How to Grow Big Boy Tomatoes
- 1). Fill a seed flat that has drainage holes with seed-starter mix.
- 2). Insert a pencil 1/4 inch into the soil in rows to make planting holes for the 'Big Boy' tomato seeds. Sow one seed per hole and cover it with a thin layer of soil.
- 3). Spray the soil with water until it is entirely moist or place the seed flat in a tray of water. Let the flat absorb the moisture through its drainage holes until the soil surface becomes moist.
- 4). Cover the seed flat with clear plastic film to maintain a warm and humid environment for the seeds. Check the moisture level every day. Any time the soil surface begins to dry, water it again. Remove the plastic film as soon as the first seed sprouts.
- 5). Thin the tomato seedlings in the seed flat to 3 inches apart when they reach 1 inch in height. Look to see whether one seems weaker than another to avoid killing healthy plants.
- 6). Break up the top 6 inches of soil in the planting area and blend in 100 lbs. of compost per 100 square feet of tomato bed. Rake the surface to smooth it out. Complete this step two weeks before transplanting the tomatoes.
- 7). Dig holes 1 inch deeper than the height of the seedling's roots. Place them 3 inches apart. Transplant the 'Big Boy' starter plants. Position their lowest set of leaves just above the soil line. Back-fill the holes with topsoil and use your palms to firm the ground around the plant's base.
- 8). Dilute 1 tbsp. of a 6-8-6 fertilizer in 1 gallon of water. Water each seedling with 2 cups of this solution at planting.
- 9). Insert 6-foot-long tomato stakes 1 foot into the ground and 3 inches from each 'Big Boy' tomato plant. Tie the tomato stalk to the stake with string loosely to prevent injury to the plant's stem.
- 10
Build a 3-inch-deep layer of mulch with straw, dead leaves or wood chips around each plant to reduce weeds and conserve moisture. Pull any weed that manages to sprout. - 11
Irrigate your 'Big Boy' plants once a week, giving each 1 inch of water. Install a soaker hose to deliver water directly into the ground to keep the foliage dry, which reduces fungal disease. - 12
Prune most of the suckers. Retain only two and the plant's main stem to produce flowers and fruit. - 13
Harvest 'Big Boy' tomatoes off the vine when they weigh between 10 and 16 oz. and are uniformly red. It takes about 78 days for this variety to ripen after you transplant it outside.
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