Remember,
tomatoes hate lime and dolomite as they raise PH, use gypsum and stacks
of compost to loosen soil instead (make sure it's real compost though,
not stuff that has whole bits of fruit and vegetables that haven't
broken down in it). They thrive in acidic, low PH soils with great
drainage.
Try growing
them in large pots with good potting mixture mixed with lots of compost
and pelleted animal manure. A poultry/ cow manure blend is good.
A handy hint
for protecting tomatoes: cut open a one or two litre clear plastic
water bottle at both ends and place over the small seedling. This
protects from birds and wind until they grow a little larger.
Diseases and
fruitfly in tomatoes
If Fungal and
bacterium wilts are a problem in your area try planting ES58s, Scorpio,
Manapal, Burnley Surecrop and Romas as they have resistance to some
forms of wilts. The symptoms of various wilts include yellowing/
browning of leaves normally from ground up. Diseased plants need to be
removed and thrown in the rubbish/ away from garden, as the disease
will spread. As for fruitflies, they are a big problem in Queensland.
Try growing a variety called Hardy Tom or plant in late autumn to
ensure a crop in winter (in warm areas) when fruitflies are least
active. My tomatoes fruiting in Brisbane's winter have had no problem
with fruitfly. You can also try protecting netting, but this needs to
be gap free as the fruitflies are very small. Symptoms of fruitfly are
fruit falling/ rotting on the ground with maggots inside. Sprays and
traps for fruitflies are largely ineffective and can affect beneficial
insects like bees so chose your methods wisely.
This
fascinating member of the deadly nightshade family is delightfully
delicious and versatile. It was probably first domesticated by the
Mexicans earlier last millennium. Their name for it was tomatl (and
also Nahuatl) - in the Anahuac language spoken at the time. It was
reputed to be one of the ingredients used when some of the pre-European
Indigenous people of South America used to have people for dinner,
after they'd rolled down the steep steps of pyramids following
participation in a sacrificial ceremony that left them feeling a
litttle light-headed.
The Spanish decided to call them tomata (the tomatoes that is, not
the unfortunate persons used to prepare stew) and went about spreading
small pox, taking gold and killing lots of people with their spiky
swords in the process before sitting around the campfire drinking hot
cocoa.
The
Spanish
probably brought back tomatoes to Europe around 1523. I can't be sure
of the exact date but if anyone is willing to sponsor a trip to the
area, please let me know as I am willing to go to Ibiza to find a more
precise date.
The earliest
European records of it date back to 1544, when an Italian botanist by
the name of Matthiolus described it as pomodoro: golden apple. He was possibly describing one of the yellow varieties.
To begin with,
this fruity vegetable was thought, by Europeans, to be a little
suspect. Columbus brought a few back and people thought they were
poisonous. (The Latin name is derived from words meaning wolf and
peach: referring to the fruit's supposed deceptive nature). Of course
Europeans weren't that adventurous in those days and many still thought
the earth was flat.
After most
people agreed that the earth was probably round, they began inventing
thousands of very tasty dishes that included the tomato. And the world
is thankful that they did.
Black
Russian
Apart from the
most common red varieties, tomatoes occur naturally in a heap of
colours including: white, blackish, pinkish, purplish, orange, and
green (with stripes). And they come in all shapes and sizes from the
tiny little round cherry ones to big ruffley ones.
Most of the
first tomatoes that were cultivated in Europe had quite uneven shapes.
The first
famous smooth type was declared grosse lisse, by
the French, meaning "fat and smooth".
If you can get
your hands on some fresh Green Zebra tomatoes -
they are green, even when ripe, though they do have a yellow tinge to
them, and have stripes.
Green Zebras
Grow a few
different varieties so you can have fruit at different times during the
season - and save the seed from them. They are self pollinating so you
can be assured, with minimum effort, that you will be getting a true to
type plant next season. That minimum effort would be: space different
varieties about three meters from each other (just to avoid cross
pollination).
You will get so
much reward from growing your own. Especially since modern breeders
design there flavourless fruit with thick
"survive-the-rolling-around-the-supermarket-floors-a-bit" skin that is
about as useful to anyone who enjoys their food as plastic fruit.
There is also a
modern tendency to splice genes from weird flat fish with those of the
seldom aquatic Solanum. And, so far, the old varieties of tomatoes,
have yet to be linked to human mutations and abnormalities. We cannot
be quite as certain with these new "innovations".
Search around
for a good seed company that sells interesting seed.
I have provided
the addresses for some here in Australia. The links for them are on the
left-hand side of the page. All of them are good.
Tomato
Cultivation
Tomatoes
are a summery plant in cooler and temperate climates. They can grow
throughout most of the year in sub-tropical and tropical climates.
They
do not grow very well at both the North and South poles though recently
on Gardening Australia some scientists based in the Antarctic sent
pictures of some tomato plants growing in shipping containers down
there to combat scurvy, so it is possible.
In
Canberra last spring (on Fathers day - which is sensibly placed in
spring in the southern hemisphere) I planted tomatoes near a brick wall
with tree gaurds (3 stakes and a plastic sleeve) round them and lots of
pea straw (piled up around the outside of the tree guard) and compost
and manure to warm
the soil a bit and they thrived even with the chilly Canberra nights.
Canberra still has nights below zero in spring by the way.
This runs contray to the old myth hled in southern Australian states -
in pre-global warming days - of
planting tomatoes on Melbourne Cup day (first Tueasday of November). I
had great
crops of tommy toes, green zebras and other varieties by Christmas Day.
I've even had
reports of people planting their tomatoes in early spring in Sweden by
digging holes and putting relatively fresh manure at the bottom which
while it decomposes lets off enough heat to keep them warm. It was also
suggestted that in Sweden you sprinkle coffee grounds around them to
keep the deer away as the deer associated the smell with hunters.
They
love a little compost. Well, even lots of compost! They also respond
well to seaweed fertiliser and small amounts of potash (for fruit set)
and a nice layer of pea straw to keep their roots from drying out,
whilst also supplying some nitrogen.
Many
tomatoes (most actually) need to be staked like cherry tomatoes, beefsteaks, green zebras, tommy toes,
black Russians, though some like romas should be okay by themselves.
All of them should be protected from frosts, unless they have been
inserted with genes from snowflakes - which may be difficult to do at
home, but you could try putting snow and tomatoes in a blender and then
call the result Yetti Tomatoes, though a more natural way might be to
try a variety like the Nepal tomato, which may be a
little hardier in the cold, or one of the Russian varieties, like purple
or black Russians. When heavy frosts hit tomatoes will burn and go brown - might as well just replant if this happens.
Mr Stripey;
Ruffled Yellow; San Marzano
All tomatoes
make good companions to all sorts of basils, pyrethrum daisies, New
Zealand spinach and marigolds (you can now get white marigolds if you
don't like the yellow ones).
Grow different
varieties for different purposes and for different times of the season.
You can get early ones like rouge de marmande and romas, mid-season
ones like most cherry tomatoes and late varieties like purple calabash
and white beauty, for a steady supply for your salads, sauces and for
drying.
Good luck, and
may the white flies not visit you. And if they do, spray them with neem
or pyrethrum and not nasty chemicals. After all, you might want to eat
them.
Saving Seed for Tomatoes
Did
you know
saving your own tomato seed is very easy. All you have to do is squeeze
the seed from you favourite varieties (buy some heirloom, old fashioned
ones NOT the supermarket ones which might grow but which will be
basically crap and corrupted in the long run) into a bowl and then
cover with
water. After a few days it should get some mould on top. This is good
as it means the mucusey layer around the seed has broken down. Simply
pour off the mouldy water through a fine sieve and wash thoroughly. Dry
for a few more days then you can store the seed for a few months. I
find it best used within one year, but if stored in a dry, moisture
free, environment, it can be stored for several years, though as with
all seeds the viability of the seed can degrade with age - that is
fewer seeds will germinate as time progresses.
