Red or orange-pink fruits that look like plums hang from this Peruvian shrub: the tamarillo or tomato tree (Solanum betacea), a nightshade grown for firm, meaty, tangy flesh eaten raw or juiced. It dies below 26°F (-3°C), so keep it clear of frost and summer will bring a ripe harvest.
| Name | Solanum betacea (formerly Cyphomandra betacea) |
|---|---|
| Common names | tomato tree, tamarillo |
| Family | Solanaceae or nightshade |
| Type | fruit shrub |
| Height | 3 to 13 feet (1 to 4 m) (in its natural environment) |
| Exposure | full sun or well-lit when indoors |
| Soil | light, rich enough |
| Harvest | summer, let fruits ripen on the plant |
Here is how to grow it at home.
Under our temperate latitudes, the tomato tree is grown outdoors only in areas where the climate is mild enough in winter, because this shrub dies if temperatures drop below 26°F (-3°C).
It can thus be grown along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, around the Mediterranean, and even in these regions will need protective winter coverings.
If you fear that temperatures fall below freezing in winter, you don’t have a choice but to grow your tomato tree in a pot so that you can protect it over the winter.
It doesn’t resist freezing, so tomato trees must be grown as if they were citrus, bringing them in a greenhouse over winter.
If you choose to grow tomato trees indoors all year round, you’ll have to organize its dormancy at some point during the winter.
Everything hinges on how cold your winter gets. Here are the options described in this article, from open ground to a pot brought under cover.
| Growing method | Cold limit | Where it spends winter | Main requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planted outdoors | Dies below 26°F (-3°C) | Outside, under protective winter coverings | Mild coastal or Mediterranean climate, sun and shelter from wind |
| Grown in a pot | No frost tolerance at all | Greenhouse or lean-to, unheated but frost-free | Outdoors from late spring to mid-autumn, back under cover before frost |
| Kept indoors all year | Kept frost-free indoors | The coolest spot of the house | An organised dormancy: less water, but still plenty of light |
| Cyphomandra corymbiflora | Hardy down to 19°F (-7°C) | Can stay outdoors | Full sun and shelter from wind |
In every case the soil or the pot must drain perfectly, since stagnant water is not tolerated.
It is a fruit tree that requires a lot of water in summer, especially in case of high temperatures.
Water daily if ever a dry spell hits.
Apart from watering, it is relatively easy to care for the tree in winter and in summer.
Tamarillo must be harvested very ripe, as close to full maturity as is possible, and it should be eaten quickly thereafter.
If not yet mature, it doesn’t taste so good, and if too young it even becomes difficult to digest.
If the fruits aren’t ripe enough upon harvest, you can let them ripen just like regular tomatoes before eating them.
Native to Peru, it is well-known thanks to its red or orange-pink fruits, that resemble plums even though it belongs to the tomato family.
Tamarillo fruits are slightly tangy and their firm, meaty flesh can be eaten in the same manner as tomatoes are, often raw. It has a special taste, though, not everyone likes it.
This fruit is also often savored juiced. Another name for it is “tomato tree“.
The world’s largest producer is Columbia, in South America, which explains why this fruit tree has trouble growing out doors in more temperate climates.
To grow it outdoors, try to find the Cyphomandra corymbiflora variety because it is hardy down to 19°F (-7°C), if in full sun and sheltered from wind.
