Burpee Takes Top Honors in Penn State Tomato Trials

For the third year in a row, W. Atlee Burpee & Co. walked away with top honors in a recently published Tomato Report, based on extensive trials by Penn State University of approximately 50 different varieties.

A total of 15 different tomato varieties sold by Burpee through the company's famous catalogue and via its website were recommended by Penn State, which has been running tomato trials since 2000 and each year publishes some of the best varieties.

Among the tomato categories included in "The Best of the Penn State Tomato Trials" report were Hybrids, Heirlooms and those that are best for containers.

For the third straight year, Burpee's "Brandy Boy" took top honors among Slicers. According to the report, "When gardeners ask what single tomato to grow, this (Brandy Boy) is the one." So far as taste is concerned, Penn State says, Brandy Boy is easily the top tasting tomato now several years in a row.

In the increasingly popular "Patio or Container" category, Burpee took two of the three top places. Burpee's "Bush Early Girl" was a clear winner, with the Penn State Trial report noting, "Without a doubt, Bush Early Girl is the 'Top of the Heap,' amongst slicer tomatoes that you can grow in a container." Burpee's "Bush Steak" was also recommended as second choice.

And while the 136-year-old Burpee company is well known for its collection of hybrids, the purveyor of vegetables and flowers for home gardeners has greatly expanded its offering of heirloom varieties.

In the Penn State Trials, seven of the Heirloom varieties sold by Burpee were among those recommended. These include "Brandywine," "the tomato against which many others are compared," as well as "Mortgage Lifter," "Arkansas Traveler," "Black Krim," "Cherokee Purple," "Black Cherry" and "Amish Paste," which is excellent "for canning and making sauces."

According to George Ball, chairman of Burpee, "We are extremely proud of the rigorous selection process we utilize for both hybrids and heirlooms and are extremely proud of the recognition extended to Burpee by the Penn State Tomato Trials."