Lycopersicon esculentum

Tomato

Tender perennial to 2m (6 feet), grown as an edible annual. Pinnate leaves with 7-9 leaflets. Yellow flowers borne in clusters. Fruit is a red berry with a fleshy placentae and kidney-shaped seeds.

Uses

Fruit is harvested when pink or red. Can be dried, eaten raw or used in a variety of cooked dishes.

Culture

Requires temperatures between 21-27 degrees C for optimum growth. Frost sensitive. Provide protection from very hot conditions. Grow in moist, well-drained, fertile soils. Apply fertiliser regularly during the growing season. Prefers a soil pH of 5.5-7 Prune out side shoots until flowering commences. Reduce watering after fruit set, but do not allow to dry out. Attacked by aphis, fruit fly, potato beetle, whitefly, mites, and birds. Disease problems include anthracnose, bacterial canker, blight, fusarium wilt and leaf mould. Prospers when planted near basil. Marigolds deter nematodes. Do not plant near potatoes, apricot trees, cabbage, cauliflower, turnips or radish. Provide a stake ot trellis for support. http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/sustainable/peet/profiles/c19tom.html http://osu.orst.edu/Dept/NWREC/tomato.html

Propagation

No information available at this time...

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