Tomato Agora F1 - Vilmorin seeds

The Agora Tomato is a Vilmorin creation that produces large fruits weighing 300g or more, which are highly resistant to splitting and the main tomato diseases. This variety is interesting in terms of taste as it has a surprising balance between sweetness and acidity. It is perfect for sauces, juices, and stuffing. Agora is both hardy and vigorous and can be sown from February to March for harvesting from August to October.

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 variety of this solanaceous plant. The term 'tomato' comes from the Incas' Tomatl and refers to both the plant and the fruit it produces. There are fruits of every colour, except perhaps blue, in all shapes and sizes. Ancient varieties are indeterminate plants and can live for two years. More recent varieties have determinate growth and stop growing at the bush stage, so there is no need to stake or trellis them.

The tomato is one of the many foods that came to us from the New World, along with beans, corn, squash, potatoes, and chili peppers. It took much 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 solanaceous plant. It only became a regular part of our diets in the early 20th century.

The tomato plant is a perennial herbaceous plant in tropical climates but is cultivated as an annual in our latitudes. It becomes lignified over time and produces small, insignificant yellow flowers clustered in inflorescences that will turn into fruits.

Its fruit is very attractive and adds pleasant colour to the vegetable garden. It also has many nutritional benefits. 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 rich in vitamin C, provitamin A, and trace elements.

Today, its taste and nutritional qualities are well established. For gardeners, the tomato is one of the essential vegetables of summer. They just need to consider how they want to use it to guide them among all the existing varieties. Is it for salads, sauces, consuming directly on-site, cooked, etc.? They will also consider when they want to harvest it. The answer will, of course, depend on the average summer sunshine in the region where their garden is located. Rest assured, the choice is vast and there is a tomato for every situation! And if indeed the tomato needs a lot of sun and heat, it does not necessarily require a lot of space. Therefore, there is no reason to refrain from growing it in containers on balconies, where varieties with small fruits are preferred. Be careful, immature fruits, stems, and leaves contain solanine and should not be consumed.

Harvesting: depending on the variety, it can take 50 to 100 days between the transplanting date and the harvest. There is no foolproof way to determine in advance that a tomato has reached full ripeness. It should be picked when, at the very least, it has fully developed its fully ripe colour and when its texture, while remaining firm, shows slight softening. For better storage, be sure to pick the fruit with its peduncle.

Storage: tomatoes do not keep as long when they have a high water content. They can be stored well for a few days in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator or spread out in the open air. To keep them longer, consider culinary methods such as tomato confit, sun-dried tomatoes, sauces, frozen fruits, preserves, jams, or juices. We love to confit them because it's simple and so delicious: cut your tomatoes in half and collect the juice. Place your half tomatoes facing upwards on the baking sheet 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, otherwise, store them in a glass jar and cover with olive oil.

Gardener's tip: it is advisable to grow several varieties of tomatoes each year to minimise the risk of complete crop loss due to climatic conditions or specific diseases.
To counter the phenomenon of 'blossom end rot' - not a disease but a calcium deficiency - spray a comfrey maceration rich in calcium on your plants.
When transplanting, do not hesitate to bury the stem up to the first leaves. This will stimulate the root system, ensuring a bountiful fruit harvest.
Winning combinations in the garden are often the same on the plate - which is a good mnemonic to remember that tomatoes and basil go well together.