Protecting and getting the most from your tree tomato fruit seedlings

Tomato fruits are fussy. Fruit can be red or yellow; personally I prefer the more tangy red ones. The plants grow from seed to about 2m tall, long and leggy, and only fruit after they have formed 21 branches, usually after Year 2.

7 TIPS FOR GETTING THE BEST CROP

1. They only live for a decade, so always have a few young ones coming on to replace the old ones;
2. Tip cuttings will fruit sooner, and tend to produce a stronger, more compact bush;
3. Old wise growers will tell you to grow your tomato fruit plants under the house eaves facing north. In coastal and windy areas it pays to shelter the trees, and cover them during a frost;
4. Don’t put them in your greenhouse; they grow better outside away from whitefly which covers them like snow otherwise;
5. Feed them like a tomato, with plenty of nitrogen and trace elements;
6. Pruning increases fruit size, so in summer trim some of those leggy growing branch ends back by 60cm.

A single tree tomato grown in good fertile soil can bear anywhere between 20-30kg of fruit per year earning the farmer well over half a million shillings from a single acre of land. The tree tomato plants are small attractive, half woody and evergreen. The leaves are alternate and evergreen with a heart shaped base and a pointed apex. The tree tomato plants are brittle and shallow rooted growing to a height of 3M to 5.5M. The fruits are long stalked and dangling, in clusters of 3 to 12 smooth, egg shaped and pointed at both ends. The skin color may be deep purple, blood red, orange or yellow.

The shrubs are subtropical rather than tropical and grow well in altitudes of between 1,500M to 3,000M, and grow best where the temperature remains above 50ºF with well drained soils. The tree tomato shrub requires fertile light soils rich in organic matter for vigorous growth. It cannot tolerate prolonged drought and therefore mulching and supplementary irrigation are beneficial. A compound fertilizer may be applied at sowing time if necessary. Seeds and cuttings may be used for growing tree tomato. Seeds develop into high-branched erect shrub while cuttings develop into shorter bushy plants with low lying branches. The plants from seed are not always true to type but are most likely if care is taken to extract seed from red fruits with black seed pulp or yellow fruits with yellow seed pulp. Germination is accelerated by placing washed and dried seeds in a freezer for 24 hours before sowing. Cuttings should only be from plants which are 1 - 2 years old with a thickness of 1.5 to 2.5 cm (3/8 to 1 inch) and a length of 45 to75 cm (18 to 30 inches)The leaves are removed and the base cut square below a node. When the plants are about 1-1.5 meters, cut the roots on one side and lean the plants to the other, in the direction of the midday sun at about 30 to 45 degrees. This allows bearing braches to grow along the trunk rather than just at the top.

The plants can grow up to 6M high but are easily damaged by wind and needs shelter. Plants cuttings can be sown directly at a spacing of 3×3M in the ground, but should not be permitted to bear the first year. Newly grown tree tomatoes should be pruned to a height of 90-120cm (3-4ft) .Yearly pruning thereafter is recommended to eliminate branches that have already born because fruits are produced on new growth. Pruning also aids in harvesting and if timed properly can extend the total bearing period. The tomato tree plants will bear fruits after 2years.

Tree tomatoes are ready to harvest when they develop the red or yellow color. To harvest simply pull the fruits from the shrubs with a snapping motion leaving the stalk attached. Well-nourished plants can produce up to 66 kg per year. The fruits can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 weeks, but temperatures below 38ºF can cause the skin to discolor .Tree tomatoes are generally pest resistant other than occasional attacks of green aphids and fruits flies. The principal disease affecting growing tree tomatoes is powdery mildew which may cause serious defoliation if not controlled. Other diseases during growth include potato virus, cucumber mosaic virus. Control the plants’ diseases using suitable pesticides.

Walking around our tree nursery one day i thought of a question I often get asked by many customers. "If I plant tree tomatoes how long is it going to take before I can the return on investment?" The answer to this question is completely dependent on how quickly the fruit tree consolidated into a regular bearing but usually this is 2 to 3 years.

So what do you need to grow a tree tomato successfully?

Firstly you need a sheltered site from strong winds as the plant can become heavy especially when cropping. A couple of good stakes to support the trunk would be advisable. They do not like exposure to hot afternoon sun so an easterly or north facing position would be good.

As the plants grow rapidly prepare the soil with a good blend of compost like Attunga's 'Humus Plus' to add to the water holding capacity of the plant. Plant in and then mulch (Lucerne or Straw) around the plant ensuring it is kept clear of the stem.

The plant will want to grow up to two metres tall before branching so it is best to prune it back at about one metre tall to encourage several strong branches. In early spring each year after harvest prune back the spindly branches to strong older wood to keep the tree compact and productive.

Tomato fruit seedlings worst enemy

Tomato fruit trees only fruit after they have formed 21 branches.

Just like orange, lemons and other citrus trees, tomato fruits will die if left to dry out, even if for only a day. In drier areas of Kenya you will have to with a drip line or sprinkle water every few days, mulching the root zone also helps to keep the moisture in.

Snails are a tomato fruit’s worst enemy and will devastate your tiny forming fruits during the night if left unchecked -– snails can eat a whole tomato fruit tree seedling from the top down in a week. There are biological ways to control snails and slugs

There are no serious pests or diseases but you may find that in spring fungal diseases attack some of the leaves and in warmer weather aphids feed on the leaves. These can easily be controlled and cause no long term problems. This plant truly deserves a place in every home garden where rapid fruiting on a small attractive low maintenance plant is desired!!