Tomato Trilly F1 GRAFTED plants

The Trilly F1 Tomato is a hybrid variety, known for its flavour. It forms clusters of bright red, oblong, and pointed fruits of the San Marzano type, weighing 50 to 100 g. This variety is highly productive: each plant produces about 12 to 25 clusters of around fifteen fruits. Their flavour is an aromatic wonder. The Trilly Tomato is ideal for juices and sauces, but it is suitable for all other culinary preparations. This variety is also well-suited for canning. The plants are highly resistant to diseases and can reach a height of 150 cm (59in). They also have astonishing grey-blue, fuzzy foliage, proving once again that the vegetable garden can be both attractive and productive.

The Trilly F1 tomato grafted plug plants should be planted from April to June, after the last frost, for a harvest from July to September. Grafting allows for a faster and more abundant harvest.

The grafting technique consists of giving a desired variety the root system of another specially selected variety, called the rootstock. This rootstock has excellent resistance to soil parasites and diseases, which gives extra vigour to the plant: it is then more resistant to difficult external conditions (such as cold climates) and will yield significantly higher crops. 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 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 it produces. It is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chilli peppers. The Tomato took significantly longer to reach our taste buds. It was long cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities, but it was considered toxic because it resembled the fruit of the Mandrake, another member of the Solanaceae family. It only became a regular part of our diets in the early 20th century.

The Tomato is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is grown as an annual in our latitudes. It turns woody over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flower clusters that will turn into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but compact varieties can also be grown in containers on a balcony.

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

Tomatoes can be eaten raw or cooked in multiple ways: in salads or as appetisers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, confit, in ratatouille, as a sauce... They come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and grow several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary the harvest!

Harvesting: Harvest periods vary: 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. Harvesting is done when the Tomato takes on its final colour and its texture remains firm but shows a slight softening. For better storage, make sure to pick the fruit with its stem. 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 confit, dried, frozen, canned, or cooked into jam. To confit them, cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes face up on a baking sheet in 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.

The gardener's tip: To limit watering, we recommend mulching the soil with thin successive layers of grass clippings, if possible mixed with dead leaves. This protection keeps the soil moist and limits weeding.