Tomato Pepe F1 Tomato seedlings

The Pepe Tomato is a variety that produces long and abundant clusters of 30 to 50 perfectly round and deep red fruits weighing between 20 and 30g. These small tomatoes have a flavoursome, very sweet, and rather juicy flesh. You can reserve them for picnics or aperitifs with friends, but they are also perfectly suited for salads or as accompaniments. This variety is very vigorous and particularly resistant to most tomato diseases. These plug plants are produced using organic production methods. They should be planted from May to June after the last frost, when the plants have reached about 15cm (6in) in height. The Pepe Tomato can be harvested from July to September.

NB: 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 produces a variety that can be particularly tasty and/or early while also being resistant to certain diseases. Sometimes criticised or wrongly associated with GMOs, F1 hybrid plants are interesting both for their uniformity 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 future 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. The term "Tomato" comes from the Inca word "Tomatl," which 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 chili peppers. The Tomato took significantly longer to reach our taste buds. For a long time, it was cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities but was considered toxic due to its resemblance to the fruit of the Mandrake, another member of the Solanaceae family. It only became a regular part of our diet 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 becomes lignified over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers arranged in clusters that will transform into fruits. Tomatoes can be grown in open ground but can also be planted in containers on a balcony, with a preference for varieties with compact growth.

It is a fruit vegetable that offers numerous nutritional benefits. Low in calories like most vegetables, it is rich in water and contains a molecule of particular interest: 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 many ways: in salads or as appetisers, grilled, stuffed, marinated, preserved, or made into sauces. They come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Take advantage of this and cultivate several varieties in your vegetable garden to vary your enjoyment!

Harvesting: The harvest periods vary depending on the earliness: early varieties are harvested 55 to 70 days after planting, mid-season varieties from 70 to 85 days, and late varieties beyond 85 days. The tomatoes should be picked when they have reached their final colour and when their texture, while remaining firm, shows slight softening. For better storage, make 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 quality of the fruits. For longer storage, tomatoes can be preserved by confit, dried, frozen, canned, or cooked into jam. To confit them, cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes facing upward on the baking sheet of your oven. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, then bake at a very low temperature for at least one hour. Remove your tomatoes, store them in a glass jar, and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: To reduce the need for 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.