THE DIRT ON SOIL

Another article on the whos, whats, whens, wheres and hows of spectacular gardening

Soil and amendments, methods of mixing, styles of planting

Bountiful harvests depend on perfect soil.  It's what makes the world go around (literally.  If you're really interested the inter-connectedness of soil and man, you can become one of our friendly  gaia principle devotees.

For those of you in a hurry, just continue reading below. 

You have taken the first step and decided that you want to grow your own organic vegetable garden. But, where do you start? You begin from the ground up, of course. The most important part of growing a successful fruit and vegetable garden is making sure you have the absolute best soil possible.

There is nothing better than the taste of food  grown in good ole organic "Mother Earth"; rich, friable, moisture-retentive dirt.  (But don't let any of my horticultural friends hear you using the "D" word.  We must call it soil.  Dirt is something one sweeps off the floor. And, believe it or not, there is a scientific explanation of the difference, according to Dr. Elaine Ingrahm, of the Rodale Institute.  She has scientific proof that, once soil is tracked into the house, or blown in, or thrown in, as it were, the basic biology of the soil is killed.  All those mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria can't compete on a kitchen floor.  She spells it all out in a 15 minute video, for those of you who like the minutiae)  There are as many recipes for great soil as there are for southern-fried chicken.  And as you wander down the edible path, you're sure to pick up some of your own hints,  remember some trials and tribulations, and bask in your bumper crops.  All the while, you're filing away and remembering what works best for you.  There will come a point when YOU will take charge of the health of your wards (all those baby radishes and brussels sprouts, etc).  And you will have developed your own,  guesswork-free Black Gold.  When you're running low, and In the meantime, I will be introducing my favorite recipe for all-purpose garden soil in the next few months.  It's suitable for Top-dressing those tired old perennial borders, for mulching your roses in winter, for amendments to your in-ground vegetable garden, and, ful strength for raised beds and pots of all sorts.  I think I'll even use it to revive an old lawn or two next spring.  It will bear the name GARDENBEAR ORGANIC, of course, and you'll know it it by the gigantic green 'G'

on a yellow background.   Coming soon to an Organic, or organic-friendly, nursery near you.  I will eventually offer it here on my products page.

Following are some soil recipes fThese may be modified to fit your needs.  Try to maintain the same proportions I've mentioned, is all I ask.   Here's how I handle the task of soil preparation:

• For seedlings.  First, you'll need either 6-pack cells (what most store-bought seedlings come in, either the little one's or 'contractor's six-packs, or 18 packs, which contain a little more soil, or flats. Flats are those rectangular plastic trays you carry plants to your car with from the nursery.   Then, if you plan on moving plants up to continue growing them before the final planting, you'll need a good supply of 4 inch pots and then gallon size. It's great to have a potting shed!  Oh, this information is taking me back to my greenhouse management days.  On days when it was raining, my staff and I would sit in the headhouse (the greenhouse office) and scrub pots in soapy, slightly vinegary hot water, to rid them of moss, and fungus, and dirt, and any pathogens that came along with the previous plants.  We would wash pots by the hundreds.  We grew 45,000 annuals per year, so we really needed them!

There are other necessary items for starting plants correctly

A soaker tray.  Ideally, it should be big enough to handle two flats, with a little wiggle room.  The perfect size (if you have a tinsmith who can rustle you up one made of galvanized tin) would be 36" X 24" X 4" tall.  A germination heating mat Amazon's list of heating mats today.

Another good thing to have for seedling soil is a medium fine strainer.  One that can hold a couple of quarts of soil product would be spectacular.  Smaller is fine.  (It's used to sift soil lightly over seeds in the trays or 6-packs.  Very fine soil that will encourage the seeds to sprout ever-so-quickly and easily. 

Some old newspapers or magazines to line the flats. Please line them BEFORE you put the soil in.  LOL.

A plastic children's wading pool ($10).  This is a great mixing bowl.  If you're in a confined space, buy a pre-mixed organic seedling mix.  Be certain that it is OMRI listed.  It will say it on the label. 

For your own mix (and this will make enough to last through a dozen flats, or 96 six-packs.  (Keep the leftovers in a labeled garbage can). 

2-2cu ft. bags of organic compost (or Gardenbear Organic Garden Soil, if available).  1 10 lb bag of builder's sand,  and 1.5 C of sunflower hull ash, .  Mix all ingredients well in the wading pool with a small spade.  You may need to pull on some rain boots so you can get right on in there with it and play.  It should smell good! 

Now, you're ready to fill your vessels.  Fill all vessels to the top with this soft, fluffy mix, then gently tamp it down to re-compact it a little.  In the flats, you'll need either a dibble board

 or a good finger will do.  A dibble board is made to just fit inside the flat, with little pegs on one side in 6 rows of 8 pegs for a total of 48 pegs. This one is a little bigger, 6 pegs by 10 pegs, but you gt th idea.   Dibbles are just for making little holes in which to nestle the seeds.  Remember where these plants will ultimately go.  You may not have enough room to plant 4 dozen heads of lettuce.  Give away the excess when they're ready.  All your friends will love you to pieces.  After you've sprinkled a seed (or two or three, depending on how tiny they are, the tinier, the more per hole)  in each hole, it's time to sift more of the same soil on top of everything.  I'd say this will take you a few minutes.  Because, not too much comes through the strainer at a time.  It's kind of like powdered sugar. Except that you'll need about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of sifted soil on top.  Then gently tamp it down and float the flats and 6 packs in the soaker tray half full of water.  Be sure that the water has been sitting in the tray for half an hour, in order for any chlorine in the city water to dissipate before coming into contact with the seeds.  Place everything on a heating mat on your potting bench, or water-friendly table. Cover with plastic wrap to retain moisture for the first week.  Most vegetable seedling sprout best at 72 degrees.  No sun is necessary, until you begin to see leaves.  This usually takes about 5-7 days, sometimes longer.  (Patience is a virtue).  Remember all of this for the fabulous Heirlooms you will have saved! Once you've removed the plastic wrap, and the seedlings are up, you may introduce them to morning sun for a couple of days.  Then transfer them to a sunnier spot.  Flats and 6-packs should be soaked (after germinating) daily, in the morning. If the weather is warm, an additional soaking may be required.  Be attentive.  After two weeks, you will probably see a second type of leaf appearing.  The first ones would have been the cotyledons.  The second set would be called the true leaves.  Once you've seen these leaves, keep a lookout for roots coming out of the container.  This would happen when you have maybe 8  or 10 sets of leaves on the plants.  After a total of 4 weeks (for most plants) things will be ready for transplant to either move them up for continued individual care, like anything in the solanum family such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, or planted in their final location, like brassicacea (cabbage family), or leguminacea (beans and peas), or asteraceae (lettuce).

• Potting soil 1 (for moving up seedlings) This will be enough for 16 flats of 4 inch pots, or 64 quart size, or 16 one gallon plants.  This soil is for the juveniles: these need to start receiving their nutrients!

  As with the seedling mix, store your excess Potting soil 1 in a covered and labeled garbage can.

Mix 2-2 cubic ft. bales of peat moss with 2- 2cubic ft. bags of organic garden soil.

Add an additional 10 lbs of earthworm castings, 2 C of dolomitic limestone, and mix the whole thing up really well.  Like this:

You can sweep up a patio or garage and work there on a tarp, or you can use my favorite, the plastic wading pool for kids.  Some gardeners have been known to rent a cement mixer to cut down on the physical labor. Whatever method you use, all that matters in the end is that you get the ingredients mixed properly.

• Potting Soil #2 For planters and earth pots, and oak barrels, and beautiful terra cotta pots, and for smart pots, etc.  While you are welcome to use Potting Soil #1 for this, be aware that it is a light soil mix and will dry out frequently in full sun.  This mix is heavier, and will hold the water longer.  

Mix 1-3cubic ft bale of peat moss with 3- 2cubic ft bags of organic planting mix.  Add 1-1 Cubic ft bag of chicken manure, 5 lbs of dolomitic lime, 2 C of greensand, 7 lbs of rock phosphate (I prefer this over soft phosphate, because it's slower to break down), 5 lbs of 10-10-10 bat guano, and 2 C Epsom salts.    This mix is pure DY-NO-MITE! It's enough for 6 earth boxes, or 4 half wine barrels, or half of a 4X4X 18 inch Raised bed.  (I like to mix it outside the raised bed.  Because I usually line the bed with wire cloth to deter gophers, moles, voles and shrews. And it's difficult not to mangle the wire cloth when you're powering down on the mixing process with brute strength.)

• In ground Vegetable bed.   Prepare your bed by removing all debris.  Top with either 4 inches of compost, or 4 inches of  Gardenbear Oranic Garden soil.  (Do this once a year!)  Add 5 lbs each, of Dolomitic lime, blood meal, bone meal and alfalfa meal per 100 sq ft.  1/2 as much epsom salts should be added as well.  Spade everything in, turning the soil 2 or three times, if your up to it.  Then rake the entire bed flat with a hard (rock) rake.  Get the kids to do this.  Tell them it's only to improve their health.   And you're ready to plant.  Nothing should burn.  Never plant Solanacea (That's tomatoes, peppers, eggplant,  potatoes) in the same spot every year.  It's good to rotate all your plants to that the soil remains more balanced over the course of several years. 

A word about tillers.  I was taught, by my mentor in Connecticut, that tillers are great for 500 sq ft or less.  However, don't make more than two full passes over the bed.  More than this will pulverize the soil.  The soil requires a few pebbles and rocks, and sticks to give it structure and keep it arable, with pockets for oxygen, water, nutrients and roots to pass through.  So,  say"no" to powder.  Yes to a few clumps and pebbles. 

And remember that every $5 plant needs a $50 hole! 

My li'l Punkin'!

punkin'

 They're popping out all over the place.  All the vines are shriveling up to a powdery mildewy mess.  And removing them without gloves is torture.  But those beautiful, hard-skinned squashes that have been hidden for so long are out in all their glory. 

Take a look at this, the world's LARGEST!!!!!  And native to North America.  And think about pumpkin pie (usually made with Hubbard squash.  And, oh, there are any number of fabulous vegan recipes for this pie), Thai curried pumpkin, calabasa con pollo, roasted seeds (prostrate magic), stuffing for ravioli, Tempura.  They cook and eat the leaves in China and Kenya.  (That would seem to me to be a thorny proposition!)

Of all the continents, only Antarctica is incapable of producing pumpkins. 
As one of the most popular crops in the United States, 1.5 billion pounds (680,000,000 kilograms) of pumpkins are produced each year.  The top pumpkin-producing states include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio Pennsylvania and California. 

Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop that is usually planted in early July. The specific conditions necessary for growing pumpkins require that soil temperatures three inches (7.6 cm) deep are at least 60 degrees farenheit (15.5 °C) and soil that holds water well. Pumpkin crops may suffer if there is a lack of water or because of cold temperatures (in this case, below 65 °F (18.3 °C); frost can be detrimental), and sandy soil with poor water retention or poorly drained soils that become waterlogged after heavy rain. Pumpkins are, however, rather hardy, and even if many leaves and portions of the vine are removed or damaged, the plant can very quickly re-grow secondary vines to replace what was removed.



I LOVE you, punkin'!

GET GOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Prepare for Spring)

The roses are pruned, sprayed (copper), fertilized (chicken manure) and ready to go.  In fact, they're already leafing out here in Northern California.  Hardenbergia, Camelia japonica, Acacia, Flowering pears, Ornamental Plum trees, Magnolia soulangiana are all in splendid full bloom.  I have tulips and daffodils and the rhubarb leaves are a good 6 inches wide.  I've even seen a few peach blossoms in the neighborhood.

We're (all of us, plants and gardeners) raring to go!!!!!  It's a good time to sow a few peas and lettuces, spinach, bitter greens, I've even seen a few heirloom tomatoes in the stores.  I dare say, it's still too early for the warm weather crops.  (I think the retailers are trying to cash in on the spring fever here in California).  The plants will, more than likely, sit there, in suspension, for about a month (which is when I would start planting those crops.)  So, amend your soil.  Everywhere!.  Gather some organic compost from your local recycling center.  Make certain it's labelled 'organic'.  It will be warm and exceedingly fragrant, so be prepared for the perfume, at least a week.  AND, water it in after you mix it with your existing soil.  Add a little limestone for veggies.  It's great by itself for perennial borders or under rhodies, camelias and azaleas. 

Get out there!  It's great to be alive!

On the Movie "Chasing Ice"

This is a definite "MUST SEE!!!"  You may sit back and enjoy the pretty pictures, and the exciting prospect of this film-making.  But, let me tell you.  You're not going to like it.  Not one bit.  It's all about what we're doing to Mother Earth.  It's overwhelmingly bleak.  It's fact.  It's FACT!  And we still eat meat.  We still use gasoline.  We still dump our styrofoam cups in the trash.  We still don't get it.  It's coming really close to being TOO LATE.  

My advice is to move to higher ground.  Grow your own food.  Go Vegan.   Be present with Mother Earth. 

Listen to Sarah Johanssen sing the final credit theme, with Joshua Bell at the violin.  FABULOUS!

We have reached the tipping point.  I'm scared.

I guess I'll go out and plant some more Kale today.

A MESS OF BEANS IS A GOOD THANG

GREEN BEAN

Family: Leguminosiae

Genus: Phaseolus

Species: vulgaris

Green beans (American English), also known as French beans (British English), are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean,  the winged bean, and especially the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also be called snap beans.

Green bean varieties have been bred especially for the fleshiness, flavor, or sweetness of their pods. Haricots verts, French for "green beans", may refer to a longer, thinner type of green bean than the typical American green bean.

Culinary use

green beans (raw)
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	129 kJ (31 kcal)
Carbohydrates	7.1 g
- Dietary fibre	3.6 g
Fat	0.1 g
Protein	1.8 g
Vitamin C	16 mg (19%)
Iron	1 mg (8%)
Potassium	200 mg (4%)
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Green beans are often steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or baked in casseroles. A dish with green beans popular throughout the United States, particularly at Thanksgiving, is green bean casserole, which consists of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and French fried onions.

Some restaurants in the USA serve green beans that are battered and fried, and Japanese restaurants in the United States frequently serve green bean tempura. Green beans are also sold dried and fried with vegetables like carrots, corn, and peas.

Beans contain high concentrations of lectins and may be harmful if consumed in excess in uncooked or improperly cooked form.

Cultivation

Green beans are found in two major groups, bush beans and pole beans.

Bush beans are short plants, growing to approximately two feet in height, without requiring supports. They generally reach maturity and produce all of their fruit in a relatively short period of time, then cease to produce. Gardeners may grow more than one crop of bush beans in a season.

Varieties

Over 130 varieties of snap bean are known.  Varieties specialized for use as green beans, selected for the succulence and flavor of their pods, are the ones usually grown in the home vegetable garden, and many varieties exist. Pod color can be green, golden, purple, red, or streaked. Shapes range from thin "fillet" types to wide "romano" types and more common types in between. French Haricots verts (green beans) are bred for flavorful pods.

The following varieties are among the most common and widely grown.

Bush types

• Bountiful, 50 days (green, heirloom)
• Burpee's Stringless Green Pod, 50 days (green, heirloom)
• Contender, 50 days (green)
• Topcrop, 51 days (green), 1950 AAS winner
• Rocdor (Roc d'Or), 53 days (yellow)
• Cherokee Wax, 55 days (yellow), 1948 AAS winner
• Improved Golden Wax/Pencil Pod Black Wax/Top Notch, 55 days (yellow, heirloom)
• Red Swan, 55 days (red)
• Blue Lake 274, 58 days (green)
• Maxibel, 59 days (green fillet)
• Roma II, 59 days (green romano)
• Improved Commodore/Bush Kentucky Wonder, 60 days (green), 1945 AAS winner
• Dragon's Tongue, 60 days (streaked)

Green pole beans on beanpoles.

Pole types

• Meraviglia di Venezia (Marvel of Venice), 54 days (yellow romano)
• Blue Lake, 60 days (green)
• Fortex, 60 days (green fillet)
• Kentucky Blue, 63 days (green), 1991 AAS winner
• Old Homestead/Kentucky Wonder, 65 days (green, heirloom)
• Kentucky Wonder Wax, 67 days (yellow, heirloom)
• Rattlesnake, 73 days (streaked, heirloom)
• Purple King, 75 days (purple)

NEBRASKA WEDDING (If you're interested)

YOU SAY TOMAYTO

TOMATO

 

Family: Solanaceae

Genus: Solanum

Species: lycopersicum


The scientific species epithet lycopersicum means "wolf peach", and comes from German werewolf myths. These myths said that deadly nightshade was used to summon werewolves, so the tomato, a close relative, but with much larger fruit was named the "wolf peach" when it arrived in Europe.

Tomato may refer to both the plant (Solanum lycopersicum) and the fruit which it bears. It Originated in South America. The tomato fruit is consumed in many ways, including raw, as an ingredient in many dishes and sauces, and in drinks. While it is botanically a fruit, it is considered a vegetable for culinary purposes.  The fruit is rich in lycopene, which may have beneficial health effects. The plants typically grow to 3–10 feet in height and have a weak stem that often sprawls over the ground and vines over other plants.  (Staking is essential.)

Tomatoes are one of the most common garden fruits in the United States and, along with zucchini, have a reputation for outproducing the needs of the grower.  It invariably tops the lists of America’s favorite home garden crops.

The Aztecs called the fruit xitomatl (pronounced [ʃiːˈtomatɬ]), meaning plump thing with a navel. Other Mesoamerican peoples, including the Nahuas, took the name as tomatl, from which some European languages derived the name "tomato".

The definition of an heirloom tomato is vague, but unlike commercial hybrids, all are self-pollinators who have bred true for 40 years or more.

Varieties

There are around 7500 tomato varieties grown for various purposes. Heirloom tomatoes are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among home gardeners and organic producers, since they tend to produce more interesting and flavorful crops at the cost of disease resistance and productivity.  Hybrid plants remain common, since they tend to be heavier producers, and sometimes combine unusual characteristics of heirloom tomatoes with the ruggedness of conventional commercial tomatoes.

Tomato varieties are roughly divided into several categories, based mostly on shape and size.

• "Slicing" or "globe" tomatoes are the usual tomatoes of commerce, used for a wide variety of processing and fresh eating.
• Beefsteak tomatoes are large tomatoes often used for sandwiches and similar applications. Their kidney-bean shape, thinner skin, and shorter shelf life makes commercial use impractical.
• Oxheart tomatoes can range in size up to beefsteaks, and are shaped like large strawberries.
• Plum tomatoes, or paste tomatoes (including pear tomatoes), are bred with a higher solids content for use in tomato sauce and paste, and are usually oblong.
• Pear tomatoes are obviously pear-shaped, and are based upon the San Marzano types for a richer gourmet paste.
• Cherry tomatoes are small and round, often sweet tomatoes generally eaten whole in salads.
• Grape tomatoes, a more recent introduction, are smaller and oblong, a variation on plum tomatoes, and used in salads.
• Campari tomatoes are also sweet and noted for their juiciness, low acidity, and lack of mealiness. They are bigger than cherry tomatoes, but are smaller than plum tomatoes.

Early tomatoes and cool-summer tomatoes bear fruit even where nights are cool, which would otherwise discourage fruit set. There are also varieties high in beta carotenes and vitamin A, hollow tomatoes and tomatoes which keep for months in storage.

Tomatoes are also commonly classified as determinate or indeterminate.  Determinate, or bush, types bear a full crop all at once and top off at a specific height; they are often good choices for container growing.  Indeterminate varieties develop into vines that never top off and continue producing until killed by frost.  As an intermediate form, there are plants sometimes known as vigorous determinate or semideterminate; these top off like determinates, but produce a second crop after the initial crop. The majority of heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate, although some determinate heirlooms exist. Tomatoes grow well with seven hours of sunlight a day. A fertilizer with an NPK (Nitrogen, Phosporous, Potassium) ratio of 5-10-10 is often sold as tomato fertilizer or vegetable fertilizer, although manure and compost are also used.

Diseases and pests

For a more comprehensive list, see List of tomato diseases. (From Wikipedia)

Tomato cultivars vary widely in their resistance to disease. Modern hybrids focus on improving disease resistance over the heirloom plants.  One common tomato disease is tobacco mosaic virus, so smoking or use of tobacco products are discouraged around tomatoes, although there is some scientific debate over whether the virus could possibly survive being burned and converted into smoke.  Various forms of mildew and blight are also common tomato afflictions, which is why tomato cultivars are often marked with a combination of letters which refer to specific disease resistance. The most common letters are: V – verticillium wilt, F – fusarium wilt strain I, FF – fusarium wilt strain I and II, N – nematodes, T – tobacco mosaic virus, and A – alternaria.

Another particularly dreaded disease is curly top, carried by the beet leafhopper, which interrupts the lifecycle, ruining a nightshade plant as a crop. As the name implies, it has the symptom of making the top leaves of the plant wrinkle up and grow abnormally.

Some common tomato pests are stink bugs, cutworms, tomato hornworms and tobacco hornworms, aphids, cabbage loopers, whiteflies, tomato fruitworms, flea beetles, red spider mite, slugs,  and Colorado potato beetles.

When insects attack tomato plants, they produce the plant peptide hormone, systemin, which activates defensive mechanisms, such as the production of protease inhibitors to slow the growth of insects. The hormone was first identified in tomatoes, but similar proteins have been identified in other species since.

Companion plants

See also: List of companion plants and List of beneficial weeds    (From Wikipedia)

Tomatoes serve, or are served by, a large variety of companion plants.  In fact, one of the most famous pairings is the tomato plant and carrots, studies supporting this relationship having produced a popular book about companion planting, Carrots Love Tomatoes.

Additionally, the devastating tomato hornworm has a major predator in various parasitic wasps, whose larvae devour the hornworm, but whose adult form drinks nectar from tiny-flowered plants like umbellifers. Several species of umbellifer are therefore often grown with tomato plants, including parsley, and dill. These also attract predatory flies that attack various tomato pests.

On the other hand, borage is thought to actually repel the tomato hornworm moth.

Other plants with strong scents, like alliums (onions, chives, garlic) and mints (basil, oregano, spearmint are simply thought to mask the scent of the tomato plant, making it harder for pests to locate it, or to provide an alternative landing point, reducing the odds of the pests from attacking the correct plant. These plants may also subtly impact the flavor of tomato fruit.

Ground cover plants, including mints, also stabilize moisture loss around tomato plants and other solaneae, which come from very humid climates, and therefore may prevent moisture-related problems like blossom end rot.

Finally, tap-root plants like dandelions break up dense soil and bring nutrients from down below a tomato plant's reach, possibly benefiting their companion.

Tomato plants, on the other hand, protect asparagus from asparagus beetles, because they contain solanum that kills this pest, while asparagus plants (as well as marigolds) contain a chemical that repels root nematodes known to attack tomato plants.

Pollination

In the wild, original state, tomatoes required cross-pollination; they were much more self-incompatible than domestic cultivars. As a floral device to reduce selfing, the pistil of wild tomatoes extends farther out of the flower than today's cultivars. The stamens were, and remain, entirely within the closed corolla.

This is not the same as self-pollination, despite the common claim that tomatoes do so. That tomatoes pollinate themselves poorly without outside aid is clearly shown in greenhouse situations, where pollination must be aided by artificial wind, vibration of the plants (one brand of vibrator is a wand called an "electric bee" that is used manually), or more often today, by cultured bumblebees.^{[citation needed]} The anther of a tomato flower is shaped like a hollow tube, with the pollen produced within the structure, rather than on the surface, as in most species. The pollen moves through pores in the anther, but very little pollen is shed without some kind of outside motion. The best source of outside motion is a sonicating bee, such as a bumblebee, or the original wild halictid pollinator. In an outside setting, wind or animals provide sufficient motion to produce commercially viable crops.

Hydroponic and greenhouse cultivation

Tomatoes are often grown in greenhouses in cooler climates, and there are cultivars such as the British 'Moneymaker' and a number of cultivars grown in Siberia that are specifically bred for indoor growing. In more temperate climates, it is not uncommon to start seeds in greenhouses during the late winter for future transplant.

Hydroponic tomatoes are also available, and the technique is often used in hostile growing environments, as well as high-density plantings.

Picking and ripening

Unripe tomatoes

Tomatoes are often picked unripe (and thus colored green) and ripened in storage with ethylene. Unripe tomatoes are firm. As they ripen they soften until reaching the ripe state where they are red or orange in color and slightly soft to the touch.  Ethylene is a hydrocarbon gas produced by many fruits that acts as the molecular cue to begin the ripening process. Tomatoes ripened in this way tend to keep longer, but have poorer flavor and a mealier, starchier texture than tomatoes ripened on the plant.  They may be recognized by their color, which is more pink or orange than the other ripe tomatoes' deep red, depending on variety.

Recently, stores have begun selling "tomatoes on the vine", which are determinate varieties that are ripened or harvested with the fruits still connected to a piece of vine. These tend to have more flavor than artificially ripened tomatoes (at a price premium).

At home, fully ripe tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator, but are best kept at room temperature. Tomatoes stored cold will still be edible, but tend to lose flavor; thus, "Never Refrigerate" stickers are sometimes placed on tomatoes in supermarkets.

Nutrition

Tomatoes are now eaten freely throughout the world, and their consumption is believed to benefit the heart, among other organs. They contain the carotene lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants. In some studies, lycopene, especially in cooked tomatoes, has been found to help prevent prostate cancer, but other research contradicts this claim.   Lycopene has also been shown to improve the skin's ability to protect against harmful UV rays.  Natural genetic variation in tomatoes and their wild relatives has given a genetic plethora of genes that produce lycopene, carotene, anthocyanin, and other antioxidants. Tomato varieties are available with double the normal vitamin C (Doublerich), 40 times normal vitamin A (97L97), high levels of anthocyanin (resulting in blue tomatoes), and two to four times the normal amount of lycopene (numerous available cultivars with the high crimson gene).

Medicinal properties

Lycopene has also been shown to protect against oxidative damage in many epidemiological and experimental studies. In addition to its antioxidant activity, other metabolic effects of lycopene have also been demonstrated. The richest source of lycopene in the diet is tomato and tomato derived products.  Tomato consumption has been associated with decreased risk of breast cancer,  head and neck cancers  and might be strongly protective against neurodegenerative diseases. Tomatoes and tomato sauces and puree are said to help lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH) and may have anticancer properties.

 Storage

Tomatoes that are not yet ripe are optimally stored at room temperature uncovered, out of direct sunlight, until ripe. In this environment, they have a shelf life of three to four days. When ripe, they should be used in one to two days. Tomatoes should only be refrigerated when well ripened, but this will affect flavor.

Safety

Plant toxicity

Like many other nightshades, tomato leaves and stems contain atropine and other tropane alkaloids that are toxic if ingested. Ripened fruit does not contain these compounds.  Leaves, stems, and green unripe fruit of the tomato plant contain small amounts of the poisonous alkaloid tomatine.  Use of tomato leaves in tea (tisane) has been responsible for at least one death.   However, levels of tomatine are generally too small to be dangerous.

Tomato plants can be toxic to dogs if they eat large amounts of the fruit, or chew plant material.

Tomato plants are vines, initially decumbent, typically growing six feet or more above the ground if supported, although erect bush varieties have been bred, generally three feet tall or shorter. Indeterminate types are "tender" perennials, dying annually in temperate climates (they are originally native to tropical highlands), although they can live up to three years in a greenhouse in some cases. Determinate types are annual in all climates.

Tomato fruit is classified as a berry. As a true fruit, it develops from the ovary of the plant after fertilization, its flesh comprising the pericarp walls. The fruit contains hollow spaces full of seeds and moisture, called locular cavities. These vary, among cultivated species, according to type. Some smaller varieties have two cavities, globe-shaped varieties typically have three to five, beefsteak tomatoes have a great number of smaller cavities, while paste tomatoes have very few, very small cavities.

For propagation, the seeds need to come from a mature fruit, and be dried or fermented before germination.

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of tomato differs in different English-speaking countries; the two most common variants are /təˈmɑːtoʊ/ and /təˈmeɪtoʊ/. Speakers from the British Isles, most of the Commonwealth, and speakers of Southern American English typically say /təˈmɑːtoʊ/, while most North American speakers usually say /təˈmeɪtoʊ/.

The word's dual pronunciations were immortalized in Ira and George Gershwin's 1937 song Let's Call the Whole Thing Off ("You like /pəˈteɪtoʊ/ and I like /pəˈtɑːtoʊ/ / You like /təˈmeɪtoʊ/ and I like /təˈmɑːtoʊ/") and have become a symbol for nitpicking pronunciation disputes. In this capacity, it has even become an American and British slang term: saying /təˈmeɪtoʊ, təˈmɑːtoʊ/ when presented with two choices can mean "What's the difference?" or "It's all the same to me."