Tomato Growing: A to Z Guide

The Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is a member of the nightshade family, Solanaceae.

The genus Lycopersicon contains over 100 species of annual and perennial herbs and shrubs.

The common names include potato, groundcherry, and cape gooseberry. The fruit is a berry, usually red, but sometimes yellow, orange, or black.

The fleshy part of the fruit is edible, although not always palatable.

History of Tomato

The earliest cultivated forms of the Tomato were found in Peru, where it was domesticated between 5000 and 3000 B.C.E.

The ancient Egyptians may have grown tomatoes as early as 2000 B.C.E., and the Greeks and Romans grew them extensively.

Tomatoes were introduced to Europe in the 15th century and to North America in the 16th century.

The Tomato is associated with the goddess Demeter, who was the Greek goddess of agriculture.

The goddess was so fond of the fruit that she gave it to her daughter Persephone, who became queen of the underworld.

When Persephone ate the pomegranate seeds, she was forced to spend half the year in the underworld with Hades, the god of the underworld.

Is Tomato a Good Indoor plant?

Yes, it can grow indoors / in your backyard.

But like any other plant, it has its own specific needs to flourish.

You will need to give it bright light, especially at night, and a temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

This makes growing tomatoes growing a bit of a challenge if you do not get enough sunlight.

6-8 hrs of sunlight is ideal for its growth. How much Water does a Tomato Need? Water regularly, but only when the soil feels dry. Do not let the soil become soggy.

There are several other considerations to growing a tomato plant, such as soil type, watering, how deep one should plant, care, diseases etc. Another interesting point regarding tomatoes is that you can also grow them in hanging baskets, thus saving space.

If you plan to grow a tomato plant in your home garden/containers – check out our detailed guides on all aspects you need to know.