Tip of the Week: Tempting Tomatoes

Posted in Gardening Tips on August 3 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.

Tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountains of Peru, where eight different species of tomatoes still grow in the wild. They were first brought to Central America and domesticated by the Aztec, who grew a yellow form of the cherry tomato (Lycopersicon cerasiforme) that they mixed with peppers and salt to create the first salsas. 

The Aztec named these little fruits xitomatl, which translates into “plump little thing with a navel.” Subsequent Central American tribes renamed the fruit tomati It was brought to Europe by Spanish and Italian explorers, including Hernando Cortez and Christopher Columbus.  

When the tomato first arrived in Europe it was viewed with suspicion. Tomatoes are members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), and their foliage is similar to deadly nightshade (Atropus belladonna), which was a well-known poisonous plant used as a hallucinogenic drug and a beauty aid. It was fashionable in medieval courts for women to dilate their pupils with drops made from the plant. When taken as a hallucinogen, the drug induced visions and a feeling of flying that were associated with the practice of witchcraft.

To make matters worse, the upperclass ate off of pewter plates that contained a high lead content. Tomatoes, being high in acid, would cause the lead to leach out, resulting in lead poisoning. The first tomatoes, renamed pomi d’oro or golden apple by the Italians, where thought to be inedible; they were viewed as ornamental plants. Only the poor, who ate off of wooden plates, consumed the fruits.

By the 18th century, the tomato had finally cast off its bad reputation, although its botanical name, Lycopersicon esculentum, encapsulates it dubious history. Lycopersicon translates to “wolf peach,” which harkens back to its association with witchcraft, werewolves, and poison, while esculentum means “edible.”  

Some tomatoes, particularly heirloom varieties, have colorful histories. One favorite is the story of Charlie Byles, a radiator repairman who, during the Great Depression, turned his attention to hybridizing tomatoes. His goal was to hybridize a tomato that could feed a family of six. A novice grower, “Radiator Charlie” crossed four of the largest tomatoes that he could find to breed a monster tomato.

By the 1940s, Charlie was selling seedlings of his new tomato for $1. People were driving as far as 200 miles to buy his tomato that produced 2 1/2- to 4-pound tasty, pinkish-red fruits all summer. Within several years Charlie was able to pay off the mortgage on his home, hence the name of his hefty heirloom is ‘Mortgage Lifter’.

Sometimes the name of the heirloom reveals either the grower or hybridizer such as ‘Livingston’s Perfection’ or ‘Aunt Ruby’s Green German’; other times it alludes to its site of origin, such as ‘Amish Paste’, ‘Arkansas Traveler’, or ‘Hillbilly’ (West Virginia).

You often see tomatoes described as “determinate” (D) or “indeterminate” (I). Determinate tomatoes tend to be fairly compact plants that often require minimal staking. They mature to a determined size (generally 4 feet), and their fruits tend to mature in a relatively short time span (approximately 6 weeks). Indeterminate tomatoes will grow as big as you let them. I have had several indeterminate types crawl over a pergola and reach 8–10 feet tall. They will produce fruit as long as the weather cooperates—often in the New York area well into October.

 Tomatoes can be hybrids or open-pollinated. Hybrids were created to produce a higher yield and better uniformity (e.g., nice, perfectly shaped round fruit). However, if you save the seeds and try to grow them the following year, you will not get the same tomato.  

Open-pollinated tomatoes are generally self-pollinating tomatoes that will come true to seed. One advantage of these tomatoes is that they have been grown in specific regions and have adapted to their local climates. Heirlooms fall into this category and are known for an incredible variety of color, shape, and delicious flavor.

 There are many types of tomatoes to choose from, and they all have distinctive features. There are currant tomatoes that are miniscule, cherry tomatoes that are as sweet as candy, paste tomatoes that are wonderful for cooking and sun-drying, medium-size tomatoes that are wonderful for tossing into a salad, and beefsteak tomatoes that are ideal for BLTs.

 The list gets even longer with heirlooms when you realize there are peach tomatoes that have a fuzzy coating, bell pepper tomatoes that posses a hollow cavity for stuffing, oxheart tomatoes that are plump and tapered at the end, and ribbed tomatoes that are a work of art.

Some popular tomato varieties include:

Variety	Determinate or Indeterminate	Hand or Open Pollinated	Type
‘Amish Paste’	Indeterminate	Open	(paste)
‘Better Boy’	Indeterminate	Hand	(large)
‘Brandywine’	Indeterminate	Open	(large)
‘Celebrity’	Determinate	Hand	(medium)
‘Cherokee Purple’	Indeterminate	Open	(large)
‘Early Girl’	Indeterminate	Hand	(medium)
‘Gourmet Yellow Stuffer’	Indeterminate	Open	(stuffing)
‘Green Zebra’	Indeterminate	Open	(medium)
‘Nyagous’	Indeterminate	Open	(medium)
‘Oregon Spring’	Determinate	Open	(medium)
‘San Marzano’	Indeterminate	Open	(paste)
‘Stupice’	Indeterminate	Open	(small)
‘Sun Gold’	Indeterminate	Hand	(cherry)
‘Sweet Millions’	Indeterminate	Hand	(cherry)
‘Tangella’	Indeterminate	Open	(medium)
‘Tiny Tim’	Determinate	Open	(dwarf)
‘Wapsipinicon Peach’	Indeterminate	Open	(medium)
‘Zapotec’	Indeterminate	Open	(large, ribbed)