Tomato, tomato & pomodoro in the profile

Tomatoes don't always have to be red and round! Here you can find out everything about the diversity of varieties, cultivation, harvest and storage.

Even if many people don't believe it: the tomato that is so popular (Solanum lycopersicum) has come a long, arduous way to its current popularity. The plant, which belongs to the nightshade family, originally comes from the South American Andes. In Mexico, the Spanish seafarers discovered the "xitomatl“ called plant for the first time. It was brought to Europe on ships, where it was cultivated as an ornamental plant in the gardens of aristocrats.

So far, historians have not been able to find an explanation as to why the tomato took so long to get onto the local menu. Since the late 19th In the 19th century the tomato found its way via Italy, Austria and finally to Germany. It is now one of the most commonly consumed vegetables.

TGrowing tomatoes in your own garden: This is how it works

Of the 22 kilograms of tomatoes that Germans eat every year, the vast majority come from abroad. Well under 10% of the tomatoes sold in the supermarket and vegetable market were grown in Germany. Especially in the winter months, it shouldn't come as a surprise that many tomatoes taste like little more than a watery fruiting body.

the Growing tomatoes on patio or balcony, or even in your own garden, is simple and represents an easy way to harvest tomatoes that are particularly aromatic and have an intense taste. The good old varieties are particularly aromatic and sweet. You rarely get young plants of special varieties, which is why you have to sow them yourself. However, growing tomatoes yourself is easier than many people think. End of February to mid-March you start with the Sowing tomatoes on a window sill that is as bright as possible. The Tomato Seed is inserted about 1 cm deep and lightly watered. For cultivation, it is best to use a high-quality soil that promotes root formation, such as our Plantura Organic herbal & seed soil. If the plant pots are above a radiator, this guarantees rapid germination. Tomatoes germinate best at temperatures above 20°C. After about 10 days the time has come and the seedlings are gradually appearing. The soil should always be slightly moist and never dry out completely.

As soon as the plants form the second regular pair of leaves, the young plants can be carefully transplanted into a larger pot. Experts such as Robert Meier also recommend using potting soil for the pricked out plants. Since this soil is particularly low in nutrients, two to three weeks after pricking out, it must be fertilized very carefully and in low doses. Otherwise the leaves will turn yellow. By the Pricking the tomatoes you not only create new space for the plants, but also harden them off. Plants pricked out once or twice later grow particularly well. You have to be careful when pricking. It is best to use a pricking stick to injure as few roots as possible. Since the plants can only go outside after the ice saints, you usually have to fertilize with a liquid fertilizer every two weeks from the end of April. One Tomato fertilization is necessary when the lower leaves turn slightly yellow.

After the ice saints, the time has come and the plants can go outside. Tomatoes are classic heavy feeders and like it as sunny as possible. The plants need nutrient-rich soil and regular fertilization.

You want more about that Tomato cultivation outdoors Experienced? Have a look here.

Growing tomatoes in pots

If you want to cultivate tomatoes on the balcony or terrace, you need a flower pot with a volume of at least 10 liters. Tomatoes that remain compact, such as the yellow traffic light tomato, can also be grown in 5 litres. Use a special tomato soil that can cover the high potassium needs of the plants. Our peat-free, for example, is ideally suited Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil.

When planting, you should put a sturdy plant stick directly into the container. Most tomato varieties need to be tied up. In the tomato house, this can also be ensured by strings attached to the ceiling.

You should fertilize your tomatoes for the first time about three months after planting. The best way to do this is to use a primarily organic long-term organic fertilizer like ours Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, which gently releases its nutrients to the tomatoes and ensures a lasting rich harvest.

Here you can find out why rotating crops makes sense for tomatoes: Tomatoes: Crop rotation, crop rotation and mixed culture.

Cutting out tomatoes: A question of faith

Again and again we get questions from eager hobby gardeners who are not sure about the max. When pinching, the side shoots are removed so that the plant can put more energy into fruiting. In our opinion, you can overdo it, but you also risk diseases. If you break out the shoot, this spot has to heal first and represents a gateway for pathogens such as fungi. This is especially true if the tomato is not covered and occasionally gets wet.

Instead of stinging, you can also provide more root mass. Not only potting soil and a double pricking out ensures a good root system; you can also carefully remove the bottom two pairs of leaves and plant the tomato horizontally and raise the top third (which has pairs of leaves) on a stick. If you now pile up earth, the hitherto unrooted shoot will also form roots. The total root mass is significantly higher with this trick.

Tomato types and varieties

There are countless possibilities tomato varieties to categorize. Color is definitely a possibility: tomatoes come in white, yellow, green, purple, red, brown-red and almost black. Tomatoes can also vary greatly in size and weight. The variety here ranges from cocktail tomatoes weighing a few grams to date tomatoes, normal tomatoes, beefsteak and giant tomatoes weighing over a kilogram. Tomatoes also differ in their growth habit. Some varieties grow almost indefinitely (indeterminate type), others form more of a bush and do not have to be staked or tied up. More important now than a decade ago is susceptibility to disease. A distinction is made between hardy, tolerant and resistant varieties. While hardy strains are less likely to get sick, resistant strains are completely immune to a particular pathogen.

According to projections, there are a total of over 35,000 different tomato varieties. You can find some of our absolute favorites here. A detailed overview of various tomato varieties you'll find here.

• Yellow traffic light tomato: very tasty cocktail tomato with a very compact habit. Particularly suitable for cultivation in containers or in a basket; very good yield.
• De Berao: very vigorous tomato with good tolerance to brown rot. In a study by Dr. Bernd Horneburg (University of Göttingen, Department of Crop Sciences) has been chosen as one of THE outdoor varieties. Good taste (although not quite as aromatic as other varieties) and high yielding; a great strain for outdoors and for anyone who absolutely hates spraying.
• Green Zebra: a very showy variety with a sweet and sour taste; when ripe, the fruits are green with yellow stripes. Green Zebra is a real feast for the eyes.
• Romei's Sugar Egg: light yellow, egg-shaped tomato; excellent and very sweet taste; slightly thicker skin, which makes the tomato extremely crunchy.
• Black and red ball: an optically very interesting bi-color variety; on the sunny side the fruits turn black, while the side away from the sun remains red; also very good in taste.

Now if you've got your mind on the tomato but don't know where to get suitable seeds and fertilizer, here's a rundown of good ones Sources of supply for tomato seeds and fertilizer.

Harvesting and storage of tomatoes

From mid-July onwards, harvesting can take place in areas with a favorable climate. A large part of the tomato harvest occurs in August and September. When the garden is cleared towards the end of October, all the tomatoes should also be harvested. If the fruits are still green, they can be ripened in a cool, dark place. This is easy to do and with the right procedure does not significantly reduce the aroma.

Tomatoes, like many other nightshade plants, contain the toxic solanine. In ripe tomatoes, however, it is broken down to such an extent that there is no danger to humans. Because it is mainly present in unripe fruits, the stem base and the leaves. When ripe, green tomatoes such as Green Zebra also contain a negligibly small amount of the toxic solanine. It is an old wives' tale that cooking or freezing breaks down the solanine or renders it harmless.

Even if it happens again and again: tomatoes should not be in the fridge. If it is too cold for the sun-bathed tomatoes, they lose their aroma. Tomatoes should also not be stored together with apples or bananas. Because these give off ethylene, a ripening gas that causes the tomatoes to spoil quite quickly. If you want to preserve larger quantities of tomatoes, you can either dry them, pickle them or process them into a tomato sauce.

more on the subject Harvesting and preserving tomatoes you'll find here.

Ingredients and use in the kitchen

Tomatoes are very low in calories at 20 kcal per 100g. In addition, the fruit of the nightshade plant is rich in vitamins (especially A, B1, B2, C & E) and minerals such as calcium and iron. Because of the red color, many tomato varieties also contain high levels of the carotenoid lycopene, an antioxidant. This should counteract cell aging and cancer cells.

The use of tomatoes now knows no bounds. Tomatoes are a must in Italian dishes such as spaghetti al pomodoro or pizza. The vegetable is also a must for bruschetta or tomato-mozzarella. Frequent flyers often appreciate the spicy taste of the tomato in the form of a Bloody Mary.

You can find even more information about protecting your tomatoes here: Protect tomatoes from diseases.