| Botanical name | Lycopersicon esculentum |
|---|---|
| Plant Care |  Deciduous Deciduous – Sheds Its Leaves Annually  Full Sun Full Sun – Prefers 6 or more hours of sun per day.  Frost Hardy Frost Hardy – Can Handle frost without damage.  Moderate Watering Moderate Watering – Requires Regular Watering.  Pruning Required Pruning Required – Needs to be Pruned.  Non Indigenous Non Indigenous – Exotic to South Africa. |
| Size | |
| Categories | |
| Common name(s) | Tomatoes |
| Origin | |
| Planting instructions | Plant seedlings in open beds when they are 100–120mm tall. Seedlings of tall- growing hybrids can be planted 500mm apart in the row. |
| Maintenance | Use a single stake to support each plant or enclose it in a wigwam of three or four stakes tied at the top. Grow cocktail tomatoes on a trellis, tying the plants on regularly to prevent them sprawling. Water frequently and feed every 14 days with liquid fertilizer high in potassium and low in nitrogen. |
| Fruit | Pick ripe fruits regularly to encourage plants to continue bearing. |
| Uses | Culinary – Tomatoes are used for salads, soups, stews and go well on breads. |
| Interesting planting ideas | Tomatoes grow well with onions, chives, parsley, basil, sage, marigolds, celery and carrots. |
| Interesting info | Tomato is high beta carotene, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, folic acid, vitamins A and C, which helps to settle anxiety, fatigue and tension. |
| Common pests and diseases | Aphids, white fly, caterpillars, red spider mite, nematodes. Blight, leaf spot.Extreme weather conditions or imbalances in soil nutrients and soil moisture can cause physiological or non-parasitic diseases such as sun scald, leaf roll, cat face (malformed fruits), blossom-end rot (blossom end starts to develop a large black rotting patch), and flower drop. |
| Recommended varieties | Recently introduced hybrids provide a heavier yield, improved flavour, and better disease resistance. A determinate grower will grow to a height of about 1m and usually does not need to be staked. ‘Flora Dade’ is a determinate grower, yielding medium-large, firm fruits. An indeterminate grower needs a tall stake and will continue growing until halted by the removal of the growth point. ‘Zest’, an indeterminate grower, has a long bearing period with excellent quality fruit; ‘Josefina’, a cocktail hybrid, is another indeterminate grower. Cherry tomatoes are a good choice for a smaller garden, as they produce abundant fruits, in a variety of shapes and colours, over a long period of time. |
| Harvest | Pick ripe fruits regularly to encourage plants to continue bearing. |
| Yield | Twelve to fifteen plants should yield enough for a family of four. |
| Seed sowing instructions | Sow seed in beds or seed trays. Prick out seed sown in trays when the first true leaves are well developed. |
Lycopersicon esculentum (Tomatoes)
- Botanical name: Lycopersicon esculentum
- Common name(s): Tomatoes
- Categories: Fruits and Vegetables
Plant description:
The tomato is the most popular and versatile vegetable grown worldwide. It is a warm-season crop that needs about a three-month growing season to reach fruit-producing stage.
Family: Solanaceae
Botanical Pronunciation: lye-koe-PUR-sih-kon ess-kew-LEN-tum
Lycopersicon esculentum requirements and features
info on these icons
Moderate Maintenance
Requires moderate maintenance.
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