Planet Veggie Garden

Did you know…

• Tomatoes are self fertile. It’s flowers contain both male and female parts. All it needs is a gentle breeze to become fertile
• Tomato fruit sets best at night time temperatures between 60F and 70F – a hormone is released facilitating the fertilization process
• A study from Florida State University showed that high nitrogen and potassium fertilization has a detrimental effect on tomato flavor
• Tomatoes contain the phytonutrient Lycopene. Human studies have found lycopene in combination with it’s other numerous nutrients to be protective against a number of cancers and have cardiovascular benefits. Cooked organic tomato products have the most lycopene.
• Who knows how many varieties of heirlooms exists? One website boasts over 600 varieties of seeds.
• Of all tomato varieties there are over 7500
• The world’s largest tomato weighed in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces and was grown by Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma in 1986.
• A tomato tree at Epcot center in Florida had a harvest of more than 32,000 tomatoes weighing in at 1151.84 pounds
• Botanically tomatoes are a berry but is widely considered a vegetable
• All parts of the tomato plant are poisonous except the fruit
• La Tomatina is the largest tomato food fight with an estimated 40,000 participants and over 100 tons of tomatoes. Held yearly in Bunyol, Valencia in Spain, squishy love apples fly for one hour starting at 11 am. This year the tomatoes will launch August 27th. It’s not too late to book your flight for the big fight.

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