Herbarium: Tomatos

Tomato, Tomate

Solanaceae lycopersicum | Familiy: Solanaceae

(Many Solanaceae members contain potent alkaloids, and some are highly toxic, but many cultures eat nightshades, in some cases as staple foods).

Water: Lot

Sun: Hot

Challenge: Blossom-end rot and cat-facing

Substratum: Humus-rich, well-drained, pH 6.0 - 6.8

Fertilisation: During pre-planting and beginning of ripen

Temp.: Hot climate Companion: Carrots, garlic, onion, cabbage, kohlrabi, leeks,

peppers, mint Non-Companion: Fennel, cucumbers, potatoes

Spacing: Between 9 und 14cm apart

img: yago1.com

Description: The Leaves are in fact poisonous, although the fruit is not. But is that really true? It‘s all about that quantity that‘s consumed.

Green tomatoes also contain both solanine and tomatine, although the levels decrease as the tomato matures. Even so, we happily batter and fry up these unripe green tomatoes without question. Former Chez Panisse chef Paul Bertolli even includes the leaves in his tomato sauce to add some punch to the flavor. While the leaves might not have the sweet, ripe taste of a summer beefsteak tomato, they do, in fact, have a tomato flavor. So, leaves, stems, and green unripe fruit of the tomato plant contain small amounts of the toxic alkaloid tomatine. They also contain solanine, a toxic alkaloid found in potato leaves and other plants in the nightshade family. Use of tomato leaves in herbal tea has been responsible for at least one death.

Fruit: Is a berry and tomatoes, as the seed-bearing ripened ovary of a flower, are fruits.

Native versions were small, like cherry tomatoes, and most likely yellow rather than red. A member of the deadly nightshade family, tomatoes were erroneously thought to be poisonous by Europeans who were suspicious of their bright, shiny fruit. The fruits develop 3-4 months after sowing.

Medicine: Some sources claim that they regarded tomato seeds as an aphrodisiac.

Native: To South and Central America. Probably

the first tomatoes came from what today is Peru, and wild tomatoes can still be found in the Andes.

Cultivars: Its many varieties are now widely grown, sometimes in greenhouses in cooler climates. Most cultivars produce red fruit, but a number of cultivars with yellow, orange, pink, purple, green, black, or white fruit are also available. Multicolored and striped fruit can also be quite striking. There are around 7,500 tomato varieties grown for various purposes. Tomato varieties are roughly divided into several categories, based mostly on shape and size: Heirloom tomatoes are becoming increasingly popular. Cherry-, Plum-, Heirloom, Medium (Normal)- and Beefsteak Tomatoes.

Companion: Carrots love tomatoes! Borage is thought to actually repel the tomato hornworm moth. Several species of umbellifer are therefore often grown with tomato plants, including parsley, queen anne‘s lace, and occasionally dill. These also attract predatory flies that attack various tomato pests. Ground cover plants, including mints, also stabilize moisture loss around tomato plants and other solaneae, which come from very humid climates, and therefore may prevent moisture-related problems like blossom end rot. Finally, tap-root plants like dandelions break up dense soil and bring nutrients from down below a tomato plant‘s reach, possibly benefiting their companion. Tomato plants, on the other hand, protect asparagus from asparagus beetles, because they contain

Source: web; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato, www.planetnatural.com, www.thekitchn.com, homeguides.sfgate.com, www.gardeningknowhow.com, www.thompson-morgan.com,

solanum that kills this pest, while asparagus plants (as well as marigolds) contain a chemical that repels root nematodes known to attack tomato plants.

Sowing: Tomato seeds and seedlings need to be kept moist, but never wet, at all times.

Small seedlings can be misted several times a day with a spray bottle. The containers tend to heat up more quickly. This increased soil temperatures causes water to evaporate at a fast rate. The containers also can‘t hold as much water as the soil surrounding tomatoes planted in the ground. You‘ll likely need to water these plants more. To help retain soil moisture, add a few inches of organic mulch to the top of your soil. The seedlings need to be 2-3 cm tall before you plant them in your garden. When transplanting tomato plants, set the plant’s root ball a little deeper into a hole or trench dug into the garden than originally grown in its pot.

Spacing in general between 9 und 14cm apart.

Water: Tomatoes need a lot of water and feed to get the best fruit. Water little and often for the best results. The number 1 rule of watering tomatoes is to make sure that you go slow and easy. Never rush watering tomato plants use, for example, a drip hose. your plants should never dry out or live in sopping wet, swampy conditions. Evenly moist soil is your goal. If you keep your soil moist most of the time, you‘ll be providing the correct amount of hydration.

The fruits from tomato plants watered once each week were flavorful, and many www.PermaTree.org, Herbarium Page 10

taste testers preferred the intense flavor of fruits from tomato plants that weren‘t watered at all after the fruits reached 1 1/2 inches in diameter, although those fruits developed thick skins.

Climate: Tomato plants thrive in full sun.

Soil: Humus-rich, well-drained soil with a pH between 6.0 and 6.8. Best when the soil remains evenly moist, as uneven watering can cause blossom-end rot and cat-facing in tomatoes Fertilisation: Too much nitrogen at the beginning stage will cause less fruit development and hence too much top leaf growth. Ultimately affect the firmness and even shape of the fruit in some cases. As the plant develops and sets more fruit, more nitrogen is required to keep foliage healthy and fill the fruit which is forming. Potassium Often given as a side-dressing later on to increase fruit size and quality. Application will depend on how much potash is in the soil in the first place. the potash has to be in a balance with calcium, magnesium and sodium for the plant to gain maximum benefit. First, use a good, balanced fertiliser during pre-planting, working it into the soil just as you would for planting potatoes. Then, don‘t apply any more fertiliser until tomatoes begin to ripen. At that point, I use a little 0-5-5 - no nitrogen once only. Gypsum is a great soil conditioner for tomatoes. It contains calcium and sulphur which keeps your growing medium from packing down.

Cut: A pruned and staked plant will produce larger fruit two to three weeks earlier than a prostrate one. A properly pruned and supported single-stem tomato plant pre-

img: www.finegardening.com

sents all of its leaves to the sun. Most of the sugar produced is directed to the developing fruit, since the only competition is a single growing tip. The result is large fruits that are steadily produced. In general, more stems means more but smaller fruits. As a tomato grows, side shoots, or suckers, form in the crotches, or axils, between the leaves and the main stem. If left alone, these suckers will grow just like the main stem, producing flowers and fruit.

The main stem should always be stronger, because it has to feed the entire plant. To encourage a strong stem, I trim all suckers and I don‘t tie plants to their supports until the first flowers appear. In simple pruning, remove the entire sucker at the base.

In Missouri pruning, pinch out the tip of the sucker. Missouri pruning is necessary when things have gotten out of hand.

When you‘re dealing with large suckers, it‘s better to pinch off just the tip than to cut off the whole thing close to the main stem. If disease hits, it‘s farther away from the main stem. less of a shock to the plant than removing a foot or so of side stem.

Harvesting: To facilitate transportation and storage, tomatoes are often picked unripe (green) and ripened in storage with ethylene.

Ethylene is a hydrocarbon gas produced by many fruits that acts as the molecular cue to begin the ripening process. Tomatoes ripened in this way tend to keep longer, but have poorer flavor and a mealier, starchier texture than tomatoes ripened on the plant.

products can transmit the virus to tomato plants Fungi and Pests: Various forms of mildew and blight are also common tomato afflictions, which is why tomato cultivars are often marked with a combination of letters that refer to specific disease resistance. The most common letters are: LB - late blight, V – verticillium wilt, F – fusarium wilt strain I, FF – fusarium wilt strain I and II, N – nematodes, T – tobacco mosaic virus, and A – alternaria.

Food-facts: Dense in phytonutrients. They contain flavonones, flavonols, hydroxycinnamic acids, carotenoids, glycosides and even fatty acid derivatives. Better antioxidant protection has also been shown using broad measurements of oxidative stress in different body systems including neurodegenerative diseases. Improves digestion and prevent constipation. They help to improve the functioning of the digestive system and the liver, and the prevention of constipation, especially when mixed with spinach juice. Prevent kidney and gall bladder stones. They work as a disinfectant to protect the body from diarrhea and prevents the appearance of kidney stones and gall bladder stones in the long term. They also dramatically reduce the incidence of lower urinary tract symptoms. Healthy hair. Improves the appearance and texture of hair. Vitamin k helps to strengthen the tufts of hair and increase its luster as well as the revitalization of growth. Reduce blood clot risks. Tomato juice helps to reduce the risk of blood clots. Numerous phytonutrients in tomatoes have been shown to help prevent excessive clumping of our platelet cells.

Sexes: In the wild, original state, tomatoes required cross-pollination; they were much more self-incompatible than domestic cultivars. As a floral device to reduce selfing, the pistil of wild tomatoes extends farther out of the flower than today‘s cul- Preservation: tivars. The stamens were, and remain, en- It is not recommended to refrigerate as tirely within the closed corolla. While to- this can harm the flavor. Tomatoes that mato flowers are typically wind pollinated, are not yet ripe can be kept in a paper bag and occasionally through bees, the lack of till ripening. Storing stem down can proair movement or low insect numbers can long shelf life inhibit the natural Tomato Fruit; 100g contains: pollination promg Vitamins mg cess. Many plants Minerals 3.00 Vitamin A 0.042 are self-fertilizing, Sodium Vitamin B1 0.09 or self-pollinating. Potassium 280.00 Magnesium 10.00 Vitamin B2 0.04 Calcium 11.00 Vitamin B3 0.5 Viruses: Vitamin B5 ?

One common to- Manganese 0.114 Vitamin B6 0.08 mato disease is Iron 00.6 00.00 Folate 0.0 tobacco mosaic Copper Vitamin E 0.54 virus. Handling ci- Zinc 00.24 Vitamin C 14.0 garettes and other Phosphorus 24.00 Vitmain K 0.079 infected tobacco Selenium 00.00

Source: web; gardeningknowhow.com, www.farmersweekly.co.za, www.npr.org, www.finegardening.com, homeguides.sfgate.com, book; Taschenlexikon tropischer Nutzpflanzen und ihrer Früchte

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