Wild Tomato Information Learn About Growing Wild Tomatoes

How do wild tomatoes grow?
What is wild tomato?
What are wild tomatoes like?
Is wild tomato poisonous?
Is it better to stake or cage tomato plants?
Do tomatoes need support to grow?
Do tomatoes grow in the wild anywhere?
What did Italians eat before tomatoes?
What animals eat ripe tomatoes?
Are there poisonous tomatoes?
Which tomatoes yield the most?
What color were tomatoes originally?

How do wild tomatoes grow?

A tomato plant grows upright, holding its fruit up off the ground. They often need cages or stakes because the tomatoes get heavy enough to pull limbs or even the entire plant to the ground, potentially snapping the branches or stem in the process. 'Wild tomatoes' bear much smaller fruits that are easier to support.

What is wild tomato?

Known to botanists as Solanum pimpinellifolium or quaintly “pimp,” wild tomato plants are the ancestors of all the tomatoes we eat today. They still grow wild in northern Peru and southern Ecuador.

What are wild tomatoes like?

Technically, the direct wild ancestor of cultivated tomato is Solanum pimpinellifolium. These little fruits are a close relative of the modern ones you pick up at farmer's markets, in your CSA bag or in grocery stores, but they are much much smaller, like a very tiny cherry tomato.

Is wild tomato poisonous?

Other "wild tomatoes"

Fruiting branch of Solanum carolinense. These "wild tomatoes" are poisonous.

Is it better to stake or cage tomato plants?

Indeterminate varieties, in our experience, do better with cages because they can reach such heights, but your cage needs to be up to the challenge and offer support at least six feet tall. Of course, you can also use a stake for an indeterminate variety if its tall enough, but that brings me to our next topic…

Do tomatoes need support to grow?

In theory bush tomatoes do not need support, but left to their own devices plants can be weighed down onto the ground by heavy fruits, increasing the chances of slug damage, disease and fruit spoil. ... Plant the tomatoes in between the two rows of canes. Lift up the branches and drape them over the canes as they grow.

Do tomatoes grow in the wild anywhere?

Tomatoes are native to South America, in fact, several species are still found growing wild in the Andes. Brought to Mexico, tomatoes were domesticated and cultivated there by 500 BC. ... (The tomato belongs to the nightshade family—some plants in this family are poisonous.)

What did Italians eat before tomatoes?

Before tomatoes, the Italian diet was largely similar to the diet throughout the rest of the Mediterranean. Bread, pasta, olives, and beans were all staples, and Italians also made a variety of different types of polenta.

What animals eat ripe tomatoes?

A: All sorts of animals love ripe tomatoes almost as much as people, especially squirrels, chipmunks, groundhogs, raccoons, deer and birds.

Are there poisonous tomatoes?

While it's true that tomatoes are members of the nightshade family, they actually produce a slightly different alkaloid called tomatine. ... Tomatine is also toxic but less so. However, when ingested in extremely large doses, it may cause gastrointestinal problems, liver and even heart damage.

Which tomatoes yield the most?

Other classics that produce high yields include “Beauty,” “Cherokee Purple,” “Chocolate Stripes,” “Japanese Oxheart,” “Early Wonder” and “Stupice.” With fruit weighing as much as 2 pounds, the larger beefsteak tomato varieties are better known for their size than their prolific production; however, the “Black Krim,” “ ...

What color were tomatoes originally?

The tomato varieties that existed when tomatoes were first cultivated were yellow or orange. Through breeding, the standard color of tomato plant varieties is now red. While red may be the predominate color among tomatoes now, that doesn't mean that there aren't other colors of tomatoes available.