I enjoyed meeting the namesake of one of Burpee’s iconic innovations during his recent visit. Jordan Shifriss lived at Fordhook Farm as a small boy with his parents—his dad bred our Big Boy tomato and named it after Jordan. Shifriss remembers wandering the seed fields with the Burpee children and their dog. His mom always said if she could see his curly hair and the dog's tail, she knew he was all right. Dr. Oved Shifriss was head of plant breeding for Burpee from 1942 to 1950. His breeding of the Big Boy tomato in 1949 revolutionized home gardening, particularly what was the difficult art of growing tomatoes. Dr. Shifriss was an unconventional thinker amid more conventional plant breeders. He spent much of the 1940's combining thousands of cross pollinations between different pairs of tomato ''parents'' until he finally hit on a plant that was disease resistant, compact and bush-like rather than a sprawling vine, one that produced an abundance of full, fragrant fruits that could weigh more than a pound. Big Boy is still a customer favorite today, over 70 years later. https://rb.gy/0uwrne.
Burpee Gardening’s Post
More Relevant Posts
-
We’re so happy to partner with our friends at Rodale Institute. 🍅💥 Thank you for the inspiring day!
🌱 Exciting Visit! 🍅Our friends from Burpee Gardening visited our main campus, and our RIFT (Rodale Institute Farmer Training) students proudly showcased the growth progress of two tomato varieties they're cultivating: 4th of July tomatoes and Brandy Boy tomatoes, provided by Burpee. Thank you, Burpee Gardening, for your invaluable support in nurturing the next generation of regenerative organic farmers through our RIFT Program!
-
-
Burpee is planting it forward by donating ✨500,000✨ seed packets to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society! In the spirit of this year’s Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) Philadelphia Flower Show theme, #UnitedByFlowers, these seeds will benefit hundreds of Greater Philadelphia schools and community gardens. Along with putting on the world-famous Philadelphia Flower Show each spring, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society uses horticulture to advance the health and well-being of the region. The donation and distribution will bolster the nonprofit and Burpee’s commitment to bettering Greater Philadelphia through education, environmental improvement, and community unity. The seed packets will be distributed throughout the growing season at upcoming events and workshops, including: 🌸 Love Where You Live workshops in the Nicetown and Tioga neighborhoods 🏫 School planting days aimed at helping kids connect with gardening and the environment 🪴Garden Tenders workshops for setting up or maintaining community gardens 📚 PHS's tool lending library accessible to community gardens 🥗 50 City Harvest community gardens, which provide local food banks, soup kitchens and neighborhood food distributions with fresh food When you shop Burpee, you help spread the joy of gardening to others, and we’re so grateful to you. 💚
-
Burpee is thrilled to be part of the Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest, longest-running horticultural event in America. Right in our backyard. Visit our 🌻 NEW 🍅 Pop-Up Shop. Chat with our team of horticultural experts and stock up on seeds (including ‘United By Zinnias’, a 2024 Flower Show exclusive) supplies, and more. + Burpee Chairman George Ball will give a talk on the Hidden History of Burpee on Friday March 8th at 6 PM as part of the PHS Know to Grow series. We are grateful for the incredible teamwork across our entire organization for pulling all of this together so beautifully and with a smile. If you're in the area, stop by and say 🖐 The show runs through Sunday March 10th.
-
Burpee's annual catalog is headed to mailboxes! We couldn’t be more excited to show off our latest crop of fresh garden breakthroughs. So proud of what our team has accomplished together. https://lnkd.in/eZ_jhxb8 Happy gardening! #gardening #horticulture #teamwork #innovation
-
Wow! We’re still smiling after our best Burpee Open yet. Thank you to our community of gardeners for joining us for such a special day. Last weekend we welcomed thousands of guests to Fordhook Farm in Doylestown, PA. Visitors were invited to tour the gardens and grounds, listen to guest speakers, and enjoy live music, children’s activities, food trucks and more. Purchased by founder W. Atlee Burpee in 1888, Fordhook Farm is where we breed and trial plants, and the historic property isn't always open to the public. The Burpee Open is an annual tradition that dates to the 1800s! Back then, the public was invited for a "farmer's picnic" and encouraged to explore the farm and meet the Burpee master gardeners. The Burpee Open continues to be a free, fun-filled day of garden inspiration and a special peek behind the scenes at Burpee. We hope to see you at Fordhook next year!
