Re: [tomato] An interesting question....at least for me...

John Cramer (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Thu, 11 Mar 1999 01:28:09 -0500

Sure is an oxymoron to me as well.

Orchid wrote:

> I have a question that has been bugging me for awhile since I took up
> vegetable gardening again, especially tomatoes.  Although most varieties of
> veggies have been altered by man since the stone age.....it could be assumed
> that most vegetables and fruits had their start in the "wild".  In another
> words, that they grew, spread, and survived without man's help.  Man later
> discovered these edibles and later cultivated them and became farmers
> instead of gatherers or hunters.
>
> Thus, it would seem that the veggies in their natural habitat would do best
> if they were sowed and grown in the same way they came into being........
>
> O.K.....this is what  I'm getting at........When planting our tomato seeds,
> we are told that they like to germinate in the seventies...i.e.  75-79
> degrees F......but once the seedlings emerge....they  like to grow in the
> sixties...i.e.   60-65 degrees F  (put them in a cool basement we were
> told).  So the simple question is.....how did nature provide these
> conditions and instill these requirements ....considering that in most
> environments it goes from cool to warm, and tomatoes are a warm weather
> crop?
>
> I would appreciate hearing from a few point of views....and I'll sleep
> better at night ...finally knowing the answer....
>
> Pete, Zone 10, South Florida