Lycopersicon esculentum
Family: Solanaceae

Like many other foods, the tomato was intro­duced to Europe by the Spanish explorers in the early 16th century. However, it was not widely used there, except in Italy and southern France, until the 1800s, which means it is one of the more recent crops to be grown and used on a wide scale. The tomato is a juicy, round, or egg-shaped fruit and a valuable addition to our diet, being rich in vitamin C (which is not destroyed by heat) and containing carotene, starch, water and fiber. It ranges in colour from yellow to dark red. Tomatoes have a myriad of uses. They are delicious in salads, particularly with oil, basil and bocconcini, and cooked, in soups, sauces and casseroles.

Varieties

Bush tomatoes are best for outdoors, while tall cultivars are usually preferred for greenhouse cultivation. There are many culti­vars of tomato, and they vary from place to place. Choose cultivars best suited to local con­ditions (consult retail seed catalogues and the seed displays in garden centers). Colours vary from red and orange to yellow, and sizes range from tiny, cherry tomatoes to giant, beefsteak types. There are plum- and pear-shaped culti­vars which make an unusual addition to salads. Choose, where possible, cultivars that are resis­tant to diseases, as tomatoes are prone to a number of problems.

Cultivation

'Tomatoes are frost-tender perenni­als. In frost-prone climates, they are grown as an annual, summer crop by home gardeners, either in an intermediate greenhouse or in the garden. Plants are raised from seed sown in early spring, under glass, and germinated at 18°C (64°F). l'ot up seedlings into small pots. Plant outdoors when frosts are over, or plant under glass in a border, grow bags or 25 cm (10 in) pots. Plants should be about 15 cm (6 in) high by planting time. If growing in rows, either under glass or in the garden, space rows 60 cm (24 in) apart. Plant rows can he 45 cm (18 in) apart for tall cultivars, or 60 cm (24 in) apart for bush cultivars. Outdoors, tomatoes need a fertile, moisture-retentive soil and a sheltered position, in full sun. Under glass, con­tainers can be filled with rich, soil-based or soil-less potting compost. Ensure maximum light. Bush types need no support but tall cultivars need bamboo canes or some other means of support and should be tied in regularly with soft garden twine. Tall types should have side shoots regularly removed. Water regularly and freely and start feeding with a proprietary, liquid tomato fertilizer as soon as fruits set. Pollination can be achieved, particularly under glass, by gently shaking the flower trusses. Under glass, tall cultivars are generally stopped after about four fruit trusses have formed. In the greenhouse, ventilate and shade to main­tain a steady temperature of about 21°C (70°F). Avoid wildly fluctuating temperatures.

Climate

Zone 10, but grown as a summer annual in all climates. Must be grown in warm, frost-free conditions.