3 Reasons You Should Grow Tomatoes
1 Dec
1. Tomatoes Taste Delicious
There is no denying just how delicious and versatile a fresh, juicy tomato can be. They can be eaten cooked or raw, as a snack or a main dish, on a pizza, in a salad, or just by themselves.
Tomatoes also play an important role in many different traditional cuisines: Italian pasta sauce, Spanish gazpacho, and Middle Eastern salads, to name a few.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are up to 25,000 varieties of tomatoes, each with their own unique flavour. As a general rule, you can determine the flavour profile of a tomato by to the colour of its skin.
- White tomatoes: not very acidic due to high levels of sweetness.
- Yellow or orange tomatoes: fruity in taste.
- Pink or red tomatoes: complex flavour that combines high levels of acidity and sweetness.
- Green tomatoes: firm flesh, very acidic flavour.
- Bicolour tomatoes: mild and sweet, visually stimulating.
It is often the case that the darker the tomato skin, the more acidic the flavour.
2. Tomatoes Are Healthy
Tomatoes can reduce the risk of cancers. Tomatoes are red due to a carotenoid called lycopene. Studies have shown a link between high levels of lycopene in the blood and reduced risks of certain cancers. Crushing or cooking tomatoes allows the lycopene to be more easily absorbed into the body. Cooking breaks down the cell walls, which releases the lycopene, and cooking oil helps the body absorb the nutrient more easily.
Tomatoes can help protect against heart disease. As well as lycopene, tomatoes have high levels of vitamin C, which is associated with reduced risk of heart disease. Tomatoes also have high levels of salicylates. Salicylates have anti-clotting effects on blood, and can therefore help maintain healthy arteries and heart. Studies have also shown that people who consume more tomatoes and tomato products have lower cholesterol.
Tomatoes can help maintain healthy bones. As well as lycopene, tomatoes have high levels of vitamin K (one serving of tomatoes provides 18% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K). Both nutrients have been linked to a decrease in bone degeneration. In fact, one study suggested that omitting foods containing lycopene for just four weeks lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis in women.
3. Tomatoes Are Easy To Grow
You don’t even need are garden bed to experience the incredible taste of a homegrown tomato. No wonder they are the world’s most popular vegetable to grow!
You can successfully grow tomatoes in pots, but don’t forget these few things:
- Make sure that your container or pot is at least 30cm (12 inches) deep and about 18 litres (five gallons) in volume.
- Ensure your container or pot has drainage holes.
- While regular potting soil will work well for tomatoes, you can also use garden soil mixed with peat moss, vermiculite or perlite.
- Tomato plants require six to eight hours of light a day.
Although growing tomatoes is both easy and fun, there is still so much that may sabotage a healthy, delicious yield.
For easy to follow, step-by-step instructions on how to grow the best tomatoes, get yourself a copy of our worldwide best selling book How To Grow Juicy Tasty Tomatoes. And why not pick up a few extra copies for your family and friends for Christmas? Give them the gift of delicious food and good health!