Pour off the mold and debris, saving the good seeds on the bottom. Let the mixture ferment for several days or until a thick layer of mold has formed this process removes the gelatinous layer on the seeds. An alternative method for smaller tomatoes is to put them in a blender and pulse the mixture, since the seeds are hard and slippery and will not be harmed. Pick fully ripe tomatoes and cut them in half horizontally, across the middle squeeze out the pulp into a container. Seed Saving: Since cross pollination between most tomato varieties is unlikely, isolation is not a concern. Unripe tomatoes will ripen eventually if kept in a warm place out of direct sunlight. Vine ripened tomatoes have the best flavor, but as soon as frost comes, all tomatoes should be harvested, even the green ones. If the stem does not come easily off the vine, cut it with a scissors. The mature color also indicates ripeness. Harvesting: Test the ripeness of tomatoes by pressing them gently the flesh should yield slightly. Pruning the "suckers," or shoots that grow between the main stem and the branches, will greatly improve the production and strength of the plant. A thick layer of mulch helps conserve moisture and control weeds water the plants once a week, but avoid getting the leaves wet. Since temperatures below 55 degrees F can damage production, protect the plants if temperatures drop. As the vines begin to grow, tying them to the support helps their development. Put the supports in place before the seedlings develop vines. Growing: Indeterminate tomato varieties often perform best when provided with a trellis or support, since this protects them from various pests and diseases in connection with too much soil contact. For companion planting benefits, plant tomatoes with carrots or onions, but avoid planting them with cabbage or tomatoes. If providing a trellis, space the plants 2' apart, but if allowing the vines to spread, space the plants 3-4' apart. When the soil temperature reaches at least 70 degrees F, plant the seedlings in full sun and very rich soil once more, bury the entire stem up to the lowest set of leaves. A week before planting the seedlings outside, begin exposing them to the weather during the day to harden them tomatoes cannot endure cold weather, and should not be transplanted outside until all threat of frost has passed. When the second set of leaves emerges, transplant the seedlings into individual pots bury the stems up to the lowest set of leaves to grow strongly rooted plants. Keep the temperature at 70-75 degrees F until germination, as well as providing adequate light in a sunny window or under a grow light keep the soil moist, but make sure drainage is adequate. Mature wild tomatoes will grow to a height of about 4 feet (1 m.) with a vining habit.Sowing: Start tomatoes indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost of spring, sowing the seeds in a flat 1/4" deep and 1" apart. Seeds for the ancestral tomato can still be found online and are typically grown as a perennial. Unfortunately, because of industrial agriculture in its native regions which includes the use of herbicides, the little pimp is rapidly losing ground and is becoming as uncommon as any other endangered species. They are more susceptible to diseases and insect damage than their predecessors. What that means to us is that modern tomatoes may look good, even taste good, but lack the survival skills of their ancestors. Spanish explorers then took these seeds to Europe, further separating the wild tomato ancestor from its rapidly changing progeny. As they were growing wild tomatoes, farmers selected and saved seeds from the biggest, tastiest fruit and cross-bred them with others having more desirable traits. Pre-Columbian denizens of what is now southern Mexico planted and cultivated wild tomatoes. No bigger than a shelled pea, pimps and their other wild tomato relatives, like wild currant tomatoes, are extremely adaptable and can survive in some of the driest, harshest desert regions to humid, rain-filled lowlands to chilly alpine heights.Ĭan you eat wild tomatoes? While these little tomatoes are not as widespread as before, if you did happen across some wild tomatoes, do not be confused with volunteer garden tomatoes that have simply popped up elsewhere, they would be totally edible and quite flavorful, with a bright, orange-red color. They still grow wild in northern Peru and southern Ecuador. Known to botanists as Solanum pimpinellifolium or quaintly “pimp,” wild tomato plants are the ancestors of all the tomatoes we eat today. What are wild tomatoes? Keep reading to learn about wild tomato information and about growing wild tomatoes. Whether you are an aficionado of the wildly colored, formed, and sublimely flavored heirloom or a grab-and-go supermarket tomato consumer, all tomatoes owe their existence to wild tomato plants.
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