Best Boy Bush Tomato

Start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before your last spring frost, planting them 1/4 inch deep in warm soil (around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit). Keep the soil consistently moist and provide bright light once seedlings emerge. Thin seedlings to one per cell or space them 2 inches apart to prevent crowding.

Transplant seedlings outdoors 75 days before your target harvest date (counting from the day you move them into the garden), after all frost danger has passed and soil has warmed to at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Harden off seedlings by gradually exposing them to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days. Plant at 18-inch spacing in rows 36 inches apart, and bury the stem slightly deeper than it grew in its container to encourage stronger root development.

Pick tomatoes when they reach full red color and yield slightly to gentle pressure, typically 70 to 79 days after transplanting. Check plants every 2 to 3 days once fruit begins ripening, as determinate varieties flush their crop over a shorter window than indeterminate types. Twist or cut fruits gently from the vine; mature tomatoes will slip free easily. For best flavor, harvest in the morning after dew dries.

Determinate tomatoes like Best Boy Bush set a fixed height and fruit load, so pruning is less aggressive than with indeterminate types. Remove lower leaves as the plant grows to improve airflow and reduce soil-borne disease splash onto foliage. Pinch off suckers (shoots growing between the main stem and branches) early in the season only if you want to shape the plant for better air circulation; determinate plants will stop growing anyway once they reach their genetic height.