Since my little tomatoes looked like grapes, I will call them grape tomatoes. I like fresh grape tomatoes more than cherry tomatoes. The flesh of grape tomatoes are thicker than cherry tomatoes and they are sweeter too. I will wash the grape tomatoes and pop them into my mouth and eat them raw.
I collected some seeds from a fully ripe and red grape tomato and kept the seeds in a small container and let it on the counter in the kitchen. I almost forgot about the seeds and it was a few days later, I took the seeds out and tried to germinate them in little containers.
One morning I went to check on the baby plants and small pots waiting for variety of seeds to germinate. Some of the pots were not labelled and I cannot remember what seeds were in them. I noticed one pot with a baby plant that looked like a tomato plant. It looked like only one seed germinated successfully while the others failed. I left it there and waited until it was bigger and stronger before I transplanted it to a bigger pot.
This plant was not labelled, so I do not know what kind of tomato plant it was.
My tomato plant grew tall and spindly. Someone commented that it was too skinny to bear fruit but I refused to give up on it. Looking back, I should have fed it with more fertilizer. One lesson learnt - tomato plants need regular feeding of fertilizer.
I was not prepared for this tomato plant to grow so tall, I used whatever temporary support I could get to support it and finally, I have to use a raffia string to prevent it from bending over. Every time I looked at this plant, it reminded me of "the giant and the beanstalk" story.
One fine morning, I saw the first fruit on my tomato plant besides the yellow flowers. I am glad I did not give up on this plant.
My tomato plant has fine prickly hairs on its stem. My friend Patricia shared her experience with me that she accidentally broke her cherry tomato stem. She took the stem and stuck it into the same pot and it grew!
I was overjoyed to see more fruits coming forth.
There were about 4 to 6 fruits on each stem.
Caution: Tomato plants including the leaves, stems and unripe (green) fruits contain small amount of toxic.
This was the first fruit. I waited for it to be red and full ripe before I plucked it. It will taste sweeter when it is fully ripe.
When I plucked these 2 fruits, I couldn't wait to taste them. I washed them under running tap water.
I then cut one tomato into half to see the thick flesh and took a picture of it. It was very juicy and sweet.
Tomato plant grows well in moist, fertile garden soil with good drainage. It likes the sun and plenty of water. Tomato plant also like regular fertilizer.
Ripe tomatoes are used in salads, juices and cocktails. They are also made into tomato ketchup, tomato soup, tomato sauce and paste especially in pizzas. Tomatoes are commonly used as cooking ingredients world wide.
With the experience & lessons I have learnt in growing this grape tomato plant, I am looking forward to grow more of these plants. To be able to eat my own freshly plucked tomatoes straight from my garden, and to taste the extra sweetness is worth the effort and the time spent in my garden.
Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul;
if you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.
(Proverbs 24:13-14, New International Version-NIV)
