Re: [tomato] An interesting question....at least for me...
Tom Eilers (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Wed, 10 Mar 1999 15:02:41 -0800
I think you raised some great points. I'm certainly no expert but I'd like to
add my 2¢ worth. Few gardeners would agree that it is impossible to raise
tomatos in conditions other than those mentioned. I believe that people have
determined parameters at which their tomatos will grow and produce the optimum
crop. Natural selection is at work, developing fruit that will grow under the
most widespread and adverse conditions. The resulting fruit may not be exactly
what we like, prehistorically tomatos were small, quite unlike what we grow
today, but remember, in nature a plant need only produce one fruit in order for
it to reproduce itself. I think that it is a tribute to the tomato that it does
so well, despite our best efforts. Good luck, Tom
Orchid wrote:
> I have a question that has been bugging me for awhile since I took up
> vegetable gardening again, especially tomatoes. Although most varieties of
> veggies have been altered by man since the stone age.....it could be assumed
> that most vegetables and fruits had their start in the "wild". In another
> words, that they grew, spread, and survived without man's help. Man later
> discovered these edibles and later cultivated them and became farmers
> instead of gatherers or hunters.
>
> Thus, it would seem that the veggies in their natural habitat would do best
> if they were sowed and grown in the same way they came into being........
>
> O.K.....this is what I'm getting at........When planting our tomato seeds,
> we are told that they like to germinate in the seventies...i.e. 75-79
> degrees F......but once the seedlings emerge....they like to grow in the
> sixties...i.e. 60-65 degrees F (put them in a cool basement we were
> told). So the simple question is.....how did nature provide these
> conditions and instill these requirements ....considering that in most
> environments it goes from cool to warm, and tomatoes are a warm weather
> crop?
>
> I would appreciate hearing from a few point of views....and I'll sleep
> better at night ...finally knowing the answer....
>
> Pete, Zone 10, South Florida