Tomato Pepe F1 GRAFTED seedlings

The 'Pepe' Tomato is a variety of cherry tomato that produces long and abundant clusters of 30 to 50 round and deep red fruits weighing between 20 and 30g. These small tomatoes have a delicious, very sweet and rather juicy flesh. You can reserve them for picnics or snacks with friends, but they are also well-suited for salads or side dishes. This variety, very vigorous, is particularly resistant to most tomato diseases. Plug plants are planted from May to June after the last frost when the plants have reached about fifteen centimetres.

The 'Pepe F1' tomato plug plants can be planted from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest from July to September. Grafting allows for a faster and more abundant harvest.

The technique of grafting tomato plants consists of giving a desired variety the root system of another specially selected variety, called a rootstock. This rootstock has excellent resistance to soil parasites and diseases, which provides additional vigour to the plant: it is then more resistant to difficult external conditions (such as cold climates) and will produce a significantly higher yield than a non-grafted plant. The fruiting of grafted plants starts earlier and lower on the main stem. Thanks to the use of the 'Protector' rootstock, our grafted tomato plants also produce fewer leaves, making ripening and harvesting easier.

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 Tomate comes from the Inca Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it bears. It is one of the many foods that was taken from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chilli peppers. The Tomato took considerably longer to reach our taste buds. The reason for this is that 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 diet 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 latitudes. It becomes lignified over time and produces small insignificant yellow flowers grouped in cymes that will turn into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but can also be planted in containers on a balcony, especially varieties with small growth.

It is a fruity 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 multiple ways: in salads or as appetisers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, or in sauces. They come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and cultivate several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your weekly menu!

Harvesting: Harvest times vary depending on the variety’s maturity: early varieties are harvested from 55 to 70 days after planting, mid-season varieties from 70 to 85 days, and late varieties beyond 85 days. Harvesting is done when the Tomato takes on its final colour and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better preservation, be sure to pick the fruit with its stem. 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 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 halved tomatoes face up on a baking sheet. 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 limit watering, we recommend mulching the soil with thin, successive layers of grass clippings, mixed with dead leaves if possible. This protection, which keeps the soil moist, also limits weed growth.