Tomato Corazon F1 GRAFTED Plants

The Corazon F1 Tomato, a beefsteak type, is a mid-season variety that produces large fleshy red fruits, similar to Beefsteak tomatoes. This variety is resistant to diseases. Its dense, sweet, and extremely flavorful flesh makes it ideal for use in salads, juices, gazpacho, or stuffed. The Tomato is a plant that is grown as an annual, requiring warmth and rich soil. Grafted young plants are planted from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest from July to October.

The grafting technique consists of giving a desired variety (in this case, 'Corazon F1') the root system of another specially selected variety, called a rootstock. This rootstock has excellent resistance to soil parasites and diseases, which provides additional vigor to the plant: it is then more resistant to difficult external conditions (such as cold climates) and will yield significantly higher than a non-grafted plant. The fruiting of grafted plants starts earlier and lower on the main stem. Thanks to the use of the 'Protector' rootstock, our grafted tomato plants also produce fewer leaves, making ripening and harvesting easier.

The Tomato is native to South America and Central America. Several varieties were already cultivated by the Incas long before the arrival of the Conquistadors. The term "Tomate" comes from the Inca Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit produced by the plant. It is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, like beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. The Tomato took significantly longer to reach our taste buds. For a good reason: it was long cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities, but it was considered toxic due to its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another Solanaceae plant. It only became a regular guest on our tables from the beginning of the 20th century.

The Tomato is a herbaceous perennial plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small insignificant yellow flowers grouped in clusters that will transform into fruits. The Tomato is grown in open ground but can also be grown in containers on a balcony, preferably using varieties with compact growth.

It is a fruit vegetable that has many nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it contains a particularly interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. It is also rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

In terms of cooking, Tomatoes can be consumed raw or cooked in multiple ways: in salads or as appetizers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, or in sauces. They come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and cultivate several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your enjoyment!

Harvesting: Harvesting periods vary depending on the maturity: early varieties are harvested from 55 to 70 days after planting, mid-season varieties from 70 to 85 days, and late varieties beyond 85 days. The fruits should be picked when they have reached their final color and when their texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its calyx. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Storage: The optimal storage temperature for tomatoes is between 10 and 15°C (50 and 59°F). Refrigeration is possible but alters the taste qualities of the fruits. For longer storage, tomatoes can be preserved, dried, frozen, canned, or cooked into jam. To preserve them, cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes face up on the baking tray of your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least an hour. Remove your tomatoes, store them in a glass jar, and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: To reduce watering, we recommend mulching the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings, if possible mixed with dead leaves. This protection, which keeps the soil moist, also limits weed growth.