9/24/2023 0 Comments Green zebra tomato sizeSouthern gardeners may grow them as perennials. In far northern climates, these tomatoes are sometimes grown in greenhouses in order to achieve the 75–90 days required for the plants to mature and produce fruit. But they're grown as annuals in any zone where there's a sufficiently long and warm growing season, from zones 3–11. lycopersicum, are perennial plants in USDA hardiness zones 10–11. lycopersicum is originally native to western South America, but it has been cultivated so long that many varieties have now become associated with the regions where they gained popularity, from West Virginia to Russia. (Some experts argue that tomatoes more properly belong to the Solanum genus, the former designation.) L. Most commercial hybrid tomatoes, however, belong to the Lycopersicon esculentum species. Most heirloom tomatoes are cultivars or crosses derived from the Lycopersicon lycopersicum species. The sheer popularity of heirloom tomatoes has opened the door to some selective crosses between heirlooms, which produce varieties that are technically hybrids yet are still open-pollinated plants, regarded in the trade as heirlooms. Many heirloom tomatoes produce fruits that are black, purple, brown, yellow, pink, or white, and some are even bicolored and striped.Ĭonsider heirlooms the party favors of the tomato world-once you've grown these festive fruits, your garden (and kitchen) will never be the same. There's an increasing amount of interest in heirloom tomatoes since they often have very unusual appearances and are sometimes more flavorful than hybrid tomatoes, which have been selectively bred to have a bright red color, a long shelf life, and a predictable taste. There are several seed-saver organizations that are largely responsible for preserving these heirloom varieties, and many are now offered for sale by seed companies. Unlike most hybrid tomatoes, these produce seeds that "come true," germinating and sprouting into plants that look the same as the host plant. These are open-pollinated tomatoes, meaning that they're pollinated by physical transmission of pollen from one flower to the next, either by hand, wind, or insects. The term "heirloom" tomato often refers to a species with pure genetics-a "parent" species that's not the product of hybridization.
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