Tomatoes are eaten raw in salads and on sandwiches, cooked for sauces and soups, and even dried. Each method produces a very different tasting result. Tomatoes come in many sizes and colors and some are even shaped like miniature light bulbs!
Europeans cultivated many varieties of tomatoes, but believed for a long time that they were poisonous!
- Good Companions
- Fauna attracted to Tomato
- Diseases common with Tomato
- Plant Origin
- Originally wild in South and Central America
- Nutrition
- Vitamins: A, C, K
- Family
- Nightshade Family
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Drip irrigation. Consistent water is best.
- Spacing
- 1 plant every 2 feet (approx)
- Depth
- Remove lowest branches and plant with 3-4" of main stem under the garden soil to create strong base.
- Notes
- Continue to trim bottom branches to avoid leaf contact with soil. Install cages and stakes early, and wrap with plastic to protect from wind and cold until temperatures warm and new growth is observed.
- When to harvest
- Harvest as ready. Stop harvesting 1-2 weeks before student harvest. NOT frost hearty.
- Harvesting Tips
- Ready when fruit is a uniformly bright color (no green left). Should almost fall off the vine. Depending on variety, fruit may be yellow, orange, or red!