Purple Boy

[SpookyShoe]

Trying this for the first time this year. Claims to have the flavor of Cherokee Purple mixed with hybrid disease resistance. 6 to 7 oz round fruit. Bought a 4 inch potted plant this morning at a family owned nursery.

Going into the ground on March 1st, weather permitting.

[MissS]

I was looking at that one. Let us know how it does for you and what you think about it's flavor.

[karstopography]

I also picked up one from our local feedstore. Plan to put mine in on Tuesday. I have 16 spots ready to go for tomatoes and 16 tomato sets, 10 heirlooms and 6 hybrids, will go in Tuesday. I like Cherokee Purple very much so if purple boy is half as good, I’ll take it.

[habitat-gardener]

I grew Purple Boy F1 last year and really liked it -- especially because most of my other indeterminates produced little or nothing! They were firm enough to keep very well, and produced well (54 tomatoes from my first plant and 20 from a later-planted one). I still have one on the table that I picked in October. The flavor was better than I expected for a hybrid, but unfortunately, I did not have a big luscious OP with which to compare it. Mine were fairly small, maybe 2-2.5 inches across, but that could have been because of the generally poor tomato season (heat waves that were earlier, longer, and hotter than previous years). I didn't weigh them. I'm growing it again this year.

[karstopography]

I grew Purple Boy F1 last year and really liked it -- especially because most of my other indeterminates produced little or nothing! They were firm enough to keep very well, I still have one on the table that I picked in October.

WHAT! Wait a minute, you have a tomato that you picked in October out on the table and it’s still something that you’d want to eat? November, December, January, part of February. Call it at least 100 days. How is this even possible?

[SpookyShoe]

The Purple Boy was the runt of the litter when I put out the tomato plants in March, but it finally has produced some blossoms. The rest of my tomato plants have already set fruit.

IMG_20220415_080604816_MP.jpg

[karstopography]

My one purple boy is a setting star, meaning I’ve got no less than 15 tomatoes on it and likely over 20 by now. It has done far better so far the the lemon boy next to it.

[SpookyShoe]

Some sites say this tomato is a beefsteak
and others say it's 6 to 7 oz. Mine have been the smaller size. The fruit is smooth skinned and uniform in shape. I am happy with the taste.

IMG_20220602_073311592.jpg

[Vanman]

Now that is a great looking tomato.

[pepperhead212]

So @SpookyShoe, how is it as far as disease resistance and production? The one time I grew Cherokee Purple, these were both problems here, and I never grew it again, though I loved the flavor...the few times I tried it!

[karstopography]

@SpookyShoe looks great! My one purple boy plant has been strong and productive, but most have been the size you have. I love it, though, and plan on growing it again.

[SpookyShoe]

So @SpookyShoe, how is it as far as disease resistance and production? The one time I grew Cherokee Purple, these were both problems here, and I never grew it again, though I loved the flavor...the few times I tried it!

I am nearing the end of my tomato season. It should be over in a few weeks. During the growing season the plant looked good and it has not succumbed yet to fungal diseases, which are a big problem for me in my warm and humid area. I haven't pulled the plant up yet so I don't know if nematodes have gotten to the roots, which is another big problem for me. I would grow it again.

I did have a problem with stink bugs, but that's not the fault of the plant.

[Shule]

I grew Purple Boy F1 last year and really liked it -- especially because most of my other indeterminates produced little or nothing! They were firm enough to keep very well, I still have one on the table that I picked in October.

WHAT! Wait a minute, you have a tomato that you picked in October out on the table and it’s still something that you’d want to eat? November, December, January, part of February. Call it at least 100 days. How is this even possible?

It's certainly possible (probably more possible in arid climates than humid ones). However, what would amaze me is if it was ripe when harvested. Either way, though, it's impressive.

One trick I've noticed to get tomatoes to last a super long time is to put them directly in a south windowsill. We had one last until June, that way--but it wrinkled, eventually, and I didn't dare eat it (no rotting until June, though).

[MissS]

These are nice endorsements for Purple Boy. I just may have to grow it myself. Thank you for sharing your experience!

[karstopography]

Our Lowes here has a Bonnie’s seed rack and here recently the seeds have been discounted 50%. I think the seed pack was $1.64. or there abouts.

There’s a lot of good dark tomatoes, but I like having options. Who knows if it will make the final cut for 2023. Cannot grow everything I might want to. I have Carbon I want to grow and maybe Paul Robeson, JBT or Black Krim again. Maybe even Daniel Burson. Too many choices.

[Shule]

Because I had heard that Cherokee Purple had some disease resistance (before I heard of Purple Boy F1), I figured I'd investigate it and figure out which things each variety is supposed to resist.

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Purple Boy F1 is supposed to be resistant to Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, Tomato Mosaic virus, Tobacco Mosaic virus, nematodes (or root knot nematodes), Fusarium Crown, root rot; it's said to have high resistance to some of them:
- https://parkseed.com/tomato-purple-boy/p/52823-PK-P1/
- https://www.totallytomato.com/product/T00587/87
- https://hosstools.com/product/purple-boy-tomato/

Not every vendor mentions every resistance.

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Cherokee Purple is said to be resistant to nematodes, Fusarium wilt, and Septoria.

According to kittyhawkgarden of Dave's Garden, Cherokee Purple resisted early blight much better than other varieties (such as Brandywine); rodney says it's quite susceptible to some kind of blight, but produces well even with heavy blight damage; CaliforniaGuy said it seems to be resistant to what seems to be early blight affecting other tomatoes; a couple users mention how it resists bugs (such as stinkbugs and whiteflies) better than some other tomatoes (such as Better Boy and Tomande); a couple users say it's susceptible to fruit rot on the vine (which I only mention since some diseases can cause fruit rot, like Alternaria and Anthracnose).

Here's a thread on TV about Cherokee Purple and late blight.

[SpookyShoe]

I have NEVER found Cherokee Purple to be resistant to nematodes.

[habitat-gardener]

I grew Purple Boy F1 last year and really liked it -- especially because most of my other indeterminates produced little or nothing! They were firm enough to keep very well, I still have one on the table that I picked in October.

WHAT! Wait a minute, you have a tomato that you picked in October out on the table and it’s still something that you’d want to eat? November, December, January, part of February. Call it at least 100 days. How is this even possible?

It's certainly possible (probably more possible in arid climates than humid ones). However, what would amaze me is if it was ripe when harvested. Either way, though, it's impressive.

One trick I've noticed to get tomatoes to last a super long time is to put them directly in a south windowsill. We had one last until June, that way--but it wrinkled, eventually, and I didn't dare eat it (no rotting until June, though).

haha, yes, it was green when picked and became more of a curiosity than something I'd want to eat as the months progressed. Somehow I've trained my palate to want to eat tomatoes only until about October (when the eating quality plummets), and they don't look palatable again until they're ripe in my garden. So since I planted very late this year, my season will be especially short.