Everything You Ever
Wanted to Know About
Tomatoes
(and Some You Didn’t)
By Thomas R. LeRoy
Montgomery County Extension Agent - Horticulture
Little Known or Cared About
Tomato History (Trivia)
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Where do tomatoes come from?
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Western coast of South America, present-day Peru. Eight
species of tomatoes still grow wild in the Andes Mountains.
Cultivated tomatoes have been classified into five botanical
varieties.
The tomato was an important crop among New
World Indians by the 15th century.
Aztecs called it “Xitomatl”. Early Aztec writings
mentioned dishes comprised of peppers, salt and
tomatoes. Could be the original salsa recipe!
More Tomato Trivia
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Central American tribes called it “Tomati”
The tomato made its way across the Atlantic shortly
after Cortez conquered the Aztecs in 1521.
The earliest mention of tomato in European literature
was found in Italy in 1544. Tomatoes, described as
pomi d’oro (Golden Apple) were eaten with oil, salt
and pepper. This means, yellow varieties may have
been the first to reach the Old World.
Red varieties were introduced to Italy by two
Catholic priests many years later (exact date not
known).
Even More Tomato Trivia
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Tomatoes became widely cultivated over the next
several decades in Spain, Italy and France where it
was called pomme d’amour (Love Apple). It might
have been used as an early aphrodisiac.
German folklore –witches used members of the
nightshade family to summons werewolves (a practice
known at lycanthropy). The common German name
for tomatoes translates to “Wolf Peach”.
The scientific name for tomato is Lycopersicon
esculentum which means “edible wolf peach”.
English writings as early as 1578 referred to the
tomato as an ornamental.
Can you believe it! More Tomato Trivia
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Plants were brought BACK to the Americas by
colonists early on, as ornamentals from Britain.
Northern European cultures associated the tomato
with poisonous members of the nightshade family,
specifically henbane, mandrake and deadly
nightshade which resemble their edible cousin.
In 1596, one English author refers to “love apples as
being eaten abroad”, but having “a rank and stinking
savour.”
The first cook book to mention tomatoes was
published in Naples, Italy in 1692.
In 1752, English cooks used tomatoes sparingly to
flavor soups.
All right, enough is enough!
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In 1781 Thomas Jefferson brought tomatoes to his
table, along with French fries. He is given credit, by
many, for popularizing tomato use in North
American culture.
New Orleans cuisine is reported to have incorporated
tomatoes by 1812.
Col. Robert Gibbon Johnson supposedly put all
doubts about tomatoes to rest in 1820 when he ate a
bushel of tomatoes on the Boston courthouse steps.
Thousands are reported to have turned out to watch
the poor man die.
“HE DIDN’T!”
Fruit or Vegetable ?
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The United States Congress passed the Tariff Act
of 1883 requiring a 10% tax on all imported
vegetables.
A tomato importer decided to challenge the Act on
botanical grounds that tomato was technically a
fruit not a vegetable and therefore should be
exempt.
In 1893 the case Nix vs. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304,
came before the Supreme Court.
The court ruled that although tomatoes were
considered the “fruit of the vine” they are
generally eaten cooked or raw and served during
the “principal part of the repast” and therefore a
vegetable “not like fruits generally, as desert.”
How to Become a
Green Thumb Tomato Grower
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Select Recommended Varieties.
Plant at the Right Time.
Proper Soil Preparation and Fertilization.
Control Weeds, Diseases and Insects.
Adequate Soil Moisture.
Harvest at the Right Time .
Ideal Garden Location
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Receives 8 + hours of sunlight.
Soil has good internal and external
drainage.
Free from competition from other
large plants, buildings, etc.
Near a source of water.
Visible!
Starting Your Own Tomato
Transplants
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Select Proper
Varieties.
Sterile Potting Media.
Sterile Containers.
High Light Intensity
for 14-16 hours.
Regular Applications
of Soluble Fertilizer
Temperature and Fruit Set
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Fruit-set is affected by
night temperature.
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Night temperatures
below 50°F delays the
time from pollination to
fertilization causing
flower drop.
Night temperatures
above mid 70’s disrupts
pollen shed causing
flower drop on large
fruited varieties.
When is a Tomato Really Ripe?
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GREEN - Stage 1
tomato is
completely light to
dark green.
BREAKER - Stage
2 “break” in color
from green, to
tannish-yellow,
pink or red (less
than 10%).
TURNING - Stage
3 -10% but not
more than 30%
shows a change in
color.
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PINK - Stage 4 more than 30% but
not more than 60%
shows pink or red
color.
LIGHT RED Stage 5 -more
than 60%, not
more than 90%,
shows pinkish or
red color.
RED - Stage 6 more than 90% of
the surface is red
in color.
Staking versus Caging
Growth Habit of Tomatoes
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Determinate
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Floriamerica
Mountian
Delight
Bush Celebrity
Bush Early Girl
Carnival
Jackpot
Solar Set
BHN 444
Heatwave
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Semi
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Celebrity
Heartland
SuperTasty
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Indeterminate
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Beefmaster
Super
Fantastic
Champion
Dona
Early Girl
Brandywine
First Lady
Better Boy
Big Beef
What’s the Alphabet After the
Variety Name?
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ASC - Alternaria Stem
Canker
BSp - Bacterial Speck
F - Fusarium Wilt
F1 - Fusarium Wilt
race1
F2 - Fusarium Wilt
race2
N - Nematodes
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V - Verticillium Wilt
V1 - Verticillium Wilt,
race 1
V2 - Verticillium Wilt,
race 2
TMV - Tomato Mosaic
Virus
St - Stemphylium
(gray leaf spot)
Intermission
Recipe for Successful
Tomato Production
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Champion, highest
producer ever in our
trials at 73 lbs./plant
Average production on
modern hybrids is 40-50
lbs./plant.
Average home gardener
produces less than 10
lbs./plant.
1. Plant large, vigorous plants.
Incorporate ¼-½ cup of complete, slow
release fertilizer at planting.
2. Wrap tomato cages with row cover.
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Benefits of Row
Cover.
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2° to 4° F of Frost
Protection.
Wind Protection.
Keeps Out Insects.
Allows 85 to 90%
Light Penetration.
Up to 30% Increase
in Production.
3. Apply a weekly foliar spray of a
water soluble fertilizer with micronutrients.
4. Work in 2-3 Tbs. of high nitrogen
fertilizer when 1st cluster of fruit sets.
Totally Terrific Tomatoes
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Bush Celebrity (61)
Solar Set (53)
Dona (53)
Carnival (54)
Heatwave (50)
Early Girl (50)
Champion
Celebrity
Totally Terrific Cherries
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Juliet (57)
Baxter’s Early
Bush
Sweet Chelsea
Yellow Pear
Totally Tomatoes
1 (800) 345-5977
www.totallytomato.com
Tomato Growers
1 (888) 478-7333
www.tomatogrowers.com
Common Diseases and Insects
of the Nightshade Family
The End