Tomato Baby Boomer F1

The Baby Boomer F1 tomato plant, with its upright and bushy habit, adapts its development to the volume of substrate available. It produces fruit over a very long period, with each harvest resulting in the production of new clusters. Besides enjoying them raw, consider this variety for skewers or if you want to introduce the taste of tomatoes to your children. They love the tiny, brightly colored, sweet-tasting fruits that can be eaten straight from the vegetable garden or balcony. Planting plug plants can be done from April to June after the last frost when the plants have reached about fifteen centimeters in height.

NB: This variety is labeled as F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavorful and/or early while also being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or incorrectly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid seeds are interesting both for their uniformity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: therefore, it will not be possible to save the seeds for future sowing.

The Tomato originated in South America and Central America. Several varieties were already cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. The term "tomato" comes from the Inca word "Tomatl" and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. It is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. The Tomato took significantly longer to reach our taste buds. For a good reason: it was long cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities, but it was considered toxic due to its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another member of the Solanaceae family. It only became a regular part of our tables from the beginning of the 20th century.

The Tomato is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our cold winter latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers clustered in cymes that will transform into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but can also be grown in containers on a balcony, with preference given to compact varieties.

It is a fruit vegetable that has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it also contains a very interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

In terms of cooking, Tomatoes can be consumed raw or cooked in many different ways: in salads or as appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, in ratatouille, as a sauce, in skewers... They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your enjoyment!

Harvest: Harvest periods vary depending on the earliness: early varieties like Baby Boomer can be harvested from 55 to 70 days after planting, mid-season varieties from 70 to 85 days, and late varieties beyond 85 days. Harvest when the Tomato has acquired its final color and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows slight softening. For better storage, make sure to harvest the fruit with its calyx. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Storage: The optimal storage temperature for tomatoes is between 10 and 15°C (50 and 59°F). Refrigeration is possible but alters the taste qualities of the fruits. For longer storage, tomatoes can be preserved, dried, frozen, canned, or cooked into jam. To preserve them, cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes face up on the baking sheet in your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least an hour. Remove your tomatoes, store them in a glass jar, and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: To reduce the need for watering, we recommend mulching the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings, if possible mixed with dead leaves. This protection, which keeps the soil moist, also reduces weed growth.

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