one of the older hybrids dating from 1949. 3/4 lb round red. lacks the disease resistance of Better Boy but otherwise quite similar.

All three of them are reasonable producers under good conditions. If you happen to have one of the diseases to which Big Boy is susceptible than Better Boy is your choice.

I have grown all three, but am not particularly fond of any of them. Reliable but mediocre would be my description.