Tomato Grafted Montfavet

The Montfavet 63/5 F1 Tomato is an early hybrid, with indeterminate growth, easy to cultivate, and with an attractive yield developed in 1968 by the INRA of Montfavet. Although it is now somewhat outdated in terms of yield and disease resistance, this variety remains widely grown by amateur gardeners. It produces beautiful red fruits with green collars, round and firm, resistant to cracking and with good storage capabilities. Their juicy flesh and excellent taste, along with their medium and uniform size, make them ideal for making Provençal tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes. Plant your grafted plants in open ground or under shelter from April to May and harvest from July to October.

The grafting technique consists of giving a desired variety (in this case, 'Montfavet 63/5 F1') the root system of another specially selected variety, called the rootstock. This rootstock has excellent resistance to soil parasites and diseases, which provides the plant with extra vigor: 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.

Note: This variety is labeled F1 for "F1 hybrid" because it is a variety resulting from the cross-breeding of carefully selected parents to combine their qualities. This results in a variety that can be particularly flavorful and/or early while being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticized or mistakenly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid plants are interesting both for their homogeneity and their resistance, but unfortunately, their qualities do not pass on to subsequent generations: therefore, it will not be possible to save the seeds for later sowing.

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. We are still amazed by the genetic diversity of this solanaceae. The term 'tomato' comes from the Inca word Tomatl, which refers to both the plant and the fruit it bears. There are fruits of all colors, except perhaps blue, of all shapes and sizes.

The tomato is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, like beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. It took significantly longer to reach our taste buds. For a long time, it was cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities. It was thought to be toxic because of its resemblance to the fruit of the mandrake, another solanaceae. It only became a regular on our tables from the beginning of the 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates, but it is cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It lignifies over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers grouped in cymes that will transform into fruits.

It must be admitted that its fruit is very attractive and adds color to the vegetable garden. It also has numerous nutritional advantages. Low in calories like most vegetables, rich in water, it contains a particularly interesting molecule: lycopene, a powerful antioxidant. And the longer the tomato is cooked, the more lycopene becomes available. It is also distinguished by its richness in vitamin C, pro-vitamin A, and trace elements.

Harvesting: 'Maestria' is an early variety and can bear fruit from June to October, depending on the planting date and the climatic and cultivation conditions (in a shelter or outdoors). There is no foolproof way to know in advance when a tomato has reached full ripeness. Harvesting should be done when, at the very least, it is fully colored as announced and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows a slight softening. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its stem.

Storage: Tomatoes can be stored at an optimal temperature of 10-15°C (50-59°F). They can be kept for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator or spread out in the open air. However, refrigeration alters the taste qualities of the fruits. To keep them longer, consider culinary methods such as tomato confit, sun-dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, preserves, jams, or juice. We love making confit because it's so simple and delicious: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place the tomato halves face up on the grill pan of your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least an hour. Remove your tomatoes and consume immediately, or store them in a glass jar and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: It is recommended to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimize the risk of a complete loss of harvest due to climatic conditions or specific diseases. To prevent the phenomenon of 'blossom end rot' - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants.

Attention: When transplanting grafted plants, do not bury the graft point!