Tomato
Pomodoro – the golden apple of the garden
The tomato is one of the South American plants that came to Europe with Christopher Columbus’ expeditions. Now we are so used to tomato in cooking that it is hard to imagine that it was first considered poisonous in Europe. As a nightshade plant, the tomato is not only related to potatoes, chillies and aubergines. Other members of the same family are boletus, angelica and belladonna. These plants were sceptical, and for a long time tomatoes were only grown for ornamental purposes. The beautiful fruits were placed on the court dinner table as decoration, but nobody ate them!
The Italians were the first to welcome the tomato as an edible plant. The fruit went from being called a poison apple to ‘pomodoro’, which means ‘apple of gold’.
Propagating tomato
Sow tomato in Feb-April, 7-8 weeks before planting out. Choose tomato varieties according to how you want to grow them. Some varieties give a good harvest outdoors. Others require the more sheltered environment of the greenhouse. Some are suitable for ampel with cascades of delicate small tomatoes. Others produce beefy tomatoes and need a good volume of soil to come into their own.
Sow the seeds about 1 cm deep. Tomato seeds germinate best at around 22-25 degrees. Once they have emerged, they thrive in light and cool conditions. Use extra light if you sow early. This gives the plants a compact growth habit.
When the tomatoes have grown out of the first pot, it’s time to replant them. Place them deeper in the new pot and cut off the leaves on the part of the stalk that ends up underground. New roots will then grow from the nodes where the leaves were.
Cuttings of topped tomatoes
Sometimes we are too impatient to sow the tomatoes in spring and the light is not enough. Then we end up with seedlings that have grown too tall. But that’s not a problem. It is perfectly possible to top tomato plants. The cut-off part can even become a new plant. Scratch off the bottom leaves and plant it as a cuttings in water or moist soil. Some people take cuttings of their plants in autumn to overwinter indoors. This gives the tomato crop a flying start the following spring.
Planting tomatoes
Plant the tomatoes in their final location when the temperature is at least 6-8 degrees at night. Tomatoes like to be sunny and warm. Especially outdoors, it’s good to find a wind-protected spot – preferably against a wall for natural support. Otherwise, the taller varieties need to be tied up or given plant support.
The distance between plants varies between different tomato varieties, but 30-50cm is a good guideline.
Tomatoes like to be planted in nutrient-rich soil. Water regularly with fertiliser. Feel free to put grass clippings or other organic material between the plants. This will keep the moisture in the soil, smother the weeds and add extra nutrients as they decompose.
Water the tomatoes regularly. Otherwise, there is a risk of the fruits rotting or cracking.
Tomatoes thrive with carrots, spinach and leafy greens. Another smart co-cultivation plant is tagetes. The scent of the beautiful tagetes scares away nematodes, which might otherwise attack the roots of the tomatoes.
Thieving tomatoes – or not?
Opinions differ when it comes to thieving tomatoes, i.e. cutting off the side shoots that quickly emerge from the leaf folds. As a rule of thumb, bush tomatoes can do without thieving, while larger varieties may need a little pruning to allow all the fruit to ripen.
Cooking with tomatoes
Harvest tomatoes as they ripen. When frost is imminent, the fruits can be brought indoors to ripen. Spread them out in the open. Otherwise, green tomatoes are good for frying or pickling.
Tomatoes have a thousand uses in the kitchen! Grilled, stuffed, fried. In stews, sauces, pies and gratins. We like to make a simple and healthy ketchup by mixing tomato, chilli, garlic dates and salt.
Author: Johanna Damm
Fact-checked by Erik Hoekstra
Last updated 2022-10-14