by Greg Spinks

Created on: July 13, 2010   Last Updated: July 15, 2010

Tomatoes, once a wild weed discovered just a few centuries ago, are one of the most popular vegetables today in countless home gardens. Discovered by early explorers in Central America during colonization, perhaps around 1520 or so, tomatoes have captivated and amazed and fed a good portion of the world's population ever since.

Today, as in the past, there are no secret formulas or magic chants to growing a successful tomato harvest, just some basic tips. A tomato can be either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate means simply that most of the tomatoes of this variety ripen more or less at the same time. These varieties come in handy when a bumper crop is needed for preserving. Indeterminate simply means the variety will produce throughout the growing season. These varieties are great for fresh table use, sale, and if enough are planted, there are still plenty for preserving.  

The second tomato tip to remember has more recent origins dating to 1945 when the W. Atlee Burpee company introduced the first hybrid tomato the, “Fordhook Hybrid”. This was the beginning of what could be dubbed the “tomato revolution”. Hundreds of new varieties have appeared ever since. A basic hybrid is simply a cross between two tomato varieties; breeders select the best qualities of each. While there are many advantages to hybrids, the seeds will not grow true to the parent plant. The next generation will revert back to one or the other parent plant, or develop into a unique and unknown variety.

Before 1949, all tomatoes were, in general, heirlooms. Heirloom varieties which were grown year after year have same generally predictable results. They were grown for a variety of reasons: flavor, disease resistance, storage, preservation. The heirloom seeds could be saved; and it was a safe bet that the following year's crop would be the same. The heirlooms, like many “wild plants” became adjusted to particular soil conditions and environmental conditions over the generations.

Once a decision is made regarding which variety to plant, the next tomato tip regards environmental conditions. Tomatoes, hybrid or heirloom, enjoy as much sunlight as possible, at least six to seven hours and about an inch of water every week. The weed free, loamy soil should be slightly acidic or test for a pH in the 6.0 to 6.8 range.

Tomatoes thrive in organic conditions much like their jungle ancestors. Mature compost is a key ingredient to success. Excessive

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