Tomato Borgo Celano - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

The Borgo Celano Tomato is an ancient Italian variety, with each cluster carrying about ten fruits weighing 50 to 100 g. They are oval-shaped with a nipple and covered with a tough red skin that contains thick flesh. It is a mid-season tomato, productive and ideal for drying. This indeterminate-growing tomato is sown from February to March in a warm place for a harvest from July to October.

The tomato is native to South America and Central America. Several varieties were already cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. We are always amazed by the variety of this solanaceous plant. The term "tomato" comes from the Incas' Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of all colours (red, of course, but also green, yellow, and even some very rare blue varieties), of all shapes and sizes. Ancient varieties are indeterminate-growing plants and can live for two years. More recent varieties have a determinate growth and stop growing at the bush stage, so there is no need to stake or trellis them.

The tomato is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. It took a long time for it to reach our taste buds. And for good reason! It was cultivated for a long time for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities. It was thought to be toxic because of its resemblance to the fruit of the mandrake, another solanaceous plant. It only became a regular on our tables at the beginning of the 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small inconspicuous yellow flowers grouped in cymes that will transform into fruits.

It must be admitted that its fruit is very beautiful and adds a pleasant colour to the vegetable garden. It also has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it contains a very interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. And the longer the tomato is cooked, the more lycopene becomes available. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

Today, its taste and nutritional qualities are well established. For gardeners, tomatoes are among the essential vegetables of summer. They simply need to consider how they want to use them to guide them among all the existing varieties. Is it for salads, sauces, direct consumption, or cooking? They will also consider when they want to harvest them. The answer will of course depend on the average summer sunshine in the region where their garden is located. Rest assured, the choice is vast, and every situation has its tomato! And while tomatoes do need a lot of sun and heat, they don't necessarily require a lot of space. That's why you shouldn't hesitate to grow them in pots on your balcony, where you can prioritize varieties with small fruits. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Harvesting: depending on the varieties, it can take 50 to 100 days between the transplanting date and the harvest. There is no foolproof trick to determine in advance when a tomato has reached full ripeness. Harvesting should be done when, at a minimum, it is completely coloured as announced and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows slight softening. For better preservation, be sure to pick the fruit with its peduncle.

Storage: tomatoes do not keep as long when their water content is high. They can be kept well for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator or spread out in the open air. To keep them longer, consider culinary methods such as tomato confits, sun-dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, preserves, jams, or juices. We love to confit them because it's simple and so tasty: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes face up on the baking sheet of your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least an hour. Remove your tomatoes and consume them immediately, or store them in a glass jar and cover with olive oil.

The gardener's tip: it is recommended to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of a complete loss of harvest due to climatic conditions or a particular pathology.
To counteract the phenomenon of 'blossom end rot' - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants.
When transplanting, do not hesitate to bury the stem up to the first leaves. This will stimulate the root system, ensuring a bountiful fruit harvest.
Winning garden associations are often the same on the plate. It's a good mnemonic to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.