The Popular, Cultivated Tomato And Kinfolk Peppers, Eggplant

by Allan K. Stoner and Benigno Villalon.

Allan K. Stoner is Research Horticulturist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Md., and Benigno Villalon is Assistant Professor, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Weslaco.

Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are all members of the same family. Since they require virtually the same climatic and cultural conditions to grow in the home garden, they will be discussed together. These are considered warm season crops. Thus they are suited to spring, summer, and autumn culture over most of the North and upper South and they will grow in the winter in the extreme South.

Tomatoes are probably the most popular garden vegetable grown in the United States. This can be attributed to their unique flavor, attractiveness, richness as a source of vitamins C and A, and versatility as a food. The popularity of peppers can be attributed to the same factors, although they are usually not consumed in large enough quantities to make them an important nutritional factor in the diet.

The cultivated tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum Mill., originated in the Andes mountains of South America. It was introduced to other areas of the world by Indians and European travelers. The first report of the tomato in North America was in 1710 where it was grown primarily as an ornamental plant. Tomatoes began gaining wide acceptance as a food plant in the United States between 1820 and 1850.

Peppers are also native to tropical America and were grown by American Indian tribes in both North and South America over 2,000 years ago. The small red hot peppers were discovered by Columbus in the West Indies and introduced into Europe where they became popular before gaining widespread acceptance in the United States. Peppers became one of the first New World foods used commercially in Europe.

Pepper varieties grown in the United States are grouped in Capsicum annum, with the only exception being the red hot tabasco pepper Capsicum frutescens imported from the state of Tabasco, Mexico.

Eggplant, Solanum melongena, is believed to be native to India. It apparently moved into the Mediterranean area during the Dark Ages and was later introduced into America by the Spaniards.

Probably the most important step for the gardener in growing tomatoes or peppers is to select the proper varieties to plant. Many varieties of both crops are well adapted for home gardens.

A good garden tomato variety should possess resistance to as many of the commonly occurring diseases as possible, and resistance to growth cracks and bursting caused by alternating dry and wet weather. It should also be adapted to the local environmental and soil conditions and produce attractive fruit with good flavor and high nutritional value.

Resistance to verticillium wilt, fusarium wilt and nematodes is often indicated by including a V, F, N with the name. Nematode resistance is normally only required in Southern and some Western areas while V and F resistance is likely to be important in most areas.

Generally, gardeners should grow varieties with an indeterminate type of vine that will continue to grow and set fruit over a long period of time. Determinate varieties that set and ripen all their fruits at nearly the same time are ideal for home canning when you want a lot of tomatoes at one time.

In addition to different vine types, the gardener can choose from small "cherry" to large "beefsteak" varieties. Varieties range in ripe fruit color from yellow to orange, pink, and bright red, and vary in fruit shapes.

New tomato varieties are released by seed companies and State and Federal experiment stations each year. You can obtain information about adapted varieties from seed catalogs, local nurserymen, county agricultural agents, newspaper and magazine garden articles, and successful neighborhood gardeners.

Pepper Groupings

Pepper varieties are easily classified as sweet, mild or hot depending on the amount of the heat or pungent compound, capsaicin, present in the fruit. However, there are many different common or commercial names for the hundreds of fruit types and shapes.

The horticultural varietal grouping that follows helps in understanding pepper fruit diversity even though varieties within the groups may be completely unrelated.

Bell Group fruits are large, blocky, about 3 inches wide by 4 inches long, 3- to 4-lobed, and taper slightly. Most are dark green, turning bright red at maturity, although some turn yellow. The California Wonder sweet types are probably the most popular garden peppers in the United States. There are also some hot bells. There may be upwards of 200 open pollinated and hybrid varieties in this group.

Cayenne Group This is the chili group characterized by slim, pointed, hot or mild, slightly curved fruit pods, 2 to 12 inches long. The largest fruited varieties in this group are the Anaheim or New Mexico chili whose pods are 6 to 12 inches long. These are used in the green stage for chili relleno or mild green sauce. The fully matured red dry pod is used in making red chopped chili pepper, ground chili powder, paprika if the variety is sweet, and oleoresin.

The Cayenne is 4 to 12 inches long, pointed, wrinkled, deep red, dry at maturity and used primarily in making hot sauce. The small hot peppers include the 2-inch pointed, slim red chili used in hot sauces, and the bullet-shaped 1 1/2-inch to 2 1/2-inch chubby Serrano eaten green in fresh salads or sauces. Probably the most popular of all the small hot peppers is the pungent jalapeno. It is conical, 2 to 3 inches long with a blunt point, an inch to 1 1/2 inches wide at the shoulders, with thick walls. Jalapenos may be eaten fresh but most are canned by a process called "escabeche".

Perfection or Pimiento Group fruits are sweet, conical, slightly pointed, 2 to 3 inches wide and 3 to 4 inches Iona, with thick red walls. Popular pimiento varieties include Bighart, Truhart Perfection, and Pimiento L. These are primarily used for canning, stuffing olives, cheeses, etc., but can be used fresh in salads for flavor and color.

Celestial Group fruits are produced upright or erect, cone shaped, 3/4 inch to 2 inches long, 3-celled, and colors may or may not change from yellowish to red or purplish to light orange-red. Different colors may appear on the same plant simultaneously, making them an attractive ornamental plant. Popular varieties include Floral Gem, Fresno chili, and Celestial.

Tabasco Group fruits are an inch to 3 inches long, slim, tapered, and very hot. Tabasco is the most popular variety in this group. Others include Japanese Cluster, Coral Gem, Chili Piquin, Small Red Chili, and very small Cayenne. They are used in sauces, for pickling, and are attractive ornamentals.

Cherry Group fruits are cherry-shaped or globose, 3-celled, borne on long slender, upright pedicels more or less above the leaves. Fruit may be orange to deep red, sweet or hot, large or small. They are attractive as ornamentals and are used for pungent seasoning. Popular varieties include Bird's Eye, Red Cherry Small, and Red Cherry Large.

Tomato Group fruits are distinctly flattened or oblate, 4-celled, and bear a striking resemblance to a tomato. These are used for pickling, canning, or fresh pepper rings. Varieties include Sunnybrook, Topepo, and Tomato.

Compared to tomatoes and peppers, there are relatively few eggplant varieties. Large fruited varieties are most commonly grown in the United States; however, many gardeners and cooks consider them inferior in quality to the small-fruited varieties. Gardeners in Northern areas with a short growing season must be especially aware of the number of days required for a variety to reach maturity. Eggplant varieties also differ in the shape and color of their fruits.