Did You Know?
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants are a tender perennial vine grown as an annual in our climate. The tomato is a fruit (a berry) treated culinarily as a vegetable. Besides tomato, the large Solanaceae family includes potatoes, eggplant, peppers, tomatillo, tobacco, petunia and poisonous nightshades. Tomatoes originated in South America and records indicate that they have been in cultivation for at least 2500 years. Spanish Conquistadores brought the tomato to Spain in the 16th century and from there tomato cultivation spread throughout the world. The Italian word for tomato is pomodoro from the phrase “pomo d’oro” – meaning “fruit of gold” because much of the original fruits were yellow.
Types of Tomatoes
Tomato plants are classified as determinate or indeterminate. Determinate plants tend to be short and bushy and set most fruit all at once. Determinate tomatoes are often grown for “putting up” – canning, sauces, freezing etc. Indeterminate plants tend to be taller and more vinelike and will set fruit throughout the growing season. Indeterminates are great for providing a longer fresh harvest. Tomatoes can be from cherry sized to very large beefsteaks weighing 2 pounds or more. Tomatoes come in a rainbow of mature colors including green, yellow, orange, pink, red and dark purple plus combinations of these colors. Tomato flesh can also be very juicy to quite firm with the firm fruit sometimes known as paste tomatoes because they will cook down quickly to thick sauces. There are many new very productive and disease resistant hybrid tomatoes introduced every year. Even so, many gardeners like to grow older heirloom varieties for their special taste though they may produce less than their hybrid cousins.
When to Plant
Tomatoes require warm growing conditions and transplants are set out after the last expected freeze in the spring and sometimes again in late summer for a fall crop. Many tomatoes – especially the larger fruited varieties – stop setting fruit in the hottest part of summer. They will perk up again as we approach fall temperatures, but many gardeners prefer to restart with new plants in late summer. Spring plantings may need to be protected if an unexpected cold front rolls through. Most tomato plants benefit from having a structure to grow on to keep the plant and the fruit off the ground. Full sized plants will be very heavy and require stout cages or trellises. Tomatoes are also heavy feeders and benefit from fertile soil kept evenly moist.
Harvest and Storage
Tomatoes are a climacteric fruit – once they are full sized, they will continue to ripen off the vine. Commercial producers take advantage of this by picking tomatoes a bit green and continuing to ripen them during shipping and at the store. That said, tomatoes ripened on the vine will have increased sugars, acids and flavor. Hence the difference between “storebought” and home-grown tomatoes. Totally ripe tomatoes only have a few days of shelf life however and should be consumed or processed quickly. Store tomatoes in a cool dark place until consumed. At the end of the season, pick all full-sized green tomatoes before a killing freeze and store them in a cool dark place to allow them to ripen. They will be at least as good as storebought. For long term storage, tomatoes can be canned, frozen, dried and turned into wonderful sauces. Pickled green tomatoes are a Southern staple.
By: Michael Vidrine
5 Tips for Wine Pairings with Fresh Tomatoes:
