Tomato Star Gold F1 Plants

The Stargold Tomato is a variety of Cherry type with abundant production. It gathers in a same cluster around ten - or more - bright yellow fruits weighing 15 to 20 g. Very sweet, they bring a touch of joy during aperitifs with friends or picnics. Also consider this variety if you want to introduce the taste of tomato to your children. They love the tiny fruits with vibrant colors that can be eaten straight from the vegetable garden. The Gold Star Tomato is also highly resistant to diseases. The plug plants are planted from April to June after the last frost when the plants have reached about fifteen cm. The Stargold Tomato is harvested from July to October. Variety replaced by 'Cherry Yellow'.

NB: this variety is marked as F1 for "F1 hybrid" as 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 tasty and/or early while being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid plants are interesting for both their uniformity and resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to the next generations: it will therefore not be possible to collect the seeds for future sowing.

The Tomato originates from 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 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 was considered toxic due to its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another Solanaceae. It only became a regular on our tables from the beginning of the 20th century.

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

It is a fruit vegetable that has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it 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 for appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, or made into sauce... They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to enjoy a variety of flavors!

Harvesting: Harvest periods vary depending on the earliness: 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 has acquired its final color and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better storage, make sure to pick the fruit with its calyx. Beware, 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 by confit-ing, drying, freezing, canning, or making jam. To confit them, cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes facing up on the baking tray of your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least one 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, if possible mixed with dead leaves. This protection, which keeps the soil moist, also limits weed growth.