As a child, I would often spend my summer vacations in the countryside. Having played all morning with my niece, I would take refuge in my uncle’s garden, with dirty nails and coarse sand fresh in my mouth and hair, and I would feast at random – and what a feast that was! Moist apricots just fallen off the tree, sugar sweet, their pulp melting in my mouth; red currants delicate and slightly pungent, with crisp leaves hiding clusters of ruby goodness; last but not least, tomatoes – meaty, slightly fuzzy, with a herbaceous smell and a delicious natural sweetness. I would sink my teeth into a tomato and the juice would start dripping on my chin, utterly thirst-quenching and refreshing, like nature’s perfect elixir 🙂
Tomatoes and microgreens grown indoors
As I grew older, I tried to replicate the extraordinary childhood experience of eating fresh tomatoes with my family in my home and my garden, and I have been growing a variety of tomatoes, some more successfully than others.
Tomatoes can be broadly divided into 2 categories: indeterminate and determinate. The former grow tall and can be rather high maintenance and time-consuming to prune, while the latter have a smaller size and a compact appearance, and make perfect candidates for growing in containers.
Indeterminate tomatoes we’ve been growing outdoors
Different growth habits also lead to different culinary uses. As explained in the spruce.com article “What Are Determinate and Indeterminate Tomatoes?,” “If you want a tomato for making sauces, you are better off with a paste tomato, which tends to be determinate with fewer seeds and more meat. If you typically eat your tomatoes fresh and want a season-long supply, go for an indeterminate variety.”
If you’ve ever hesitated to grow tomatoes due to lack of space, I encourage you to check out determinate tomato varieties. We have had great success growing Tiny Tim determinate tomatoes both indoors and outdoors, from seeds bought on Amazon. They are precious, delicious and… tiny, of course, and thus very easy to manage 🙂
For additional information, you are welcome to check out the Homes & Gardens magazine article “Indeterminate vs. Determinate Tomatoes – Know the Differences with These Expert Tips.”
My numerous recipe/recipe suggestions featuring tomatoes can be found in the recipe database here, here and here.
Do you have a favorite tomato variety? And do you grow it indoors or outdoors? I would love to learn from you 🙂
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