a. Tomatoes are fruits. “Botanically, a tomato is a fruit: the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant. However, the tomato is not as sweet as most foods eaten as fruit, and is typically served as part of a salad or main course of a meal, rather than at dessert. It is therefore considered a vegetable for most culinary purposes.” –Wiki
b. Grown on trees.
2. If grown in the costal region, during the warm seasons from March-July.
3. It can be grown from seed. Preferably use “starting mix seeds”.
Germination= 5-10 days.
o I advise planting 20% more seeds than the number of plants you’ll want to allow for seeds that may not germinate or seedlings that become damaged. It’s generally pretty easy to find a home for seedlings you won’t be using. Fill container with dampened seed starting mix. Tamp down mix to get air out. Plant your seeds a maximum of 1/4 inch deep. Then tamp down mix again lightly. Dampen soil mix thoroughly with a gentle drizzling of water.
o Put your containers or tray into a loose-fitting plastic bag (leaving the end open for circulation. Some air circulation is good but don’t let the mix dry out because dry seeds won’t germinate.
o If temperature is kept consistently and sufficiently warm, your tomato seeds will usually germinate within 5 to 10 days. Best to keep temperature range 70 to 80F (21 to 27C). The lower the temperature the slower the germination. However, temperatures below 50F (10C) or above 95F (35C) are poor for germination. (Some varieties need more time to germinate.) When seeds start coming up remove tray from plastic bag.
o Watch for the first seedlings, because they will need to be moved into a good light source as soon as they begin to emerge from the soil. If the light is not adequate, you will get long, leggy stems shooting up which is not good.
4. 55 to 100 days. I think that makes sense for this semester. I think growing tomatoes would go great in the garden. The garden mostly consist of lettuce, cabbage…salad foods. And tomatoes go great with salads. J
5. Cutting.
6-7: Prepare the garden bed by adding lots of compost (5 to 8 pounds per square foot/25 to 40 kilograms per square meter) to the soil. Turn compost into the top 3 inches (6 to 8 cm). Tomatoes demand a growing medium rich in organic matter. If you don’t make your own compost, use store-bought compost or composted manure available in the 40-pound bags. Compost or Manure is usually less than US $5 per 40-pound bag.
a. Acidic Soil. pH 5.0 - 5.5.
b. N-P-K ratio recommended: 10-10-10
8. Run the hose at the base of the plants. Do not water tomatoes with an over-head sprinkler. Water thoroughly when you water, then hold off for several days, before rewatering.
9. Companion plants: asparagus, basil, bean, carrots, celery, chive, cucumber, garlic, head lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, pepper, marigold, pot marigold and sow thistle. Basil repels flies and mosquitoes, improves growth and flavor. Bee balm, chives and mint improve health and flavor. Borage deters tomato worm, improves growth and flavor. Keep cabbage and cauliflower away from them.
10. Aside from being rich in vitamins C, A and K, tomatoes contain lycopene, a carotenoid with potent antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties. Lycopene protects cells from oxygen damage, fights colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancers, and reduces your risk of heart disease.
a. The vines are poisonous.
b. Bumble bees…ZZZ! They pretty much self pollinate.
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