What should you plant tomatoes with?

Tomatoes grow best alongside companion plants such as basil, marigolds, garlic, corn, and onions. However, they should not be planted near potatoes or other nightshade plants that are susceptible to the same diseases.

When should tomato plants be planted?

Tomato seedlings are transplanted into the ground after the last frosts, when the soil has warmed sufficiently, to around 12 to 15 °C. Planting under cover can begin a little earlier.

Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable?

Botanically speaking, the tomato is a fruit, as it grows from a flower and contains seeds. In cooking, however, it is considered a vegetable because of its use in savory dishes, salads, and sauces. It therefore belongs to both categories depending on the context.

🍅 Tomato – Solanum lycopersicum

The undisputed queen of our summer vegetable gardens, the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) charms us as much with its diversity as with its bounty. For the gardener, the real challenge isn't determining whether it's a fruit or a vegetable, but rather choosing the ideal variety to plant. From cherry tomatoes to determinate and indeterminate varieties… There are several thousand cultivars of this plant, which is native to Peru.

How can you identify the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)?

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a herbaceous plant. Perennial in tropical climates, it is grown in harsher climates as an annual vegetable. The plant has an upright or bushy growth habit and can grow over two meters tall.

The angular stem branches out. It is green and covered with fine white hairs, which help reduce evapotranspiration.

The green, alternate leaves measure 10 to 25 centimeters. They consist of seven to nine leaflets with deeply lobed margins.

The flowers have five yellow petals and five green tepals. They are hermaphroditic, but pollination requires an external agent (wind, insects, etc.) to cause the anthers to vibrate and release pollen.

They then develop into a fleshy fruit, also called a tomato. Its size, shape, and color vary greatly from one variety to another. A tomato can:

Weigh between a few grams and two kilograms;
Be spherical, cylindrical, flattened, pear-shaped, or heart-shaped;
Be smooth or ribbed;
Be red, orange, pink, yellow, green, black, or blue;
Be solid-colored or two-toned.

The fruit contains many seeds (up to several hundred per tomato), which are small and hairy.

Which tomato varieties should you grow in your garden?

There are more than 3,000 varieties of tomatoes, which are divided into two main categories based on their growth habit:

Indeterminate tomatoes: They continue to grow and produce throughout the summer;
Determinate tomatoes: They stop growing once they reach their final size and produce their fruit all at once.

The best indeterminate tomato varieties

Choose an Indeterminate tomato if you:

Want to harvest tomatoes all summer long;
Have plenty of space;
Are willing to prune and stake the plants.

If you want to grow indeterminate tomatoes, you can choose:

'Black Cherry':a Cherry tomato that grows over two meters tall and can also be grown in a very large pot;
'Sungold': a small, orange-yellow cherry tomato that ripens very early and can be grown in the ground or in a pot;
'Cœur de Bœuf': a heirloom variety with very heavy fruit that absolutely requires sturdy staking;
'Noire de Crimée': a heirloom variety with purple tomatoes that is drought-tolerant;
The Marmande tomato, an early-season variety with large, ribbed fruits;
'Green Zebra': a very productive green and yellow tomato.

The Best Determinate Tomato Varieties

The determinate tomato:

Has a compact growth habit;
Does not require pruning;
Produces all its fruit at the same time.

These varieties are recommended for small spaces and gardeners looking for a bountiful, concentrated harvest—for example, for making sauces or preserves. If this sounds like you, you might want to try:

'Roma,' a variety with elongated fruits that's easy to grow in pots or in the ground;
'Hector ': a disease-resistant hybrid tomato that produces large, round, red fruits;
'Pendulina': red or yellow cherry tomatoes that can be grown in pots on a balcony.

Are tomatoes poisonous?

The fruit is not toxic. Tomatoes are edible and are said to be the second most widely consumed vegetable in the world, after potatoes.

However, the leaves and stems contain solanine, a substance that is toxic to humans and animals if ingested. It causes digestive problems, such as nausea and vomiting.

Diseases / Threats