Things people “know” about tomatoes

Myth A tomato is a vegetable, full stop.

Fact Botanically, tomato fruits are berries, from 1.5 to 7.5cm across or more. Each has at least two chambers of small seeds in jelly-like pulp. Encyclopaedia Britannica: tomato Justice Gray, giving the court’s opinion, wrote: “Botanically speaking, tomatoes are the fruit of a vine, just as are cucumbers, squashes, beans and peas.” U.S. Reports, Nix v. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304 (1893), Library of Congress (PDF of the printed opinion) In Nix v. Hedden, decided on 10 May 1893, the US Supreme Court held that tomatoes are “vegetables” and not “fruit” under the Tariff Act of 3 March 1883. U.S. Reports, Nix v. Hedden, 149 U.S. 304 (1893), Library of Congress (PDF of the printed opinion)

Myth Tomatoes come from Italy.

Fact Kew: though it is thought of as an Italian essential, the tomato actually came from the Andes. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Tasty tomatoes (25 October 2019) The wild tomato came from the Andes of South America, probably mainly Peru and Ecuador. Encyclopaedia Britannica: tomato

Myth Europe loved tomatoes straight away.

Fact In France and northern Europe the tomato was first grown as an ornamental and treated with suspicion as food, because botanists saw it was related to deadly nightshade. Encyclopaedia Britannica: tomato

Myth Tomatoes were always popular in the United States.

Fact Thomas Jefferson is known to have grown tomatoes at Monticello in 1781. Encyclopaedia Britannica: tomato The tomato didn’t become widely popular in the United States until the early 20th century. Encyclopaedia Britannica: tomato

Myth Tomatoes are always red.

Fact Tomato colours range from traditional red to dark purple, pink, orange, yellow or green, and even striped. RHS: How to grow tomatoes Tomatoes are usually red, scarlet or yellow (green and purple varieties exist too), and range from round to oval, long or pear-shaped. Encyclopaedia Britannica: tomato

Myth Every tomato plant needs its side-shoots pinched out.

Fact On cordon tomatoes, pinch out the side-shoots that sprout from the joint between each leaf and the main stem. Check each time you water. RHS: How to grow tomatoes Bush tomatoes are more compact, and their side-shoots should be left to grow. RHS: How to grow tomatoes

Myth Tomato plants climb up their canes by themselves.

Fact Tomatoes don’t cling to supports by themselves, so they must be tied in, or wound round a string, by hand as they grow. RHS: How to grow tomatoes

Myth Blossom end rot is a disease.

Fact Blossom end rot isn’t a pest or a disease: it is caused by poor growing conditions. RHS: Blossom end rot It is caused by a lack of calcium in the fruit, but the RHS says soils very rarely lack calcium. The real problem is an irregular water supply. RHS: Blossom end rot

Myth A calcium spray on the leaves will fix blossom end rot.

Fact The RHS says calcium sprays on the leaves don’t work, because the fruit doesn’t take up calcium that way. RHS: Blossom end rot

Myth Green tomatoes at the end of the season are wasted.

Fact At the end of the season, ripen unripe tomatoes somewhere warm and dark, or in a drawer with a banana. RHS: How to grow tomatoes Garden Organic: ripen green tomatoes indoors in a sunny spot or in a dark place next to a ripe banana. Green tomatoes also make great chutney. Garden Organic: Tomatoes growing guide

Myth “Resistant” and “tolerant” varieties are the same thing.

Fact UMN: a resistant variety won’t get the disease; a tolerant one will, but it spreads more slowly and is less serious. Seed catalogues use codes to show which is which. University of Minnesota Extension: Growing tomatoes in home gardens