I Say Tomato

Martinez is the perfect climate to grow tomatoes. The only thing that could be better are warmer nights, but it is warm enough, unlike some places. On the coast it is very difficult to grow tomatoes. They need warm days above 80 degrees to ripen. They have varieties like San Francisco Fog tomatoes that can ripen in colder climates. As a rule, the smaller the fruit the less heat it takes to ripen them. Cherry tomatoes are always the first to ripen, then early girls, then Roma tomatoes, then Ace, and finally the large Beef Steaks and Brandy Wines.

Speaking of Brandy Wine Tomatoes, if you have never had a Brandy Wine, you are missing out on probably the best thing on earth. Salsa made with Brandy Wines is absolutely incredible.

Tomatoes are another one of the New World Foods, originating in South America, and were unknown to the rest of the world before Columbus.

Tomatoes were thought to be poisonous at one time. One possible reason is when tomatoes came in contact with plates, goblets or utensils made with pewter, which contains lead, the acid in tomatoes released the lead in the pewter and caused lead poisoning. This has pretty much been debunked recently though. At the time Spanish people and Italians adopted them wholeheartedly and used them in many recipes without any reports of poisoning. However, in Northern Europe and America they were still thought to be poisonous until Thomas Jefferson, who ate tomatoes in Paris, sent some seeds back to America. The leaves and roots of tomato plants are indeed poisonous, and this might explain why tomatoes were also thought to be poisonous.

It is hard to imagine a world without tomatoes. Pizza without tomato sauce? French fries without ketchup? No taco sauce?

By weight, (12,275,000 Metric Tons), tomatoes are the fourth largest crop grown in the U.S. each year.

Tomatoes are probably the most popular vegetable grown in backyard gardens across America. I know they are technically a fruit, but I still can't bring myself to call them a fruit. It just doesn't seem right.

You can start tomato seeds in a window or outside in a hot box before the last frost. A "hotbox" is a simple box with clear plastic over it, tilted towards the sun. Put black plastic on the bottom. You also want to keep it tight so slugs and snails cannot get in and eat the small seedlings, yet still have some air circulation in it for oxygen. Also you do not want it to get too hot inside. It takes warm weather to germinate tomato seeds in the ground. Peppers need even warmer weather and ground temperature to germinate, so instead of all that trouble I just buy my plants at the nursery each year. Buying six packs of pants is the way to go. You pay much more when buying them just a little bit bigger in 3 or 4 inch plastic containers.

I have heard every way to plant tomatoes you can imagine. Some plant them at an angle and say it gives them a larger root base. Others take off the first sets of leaves and bury them an inch or two up the stem. You can do this, but I would say don't over think it too much. I like to plant mine around the middle of April. They grow slowly in early spring and will catch up in no time anyway once the weather warms. Also, if we have a wet Spring, they can develop fungus, so it is a gamble sometimes planting too early.

I do not spray mine or use any fertilizers other than working the soil before planting. If you have good soil, the plant will have everything it needs to thrive. I water a lot when the plants are young. You can almost never over water a plant in the ground with good soil. I do ease up on the water when the roots are deep and after the tomatoes appear, it helps ripen them faster.

I also don't bother with tomato bugs. They have never harmed my plants too much. They are scary though when you suddenly see one next to your hand. Deer on the other hand can do major damage. I like the old saying, plant one for the birds, one for the earth and one for you. Also, I plant one for the deer. Nothing seems to work short of a huge steel cage to keep out a determined deer. Save your money. Just try to protect the tomatoes when they are small.

I think the best tomato cages are made using a roll of 4"x4"x6' welded wire fencing, cutting it in 7 foot lengths, and bending the wire over the edge to make a cage. Then putting it over the new tomato plant and securing it with a t-post. It will support the plant and your hand can reach through to pick the tomatoes. In the fall, if you have green tomatoes that did not ripen, you can put clear plastic over the cage to ripen some of the last fruit, and maybe have ripe tomatoes into early December. By using a hot house, you can even extend the growing season. They use these in colder climates. But with a hot house, monitor the temperature closely, it can easily get too hot inside and kill the plants.

I like green tomatoes though. There are many recipes for green tomatoes, including green salsa, and of course the famous fried green tomatoes. There are many ways to ripen green tomatoes on and off the vine. You can wrap them in newspaper and put them in a box inside, or pull the whole plant and bring it inside. But I think one thing that makes tomatoes special is that they are seasonal, and after a long winter with only canned tomatoes and store bought tomatoes to eat, or maybe spending a fortune on hot house tomatoes, nothing can beat picking that first red tomato come next June.

Tomatoes are so good. I am about to make a tomato/cucumber salad with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. No matter how you pronounce it, nothing can compare to fresh home grown tomatoes.