I have trouble with tomatoes! According to novelist John Updike, “Of plants tomatoes seemed the most human, eager and fragile and prone to rot.” I don’t know if I have that attitude about humans, but tomatoes are like that. I have had some success with tomatoes, but lots of failures. It might be genetic. My sister used to buy a large container and fresh soil every year for her single patio tomato. It was nurtured and cared for, but she would get one tomato known as the $75.00 tomato. I am sure that the one tomato was delicious… but.
I find that tomatoes can be fussy especially in our humid climate. I realize that they grow tons of tomatoes out on St, Helena, but they certainly do not like my yard. When I had a community garden plot in Massachusetts, I grew so many tomatoes that I canned them. Now at my age, I cannot imagine that I canned anything. I even made my own clothes. I must have been in some sort of a self–reliant hippie phase. But back to tomatoes. They have an interesting history.
Tomatoes are indigenous to the Americas and were cultivated by the native peoples through Mexico, Central, and South America. They are a member of the Nightshade family so right from the beginning when they were “discovered” by Spanish explorers, they were suspect. Brave souls did use them in Spanish cuisine and from there by the mid 1500’s, they were used in Italian cooking. When they reached the rest of Europe, they were used as a table ornament rather than being eaten. In Europe, tomatoes had many different names such as wolf peach and love apple.The French believed that the tomato – or “pomme d’amour” – was an aphrodisiac. But then again the French believe that oysters, dark chocolate, asparagus, avocados, and honey also ignite romance.
The first date that we know tomatoes were grown in British North America is in 1710. An herbalist saw them growing in what is today South Carolina and made reference to these strange plants. It is believed that like indigo, tomatoes may have been introduced from the Caribbean.
By the mid 18th century tomatoes were grown on some plantations in the southeast. Yet for most Americans, tomatoes were still considered poisonous and grown for their ornamental interest rather than as a food. Even though gardeners as admired as Thomas Jefferson cultivated and ate tomatoes, it was not until the early 1900’s that tomatoes finally became popular in American kitchens.
Tomatoes themselves are vines and can grow to 9 feet although there are bush varieties that only reach 3 feet. They are considered tender perennials, but they are usually grown as annuals. Their stems and roots contain solanine which is a neurotoxin so in that sense they are poisonous. Even though we often think of the tomato as a vegetable, those round globes are a fruit. Nearly everyone has heard the old adage: “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”
One great advantage of tomatoes is that they are bisexual and the flowers can self–fertilize so that the same plant has both reproductive organs. It does not self-pollinate though, so in a greenhouse, the plants must be pollinated by fans or bees brought in to do the job. Outside, they are just fine without any artificial means of pollination.
Tomatoes can be fussy and are susceptible to many insect pests and viral diseases. That is not a reason to avoid growing them. Many new varieties of tomatoes have been bred to be resistant to many mildews and diseases. One unfortunate thing is that to produce tomatoes of uniform size and color, the rich flavor has been impaired. That is probably why heirloom tomatoes are so popular right now. I look for those misshapen Purple Cherokees at the farmstand and markets.
Tomatoes like at least 6-8 hours of sun. They also like rich soil with good organic matter.
Composted manure is a good supplement or any rich compost for that matter. I think the reason why I had success growing tomatoes in Massachusetts was that my farm plot was on bottom land and had probably been the bed of a pond. The soil was dark and fertile. Use a low nitrogen fertilizer or you can purchase a fertilizer specially made for tomato plants. Tomatoes like calcium so you may need to add lime or crushed eggshells around the plant. If you see the end of the fruit rotting, that’s caused by lack of calcium and is known as blossom end rot. Tomatoes also need some form of staking and I personally like tomato cages for the task.
Is it worth growing tomatoes in your own yard? I believe that there is nothing that says summer more than a tomato sandwich on good bread with rich mayonnaise. Add a little bacon and lettuce and you may be in culinary heaven.
