Tom LeRoy-Everything You Ever Wanted to Know

and Some You Didn’t Didn t
By Thomas R. LeRoy
Montgomery County Extension Agent – Horticulture
t-leroy@tamu.edu

Where do tomatoes come from?
Western coast of South America America, present present-day day Peru 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” Xitomatl . Early Aztec writings
mentioned dishes comprised of peppers, salt and
tomatoes. Could be the original salsa recipe!

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 1544. Tomatoes, Tomatoes
described as pomi d’oro (Golden Apple) were eaten
with oil, , salt and pepper. p pp This means, , yellow y
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) known).

Tomatoes became widely cultivated over the next
several decades in Spain, Italy and France where it
was called pomme d’amour d amour (Love Apple) Apple). It might
have been used as an early aphrodisiac.
German folklore –witches used members of the
nightshade i h h d family f il to summons werewolves l (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 edible wolf peach peach” .
English writings as early as 1578 referred to the
tomato as an ornamental.

Pl Plants t were brought b ht BACK t to th the AAmericas i b by
colonists early on, as ornamentals from Britain.
Northern European p cultures associated the tomato
with poisonous members of the nightshade family,
specifically henbane, mandrake and deadly
nightshade which resemble their edible cousin 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 Naples, Italy in 1692. 1692
In 1752, English cooks used tomatoes sparingly to
flavor soups.

In 1781 Thomas Jefferson brought tomatoes to his
table, along with French fries. He is given credit, by
many many, for popularizing tomato use in North
American culture.
New N Orleans cuisine is reported p 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!”

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 t a vegetable tbl and d th therefore f should h ld be b exempt. t
In 1893 the case Nix vs. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304, came
bf before th the Supreme S Court. C t
The court ruled that although tomatoes were
considered the “fruit fruit of the vine” vine they are generally
eaten cooked or raw and served during the “principal
part of the repast repast” and therefore a vegetable “not not like
fruits generally, as desert.”

Receives 8 + hours of sunlight sunlight.
Soil has good internal and
external drainage.
Free from competition from other
large plants, buildings, etc.
N Near a source of f water. t
Visible!

Select Recommended Varieties.
Plant at the Right g Time.
Proper Soil Preparation and Fertilization.
Control Weeds, , Diseases and Insects.
Adequate Soil Moisture.
Harvest at the Right Time .

Fruit-set is affected by
night temperature.
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.

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 t more th than
30% shows a
change in color
PINK -Stage 4 -
more than 30%
but not more
than 60% shows
pink p 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 f th the surface f i is
red. In color

Determinate
Floriamerica
Mountian
Delight
Bush Celebrity
Bush Early Girl
Carnival
Jackpot
Solar Set
BHN 444
Heatwave
Semi
Celebrity
Heartland
SuperTasty
Indeterminate
Beefmaster
Super
Fantastic
Champion
Dona
Early E EEarly l Girl Gi l
Brandywine
First First Lady
Better Boy
Big g
Beef

ASC SC -Alternaria te a a
V - Verticillium Ve t c u Wiltt
Stem Canker
BSp - Bacterial Speck
V1 - Verticillium Wilt,
race 1
F - Fusarium Wilt
F1 - Fusarium Wilt
race1
V2 - Verticillium Wilt,
race 2
TMV - Tomato
F2 - Fusarium Wilt
race2
Mosaic Virus
St - Stemphylium
N - Nematodes
(gray leaf spot)

Champion, highest
producer ever in our
trials at 73 lbs./plant
Average production on
modern hybrids is 40-50
lbs./plant. p
Average home gardener
produces less than 10
lbs./plant.

Benefits of Row
Cover Cover.
2 to 4 F of Frost
Protection.
Wind Protection.
Keeps Out Insects.
Allows 85 to 90%
Light Penetration.
U Up to t 30% I Increase
in Production.

Stink Bug g
Endosulfan
Cyfluthrin
Tomato
Hornworm
Early y Blight g
Sevin
Bifenthrin
Bt (Bacillus
Permethrin
thuringiensis)
Spinosid
Insecticidal Soap
Pyrethrum
Neem Oil
Chlorothalonil
Maneb
Copper produ
cts
Bacillus subtilis
(Kodiak)
Potassium
bicarbonate
(Firststep)

Bush Celebrity (61)
y( )
Solar Set (53)
Dona (53)
( )
Carnival (54)
Heatwave (50)
Early Girl (50)
Champion
Celebrity

Juliet (57)
Baxter’s Baxter s Early
Bush
Sweet Chelsea
Yellow Pear

Select Proper
Varieties.
Sterile Potting g
Media.
Sterile Containers.
High Light
Intensity for 14-16
hours.
Regular
Applications of
Soluble Fertilizer