Liz Douville

Tomatoes are the iconic “fruit of the Gods” in folklore. In Central Oregon gardens tomatoes are the bane of our vegetable gardens or should we say, our fruit garden patch.

Are tomatoes fruit or vegetable? Maybe you could win a trivia contest with the correct answer. Tomatoes are technically a fruit. “The ripened ovary of a seed plant and its contents are contained within the flesh of the fruit.” As you gift one of your first tomatoes to a favorite neighbor you could add, “nice fruit — eh?” Your neighbor will think you are a bit daft, but then the neighbor already knew that cause you are trying to grow tomatoes in Central Oregon.

On May 10, 1893, the Supreme Court made a smart decision and

declared the tomato a vegetable based on its use being served with dinner and not being served as a dessert.

The vocabulary associated with tomato growing can be a clue as to what you should expect. Determinate growth usually refers to bush types and are grown in tomato cages for easier care and harvesting. The fruit ripens within a concentrated period of time.

Indeterminate refers to the growth habit as fruit ripening over a long period of time. Cherry types are a good example. Cages are used, along with a stake placed in the cage. The plant should be secured to the stake. Tomato plants left to sprawl on the ground are more susceptible to fungus and disease.

If you are interested in saving seed from your tomato crop you need to know if your variety is an open-pollinated variety or a hybrid variety. That information may be offered on the plant tag, in a seed catalog or google the variety.

Open-pollinated plants are identified on the tag or in a catalog as OP and can be saved.

A hybrid is usually identified using the letter F and a number (F1). The hybrid is a cross between two varieties to enhance a particular trait. These seeds should not be saved. Saved seeds from that variety may revert to one of the parent plants.

Choose tomatoes that are in their prime, not over-ripe or under-ripe, diseased, or misshaped. Since you are just saving the seed, you’ll get to eat most of the tomato, so it isn’t a real sacrifice.

The Oregon State University Extension fact sheet offers the following advice.

“Plants with fleshy fruits like tomatoes are best processed through fermentation. Scoop the seeds into a glass, add water, and let sit in a warm place for 3 or more days until a mold film develops on the surface. Pour into a strainer and wash the rotten, fleshy material off the seeds. After a fresh water rinse, lay the seeds out on paper towels to dry. Once the seeds are thoroughly dry, place in an airtight container for storage.”

According to charts I have, tomato seeds remain viable from three to seven years.

When purchasing new packets of seeds, I note on the package year of purchase and with tomatoes I add an expiration date of four years. Take time to search for vegetable viability charts and add them to your garden journal, (you know, the one you are starting this year).

All gardens have good intentions of keeping track of the varieties of all their plantings: flowers and vegetables. Unfortunately the original tag gets lost in the soil or is broken off by animals, yours, theirs or Mother Nature’s.

Attaching the plastic tag from tomatoes to the tomato cage or to a stake could solve the problem. Punch a hole in the plastic tag then attach the tag to the top of the support with twine or plastic coated garden wires. For wooden stakes staple or nail the tag to the stake.

Several years ago a study at Rutgers University studied the vitamin C content of 36 tomato varieties and found that cherry tomatoes had more vitamin C per ounce than their larger counterparts. Maybe bigger isn’t always better.

Mark your calendars for the High Desert Garden Tour, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. July 15. Gardens are in Bend and Tumalo. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit https://beav.es/T4x