Tomato plants?

Over the past few months I’ve been growing two cherry tomato plants, among other things, in my vegie plot at uni (scientific name is Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme from Solanaceae for anyone who’s interested). For some reason I was under the impression that they would be an enjoyable crop to manage, but they’re really not.

Firstly, you’ve got laterals that pop up every few days, and by the time the plant is nearly 60cm tall you’ve got enough foliage to fight through it will take you about a minute per lateral to prune it.

Secondly, there’s its aroma, which I got over within about a month of having the tomato plants. This smell is made by the essential oils of it leaves. According to one journal article (cited below), the chemical composition of the oils includes the chemical compounds terpinene, α-pinene and β-pinene. Terpenine has a woody, citrus scent and pinene has a pine scent. These two compounds make the scent (whether alpha or beta) of the tomato plant, and can are also used it mineral turpentine.

Thirdly, I don’t even like tomatoes so it’s probably not worth me growing them.

Fourthly (is that a word? I’ve never gotten to fourthly before), my tomatoes have developed a disease that’s made them misshapen and inedible, even if I had wanted them in the first place. Is there an art to growing tomatoes? According to most of the information, I think this fungus disease is tomato spotted wilt. It may also be frost damage, but because of the distorted fruit and yellow rings, the leaves with irregular dark brown spots, yellowing, and wilting, I think it is spotted wilt. I’ve read that you shouldn’t plant anything of Solanaceae in the area of soil infected by the fungus disease.

Disease on the fruit

Disease on the leaves

Fifthly, it’s not even prime tomato season, and the weather has been pretty unpredictable these past few months, so maybe this whole blog is pointless because these aren’t very good conditions for poor Lycopersicon esculentum.

Journal article:

Leaf Essential Oil Constituents of Lycopersicon Esculentum (Mill.)

Emmanuel E. Essien, Sherifat O. Aboaba, Isiaka A. Ogunwande, Olusegun Ekundayo
Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants
Vol. 9, Iss. 3, 2006