Meet the tamarillo or tree tomato, a very special plant

tree tomato

Do you like tomatoes? The truth is that whether they are in a salad or on toast, for example, they are delicious. But surely you are used to seeing, or maybe even growing, rather herbaceous plants. What if I told you that there is a variety that looks more like a tree? It’s him tamarilloalthough it is also known as the tree tomato.

If you want to meet him, do not hesitate: here you will find all the information you need to grow it correctly.

Contents

Origin and characteristics

View of Solanum betaceum plant

Our protagonist is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to Latin America, specifically Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina and Venezuela that reaches a height of 3 to 4 meters. Its scientific name is Solanum betaceaebut it is popularly known as Andean tomato, serrano tomato, cassava tomato, tree tomato, Nordic mango, eggplant or tamarillo.

Its leaves are alternate, entire, with a robust petiole, 4 to 8 cm long, dark green in color and rough to the touch. The flowers are small, 1.3 to 1.5 cm in diameter, pinkish-white in color, and are grouped in terminal clusters. These appear in the spring (May to June in the northern hemisphere).

The fruit is an ovoid berry 4-8 cm long and 3-5 cm wide., with smooth red or orange skin when ripe. It is edible; in fact, they can be eaten raw or cooked to make sweets and desserts. They are rich in iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamins A, C and E.

What are your worries?

Tamarillo

If you wish to have a copy, we recommend that you take the following care:

  • Location: outdoors, in partial shade.
  • Earth:
    • Pot: universal growing medium mixed with 30% perlite.
    • Garden: fertile, with good drainage.
  • Irrigation: every 2 days in summer, and every 4-5 days the rest of the year.
  • Subscriber: from spring to the end of summer with ecological fertilizers.
  • Multiplication: by sowing in spring. Direct sowing in the nursery.
  • hardiness: is sensitive to cold. The minimum temperature it supports is 10ºC. It can be stored indoors.

What did you think of the tamarillo?

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