Very nice supports Daniel - Not only do your tomatoes grow on your supports as tall as they do in my GH - the foliage on your plants look as green at the bottom as they are on the top. I start cutting branches/leaves off at the bottom of the tomato plants mid to late season because the leaves start turning yellow at the bottom as the plant ages. I am convinced you will have some very good looking Brandy Boys this year after seeing your structures, techniques and results !!

Thank you Hudson for the nice words.

The foliage look green at the bottom because I did NOT remove the lower plant' suckers. While the main stems went up, those suckers went... horizontal.

A few years ago, when I started growing tomatoes, I learned a lesson the hard way. I pruned a lot.

Because the bottom leaves became yellowish / brownish I removed them. After a lot of removing, I had plants 10+ ft. high, with leaves ONLY at the top. Those few leaves were not able to feed my tomatoes. Not good.

I learned my lesson, and now it's better. Those suckers produced pretty well last year. Some also served as sun protection for the tomatoes on the main stems.

Some people prune, some people don't. It's a choice of what works the best for us. I do prune - little, and only if it's necessary - but I'm pretty lucky with that HUGE real estate. I can organize the vines however I want. I don't know how I would handle a 20 ft. long vine on a 5 ft. high cage. 5-6 vines...?

The frame on the left - 13 ft. high x 6 ft. wide - was exclusively for cherry tomatoes. Most of them grow higher than the frame's height. They were VERY happy with the big real estate.

For that
green, healthy foliage I want to thank Copper Fungicide. [I have no connection with the company, just a VERY happy customer.]

I start
spraying from DAY 1, WEEKLY, and I didn’t have ANY type of problems.

Planted out a Brandy Boy yesterday inside a Wall of Water. As I was planting two other tomatoes a storm rolled through bringing wind, heavy rain, and dime sized hail. Got very wet but all are well protected by the WOWs. Had to go inside so still have one variety to plant today. Other varieties are inside under lights until later this month.

Last year, about a week after I planted the seedlings, a thunderstorm hit. While most of the plants were protected, for some I couldn't find a solution.

So I took them out, and put them in the garage overnight. The next day I re-planted them, and everything was ok. The plants were like 2-3 ft. high.

Mnws... glad that your plants are ok.

Today I measured one of my BrBs. It was over 24" tall. It has 3 buds and one of them is getting ready to open. I am betting on July 15 harvest. Maybe I sound too optimistic. ?

Sey

Daniel - thanks for the tip on Copper Fungicide - I better order some. Thanks for the info also on pruning. It is great to hear how tomato growers find success using different methods! And your methods are working for you - no argument from me about that !!

Sey - I think you approach growing tomatoes always with optimism! That's one of things I like about your post's!

Ok, my Brandy Boys are officially in...

The ground that is. Haha!

After 3 days of hardening off, in the garden yesterday and looking good today.

@ sey, I don't think you're TOO optimistic.

72 days - till July 15 - are MANY days...

@ hudson, I'm sure aggressive pruning works the best for you, so obviously... "no argument from me about that !!"

@ goodground... YAY, good job !

Daniel, thanks for your support :-)
I was looking at the temperatures map. O' Boy! It is cooking good from the Atlantic, to the Pacific, from the gulf and Mexico to Canada. . I see 75F all the way up in Maine. Probably it got to 80s in Long Island today. Our high was 66F. But sunny and pleasant
I am so glad that your long and harsh winter is finally over.

Sey

We had 83' F today here in long Island NY.

I'm REALLY worried about how HOT this summer will be.

> “This year [2014] will likely be the hottest on record for
the planet, with global temperatures 1.03 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the
1961-to-1990 average, according to a new report from the World Meteorological
Organization.

This
would make 2014 the 38th consecutive year with an anomalously high annual
global temperature.”

2014 to Be Hottest Year Ever Measured (Scientific American)

Anybody want to bet that 2015 will NOT be the "39th consecutive year...” ?

Daniel, Was your 2014 summer the hottest ? Ours was not .
I did take a look at the actual weather data for July and August, 2014. The highs average was 75F, inline with the historical average. If you have Weather Chanel on your computer you can verify it for LI.
Global warming, in average, is a fraction of a degree per year.

Sey

I think 2013 was hotter than 2014 here in my neck of the wood.

sey, your area is a "special" area. Very unpredictable.

Melting Antarctic: Failure to act now on emissions could raise oceans by metres

Your Brandy Boys look great Goodground!

Thanks Hudson!

If I get a fraction of the tomatoes you get in your GH I will be very happy. Keep in mind that my plants are F10 seeds given to me by John Anderson. I believe that he has compared the F10 with F1 with no difference. It will be interesting to compare my results in this contest. I know for sure mine won't be the first to ripen but hope to compete in the heavyweight department. Thanks for recommending this variety. :-)

I hope this thread doesn't turn into a back and forth on climate change!

sorry.

It is time to pull the stakes, prune some suckers and string up the Brandy Boys. Keep in mind that we grow our tomatoes in a GH and this method may not work in your situation - but it sure produces tomatoes for us!

You can see that I have let some of the suckers grow on this plant until it reaches about 3' high.

Then I prune the suckers so there are only two main branches

I pull the rebar stake and run strings to a horizontal pipe 5' above. When the branches climb the string up to the pipe - we begin tying the branches to the cattle panel overhead that is next to the pipe.

nice

Found my first Brandy Boy of the season here in Oklahoma. Hope there are more.

You've been sandbagging Bixby! I bet it wasn't hard to find that one! Most photos posted of BB fruit to date look similar in shape - the earlier fruit are usually the largest, too?

I'm jealous of all you guys with fruits already formed! With the rising temperatures, my plants are starting to become bigger and bushier every day, but no where near the level of hudson's, centexan's, or even antmary's plants (who happens to be a full zone above me!). Keep up the good work. I will post a pic of mine today when I have some free time.

edit: goodground's plants are looking great, too. Much bushier than mine... nice dark green color as well.

edit2: here's one of my better looking Brandy Boys as of today

Time to put the extension on my four foot cage:

I'm already fighting diseases - I think it is mold or mildew. I keep picking off the leaves with yellow spots.

My two plants just taken a few seconds ago.

Note if the pics look small you can click on the picture to see the full sized image. It seems to like to do this when I post pictures from my phone.

Both are starting to set more fruit at last. Both are in the around three feet tall area of height. They are in two different beds. Both beds are highly amended. Both get the same for fertilizer. I water when I see plants look a little bit on the droop side in the morning. So they get watered when needed. Though they may need water on different days. I am hoping that the fruit that setting on them will get a chance to get bigger before the heat kicks into high gear here. That can happen anytime in the next two to five weeks. Both are in remesh cages that are 5 feet tall by two feet in diameter. Openings are 4 square inches.

I started my plants later this year by design, so I'm probably not going to win any contests for earliness. My wife would like help on the weekends raising our 2-year old, so I chose not to spend any time on the season-extending techniques that I've used in the past. I'm also probably not going to win any size contests, because of a shift in gardening strategy this year. For the past couple of years, I've noticed that my container-grown plants produce better tasting tomatoes than my in-ground plants, so this year I'm planting most of my tomatoes in 15 gal containers. That pretty much guarantees that the tomatoes will be smaller, but hopefully better tasting! So my goal is to win the contest for growing the tastiest Brandy Boy! I will be the sole judge of this contest, and if I win, my prize is I get to eat the rest of the tomato! ;-)

I've grown Brandy Boy for two seasons now, and both years, it produced the best tasting tomatoes of the year, beating out such flavor heavy-hitters as Cherokee Purple, Cowlick's Brandywine, NAR, Purple Dog Creek, Prue, and Gary'O Sena in my non-blind, non-scientific home taste tests.

RT, I grow in containers also and wondered if I was the only one that thought container grown fruit tasted so much better. Or could it be the varieties I have chosen, going more towards OP and Heirloom now? This year I have two varieties in containers and two of the same in the ground so I will be able to judge better than on memory. I started Brandy Boy really late as I mixed up seed when germinating and had to start over. So I won't win any contests. But I really want to see how these taste. It was interesting to see you liked it better than some really good tasting ones that I have grown! And I want to compare it to Dester, another pink beefsteak that is one of our favorites. Here's little Brandy Boy with his big sister Dester in the back ground.

Jennie

P.S. Hope you win the best tasting award! :-)

Hi, Jennie. It will be interesting to compare notes at the end of the season. I'm particularly interested in your container vs in-ground results. On any given year, it seems like any of the flavor kings could produce the best tasting tomatoes. For four years running, Cherokee Purple was my favorite, then 3 years ago NAR took the top spot, then Brandy Boy the last 2 years, with Gary'O Sena a close second. BTW, I'm growing your beloved Dester for the first time this year. I'm glad to hear it's one of your favorites.

-Mark (rt_peasant)

In the last comment I made (near the end of the original thread) I said I had 4 of 6 germinating. Well I eventually had 100% germination but I culled one that was runty and sacrificed another since I've already got more than I need.

(The coloring on the photo is a bit off. The leaves are a slightly darker green than they look.)

In early April I experimented with watering them vermicompost tea. Tried it for a couple weeks and they just sat there doing nothing but getting yellow. So that was a bust and definitely set them back. Switched back to fertilizing them with MG about two, maybe two and a half weeks ago and they've taken off since then. The temps now are pretty good and I could probably plant but I'll wait a little longer just to be safe.

Rodney

P.S. Perhaps we should start a part 3? This thread is getting quite long.

Hey Mark, Gary'O Sena is definitely on my try list next year after looking on Tatianna's data base after you posted about this variety. I have not tried that one nor heard of it. I have room for twelve (way more than two people need) so I keep my favorites and try new ones. Dester surprised us. The first tomatoes that set fruit in our cold spring last year were just okay. Then the warmth of summer set in and they were fantastic. Interesting to see how they do in your cooler climate. Will post a year end report on inground vs. container on how the flavor stacks up. Can't wait to taste the first Brandyboy. Will be interested in how Dester does for you.

Jennie

The things started to move. I see many new responses and I really enjoy to look at the pictures. The main thing that we all will be rewarded with the tasty tomatoes.

Here are the first flowers on Brandy Boy. By the way, the first tomato to flower was Lida Ukrainian, then Malachite box, then Brandy Boy and Japanese Truffle Pink at the same time.

Antmary , ..Interesting .
I have one flower like that on one of my BrBoy.
Lets see what happens next.

Sey

This is just my guess. All tomatoes in the row closest to the driveway are flowering, all tomatoes in the second row have flower buds but will start to flower probably in next week. I think the driveway makes the soil slightly warmer in the first row.

I actually saw nice looking Brandy Boy plants for sale today for $1.89. They were in Burpee containers.

I was checking on the BBs this morning in the GH and discovered a new record (for us) - one of our Brandy Boy plants has 20 buds/blossoms on one Truss - can anyone top that??

Also - One of my Brandy Boys just hit about 36" in height and has 3 trusses on it: Truss #1 - 11 Truss#2 - 11 and Truss #3 - 10 buds/blossoms - for a total of - 32 buds/blossoms on this young plant. I would consider Brandy Boy Very Prolific?!

Edit - I didn't have my glasses on when I was counting buds/blossoms this morning - haha. Actually - there are 20 on one truss - simply amazing?!

Wow !! What are you feeding them , Hudson ?. I don't think that it is just the GH. There must be some secrets. hehe
Mine have trusses with no more than 3 buds each. Maybe, when it gets warmer they will grow bigger trusses.

Sey

I think Hudson crossed his Brandy Boy with a Cherry! haha

It could be due to the fact that he prunes to two stems. The plant has more energy to devote to flowers as opposed to maintaining leaves and stems. I pruned to three stems last year and I commented to my wife how I noticed that I was getting trusses with more flowers too.

Either way, I think we all agree that any contests that Hudson wins will have to be denoted with an asterisk, just like Brady's Super Bowl win. After all, deflated balls is no worse than GH growing! Just kidding Hudson... I grew commercially in GHs for 10 years.

My 4 BBs are doing fine, even after one was uprooted by a squirrel. It is half the size of the other three but is now looking good. I just got my first tomato, 5/8, and it is time now to start pruning all of my 50 plants to three stems and hanging my twine.

I drenched the transplants with seaweed and fish juice, and then three weeks later I foliar fed them with Miracle Grow. I will drench them with the seaweed and fish oil again soon. I am spraying weekly with a rotation of Daconil and Copper with 2 aspirin per gallon added too.

I'm not sure - it has to be the GH - I can live with an asterisk - haha. I was checking the other varieties in our GH and there is not a truss that I could find with less than 5 buds/blossoms on any of the varieties we planted. Jersey Boy has 15 on one of it's trusses. Most of Brandy Boys are 8 to 12 blossoms per truss. I agree with NC - the way I prune to 2-3 stems must have a lot to do with it.

I don't feed the tomato plants probably any different than the rest of you - although the manure/compost I use comes from Wyoming steers that eat our high elevation/high protein grass/alfalfa - maybe that has something to do with it?!

I know many of the blossom on those heavy trusses will not set or will have just tiny tomatoes - but based on prior years - most of them will make it to the dinner table - haha

Hudson, I don't think it is the pruning. You just started pruning not too long ago. (last Tuesday, per your post ). The effect of pruning cannot be so immediate.
I think that your plants were/are just strong to begin with.
Mine have trusses, each with 3 or 4 buds and there is nothing to prune yet. The suckers are not even 2 inches. I'll let them be for a while and let the main get thicker and stay stockier.

Sey

It must be our GH - Sey. Am I the only participant on this thread that is growing Brandy Boys in a GH? Can others growing BB in a GH help us out here? What do your Brandy Boys look like? Are they prolific with blossoms on their trusses similar to mine?

My Brandy Boys are growing just fine. Actually, the one in my 20 gal container looks as strong or stronger than my raised bed BB. I have a few fruit on each plant (marble size). The only variety that looks stronger than my Brandy Boys (14 varieties) is my Big Beefs. They are really going strong. I sure am glad I ran across disciples of Brandy Boy and Big Beef. They both look like winners.

Fireduck, ..I am also happy to be amongst the BrBoy and BgBf disciples. I have high hops that both of them will be in the top 5 in my garden.

On Hudson's BrB performance, I think it has to do with good growing conditions (temps, soil, fertility ). My growing conditions, especially temperatures and light, are below par. For example, starting this coming monday our highs will be in high 60s., cloudy and some rain for a week.

Sey

Here are more photos of our Brandy Boys getting stretched out to grow!

I still run one string of light bulbs and a small heater for another week or two - Sunday night is forecast for 21 degrees night time temps

The first BB is growing - could be a winner?!

My Brandyboy is 48 inches tall and 2 feet wide. I have 3 trusses on it but only about 4 blooms on each truss. My largest tomato is about golf ball size.

A little blurry but better than no picture.

Hudson,

your Brandy Boys have so big leaves, I have not seen anything like them before!

I looked at my Boy and it has 10 flowers in the first truss, more then any other variety I have. It is a very interesting tomato, indeed. Some of the flowers are too small to see on the picture.

Antmary - 10 flowers - that is impressive - that is what I would expect from my experience with Brandy Boy - you should have a prolific plant!

Interesting observation about the leaves! I noticed Yolo's plant leaves are more similar to your plant (nice tomato Yolo!). I went back and looked at our plants when they were even younger than yours - and the leaves are very large. It must be a function of my soil and fertilizer? Which plant will produce bigger/better tomatoes? Perhaps your plant - as much of my plant's energy appears to be going to the leaves? It may not be a function of pruning as the photo shows my plant before I prune suckers? It may be a GH affect? I am sure Carolyn would have an answer !

I think it is a GH effect, although good soil and fertilizer are important. GH tomatoes have optimal humidity, light and no wind. They can grow wide leaves without the danger of water loss though the large leaf area. We have a cool weather now, many tomatoes do not set fruits on the first truss in such weather , but I won't be surprised if Brandy Boy will do it. It is so unusual.

My Brandy Boys have real nice leaves too and they are working on buds/ haha
They are just dong it slowly, 3-4 buds per truss. What is the hurry ! It is just the beginning of the season. lol.
Being planted out about a month ago, for the first time our night low will be over 49F. Today was our warmest day of the season so far : 80F. Cheers !

Sey

A few days ago I wrote in the weather thread:

> "sey, you will get 80s when everybody else will get 100s."

Yesterday Saturday, May 9, 2015, El Cenizo, TX had... 100' F

Well, 100’ F was not EVERYWHERE, but I was close.

> "What is the hurry ! It is just the beginning of the season."

Very, VERY true !

Actually I was wrong. Today I looked at the other tomatoes and they also have about 8-10 flowers in their first trusses. The flowers in the truss are developing from the tiny ones which I could not see last week. It is probably our local conditions: we have highs around 70s and lows around 50s, and it was humid here last week, sort of like a greenhouse. Season, you'll have this nice weather later in May, when we will be hit by the hot weather.

Some other tomatoes.

And another one.

I see some neck n neck competition already between Hudson, Yolos and Nate, on the First category. I am still in and have not given up on winning yet. hehe

Sey