Week 1...Tomato 101
- Primal Motherhood
- Jun 12, 2019
- 6 min read
Starting out our six week garden series with tomatoes. Tomatoes are probably one of my favorite fruit/vegetable to grow. (Yes, I said fruit/vegetable!) I don’t know what it is about growing tomatoes, but it is something that I look forward to growing every year. This week, I’m going to be talking ALL about tomatoes and hopefully inspire you to grow them yourself.
The thing I love about tomatoes is anyone can grow them and you don’t need a lot of space. They are perfect for container gardening.
The big debate? Is tomatoes a fruit of vegetable? Is it both?
Everyone wants to debate if a tomato is a fruit of vegetable, or is it both? In reality, tomatoes are both a fruit and vegetable at the same time. (Wait...hear me out!)
According to Merriam-Webster, a fruit is "the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant. Anything that grows on a plant and is the means by which that plant gets its seeds out into the world is a fruit."
The critical distinction is that, according to the dictionary, a vegetable must be part of a plant or the whole plant itself, while fruits are just the means by which certain plants spread their seeds.
But the confusion arises because "vegetable" isn't a botanical classification so much as it is a culinary one. And "fruit" can be a culinary term, too — described as "having a sweet pulp associated with the seed" and "used chiefly in a dessert or sweet course," according to Merriam-Webster.
So with this information, I’m unable to answer the question for you. We will have to continue this debate on whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable or both.
Health benefits of tomatoes
Help lower blood pressure
Help reduce the risk of heart disease
Protects the prostate
Tomatoes are anti-inflammatory
Helps regulate blood sugar
Help reduce migraines
Help boost immunity
Help Strengthen bones
Benefit eyesight
Provide Natural Sunscreen
Tomato Varieties
Some experts say there are up to 25,000 tomato varieties to choose from. I know when I started growing tomatoes this was so overwhelming, which kind of tomatoes do I want to grow? Which tomatoes will grow best? I didn’t know where to start, until I found an article from The Tomato Dirt breaking down three ways to classify tomatoes.
Heirloom or Hybrid
This is a classification on the tomatoes genetic line.
Heirloom tomatoes- strains that have been reproduced without cross-breeding
Hybrid- a cross between two different varieties of tomatoes. (hybrid seedlings are often identified on the packages of seed or on the tags in the nurseries.)
Determinate or indeterminate
This classification centers on the length of time a tomato produces fruit during the season
Determinate- a determinate tomato plant usually only produces fruit for a couple weeks and then production comes to a stop. Determinate plants will usually form a flower cluster at the peak growing point, which causes the plant to stop growing in height and stop producing fruit.
Indeterminate- produces throughout the growing season. An indeterminate plant usually grows tall because it never forms the flower cluster.
Shape
There are four shapes of tomatoes
Globe- heavily commercially cultivated fruit
Beefsteak- produces the biggest fruit
Paste- used to sauces
Cherry- smallest fruit
When to grow tomatoes
According to Home Guide SF Gate they recommend planting tomatoes:
Start tomatoes indoors in seed-starting trays or recyclable pots, six to eight weeks before the last frost date in your area. In U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 and 9, start seeds as early as mid-January; in USDA zones 3 or 4, wait to start seeds until mid- to late March and early April. Wait two weeks after the last frost date to plant seeds or set transplants outdoors. Night temperatures should be above 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Growing Tomatoes from Seeds
Now, you have figured out which variety you are going to grow and you want to start planting your tomatoes. It is recommended that tomatoes that are planted from seeds start growing indoors or in a greenhouse.
You want to plant your seeds in small containers, I personally used recycled egg cartons. (Go to my Facebook page and I posted a video of ways to use recycled containers to grow plants).
You will want to fill your containers with soil, this can be your own composted soil or an organic gardening mix (If you are choosing to garden organically).
Add water to your soil. (Consistency of a wrung out sponge).
Plant seeds about ⅛” deep and press soil a little to make sure the seeds have sufficient contact with the soil.
Cover your container with plastic wrap or other container to conserve moisture and place seeds in a dark, warm location.
When seeds start sprouting, (1-2 weeks), move them to a sunny spot or under artificial light.
When first leaves appear, transfer to larger containers, such as recycled milk jugs, water bottles, etc.
Transferring Outdoors
When getting ready to transfer outdoors, place your seedlings outside for a few hours a day to slowly introduce them to the elements. Repeat this everyday for 10-14 days. This is an important step, because if your plants are introduced to the sun without this exposure you plants will get sunburned and you could possibly lose your plant.
Water, Feed, and Placement
Water your tomatoes regularly. Tomatoes love water. Use a simple soil test by dipping your finger about one inch into the soil to determine moisture levels closer to the roots.
You should feed your tomatoes every 2 weeks. This is my favorite tomato food. (I usually use a mix of this and fish fertilizer).
"Tomatoes have fun in the sun, but fade in the shade." Tomatoes thrive in full sun areas. Make sure when finding a place for tomato plants, it’s in a space where there is full sun and limited shade. Tomatoes should be positioned in a place where they get 4-6 hours of direct sunlight. You should space your tomatoes 24-36” apart. Placing tomato plants closer than 24” together reduce air circulation and may result in disease.
Natural Pest Control Solutions
Some beneficial insects that you don’t want to kill on your plants are, ladybugs, predatory mites, and green lacewing.
Growing Tomatoes in Pots
Right now I do not have space to garden because we are currently renting. So I have to grow my vegetables in containers. The first thing to do when growing tomatoes in containers is look for the correct size of pots. If you have the wrong size of pots the roots my suffocate and you will end up killing your plant.
The minimum size necessary to give your plant adequate room to develop is 15 gallons and 18” tall. When purchasing your pot you want to look for pots that are plastic pots with drainage holes. You also want plastic pots if you are going to reuse your pots because plastic is easier to sanitize. You will want to sanitize your pots after each use to prevent contamination of diseases found in the soil. This also prevents the insect eggs affecting your new plants. Right now I am personally using 15 gallon fabric pots for my tomatoes. I don’t plan on reusing these pots to grow another crop, so these work for me.
Once you picked out your pots, you will want to get a small roll of fiberglass or plastic window screening from your local hardware store. You want to cut this and position the screen inside the pot. This will keep the soil from draining out of the water. This keeps more nutrients close to you tomato roots. If you are gardening with the fabric pots, you don’t need to do this step. To help with drainage of the water pour pebbles or river rocks into the saucer, make sure the rocks are in an even layer. Place the soil in the containers and then plant your already established seedlings in the pot. Water your tomatoes daily and make sure to feed them once every 2 weeks.
Staking Tomatoes
Tomato Cages
I have not had good luck with tomato cages because my plants outgrow them I’m always trying to find other ways to support them. You can make your own tomato cages out of fencing and wooden or metal posts.
Single Stakes
This is the staking method that I found works best. Place a stake into the ground near your plant and tie twin to the stem of the stake. Train the tomato to grow up the twine and repeat as the tomato plant grows. I usually pull off the suckers to leave one main stem for the first couple weeks. A sucker is a vine that grows in between two branches, growing another branch.
Wire Fencing
All you need to do is have 2 metal posts in the ground and stretch wire fencing between them. Place supportive posts every 6 ft. Tie the stems with twine.
Harvesting Tomatoes?
When harvesting tomatoes you want to leave them on the vine for as long as possible. You don’t want to take the tomato off the vine before it’s ripe to let it ripen in the windowsill. It will rot before it ripens. You want to look for an entire red tomato and then pull it off the vine.
Are you growing tomatoes? Do you grow them in a container or garden? Which type is your favorite? Can you share any tips with us? I’d love to hear from all of you about your challenges and successes of growing tomatoes.
Leave a comment below. Happy Growing.
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