Oval, egg-shaped fruits in red, purple or yellow hang from a tree that reaches 3 to 13 feet, native to South America: the tree tomato (Solanum betacea) is an excellent replacement for tomatoes in any sauce. It dies at just below freezing, so shelter it and the fruit will ripen on the tree.
| Name | Solanum betacea (old: Cyphomandra b.) |
|---|---|
| Family | Solanaceae (nightshade) |
| Type | fruit tree |
| Height | 3 to 13 feet (1-4 m) (in the wild) |
| Exposure | full sun or well-lit when indoors |
| Soil | light, rich |
| Hardiness | 28°F (-2°C) |
| Harvest | summer, ripen on tree |
Tree tomato is a distant cousin to the common tomato, and they both grow luscious tomatoes! In temperate climates, you can grow it as an indoor tree.
If it freezes in your area, grow this tree in a pot so you can bring it indoors over the winter. Here, we’ll take a look at both: outdoor growing and indoors.
When it gets cold, under 50°F / 10°C, you have to be able to bring your tomato tree indoors. This will help protect fruiting, since temperatures colder than that will cause fruits to drop.
For the pot:
Exposure / right spot for the pot:
It likes bright sun, but either ensure high air moisture or avoid direct sunlight (and radiators) because it doesn’t like dry air.
If you can’t bring it in and out, then you’ll have to help the plant “pretend” it’s winter at some point indoors. This is for the fruiting cycle, it’s a form of vernalization. To trigger dormancy:
Again, remember this tree dies at just below freezing, and won’t bear fruit if it’s any colder than 50°F / 10°C.
You might need to winterize it if you’re at the threshold.
Apart from that, here are the key planting tips:
The tree tomato can be grown either as a potted tree you move under cover, or planted out where winters stay mild. Here is what changes from one to the other.
| Consideration | In a pot indoors | Outdoors in the ground |
|---|---|---|
| Soil and site | Pot at least a foot across and deep, holed, with 2 in of gravel and a citrus or orchard tree mix | Full sun, shelter from strong winds, rich soil with excellent drainage |
| Time spent outside | Out from mid-spring to mid-autumn, back under cover after that | Planted out all year where it never freezes |
| Watering | Extra-careful and frequent, pots dry out fast | Daily in summer when it is hot and there is no rain |
| Pruning | Snip the bud tip so it branches instead of growing a single spindly stem | Cut back to 5-7 feet after fruiting so the fruit stays within reach |
| Cold limit | Bring it in under 50°F (10°C), or the fruits drop | Dies at just below freezing, so winterize if you are at the threshold |
Whichever you choose, the fruit only reaches its best flavour when it ripens on the tree.
Watering is the most time-consuming part of caring for the tomato tree.
In summer, tomato trees drink up a lot of water. You’ll have to water daily if it doesn’t rain and the weather is hot.
As for its lower-lying cousins, avoid getting leaves wet to avoid tomato mildew.
Tree tomato will drain the soil around it of its nutrients rather fast. Within a year or two, most nutrients are depleted.
As the tree grows, it’s important to try and keep all that it produces on the ground so it can break down and feed the plant again.
Adding plant matter from other species of plants, trees or even animals helps, too, since it increases nutrient diversity.
Tomato tree doesn’t need pruning naturally, but there are two cases when it’s relevant:
One thing to know: these fruits best when ripened on the tree. So you really have to practice just-in-time harvesting! Easiest is to go ’round every couple days and pick what’s ripe. You’ll quickly get a feel for when this is, since unripe tree tomatoes taste awful!
They’ll also ripen a bit more when picked, but not to the extent we’re used to when picking normal tomatoes.
A tree tomato is ready when the skin has taken on its full variety colour, red, purple or yellow, and the fruit gives slightly under gentle thumb pressure.
Snip the stalk with secateurs instead of tugging the fruit off.
The skin is tough and bitter, so most people halve the fruit and scoop the pulp with a spoon, or dip it briefly in boiling water to slip the skin off.
Tree tomato, or Solanum betacea, is native to South America. It’s quite common in Ecuador and Columbia. More and more varieties are appearing in garden stores throughout the world, with red, purple or yellow fruits.
Fruits look like oval, egg-shaped tomatoes, but they don’t taste the same at all! Some people really hate the taste, it’s quite peculiar. It’s an excellent replacement for tomatoes for cooking whenever you’re making a sauce, but that’s about it in terms of similarity.
