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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Topping tomatoes

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  • From: Bill Shoemaker <wshoemak AT illinois.edu>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Topping tomatoes
  • Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:14:57 -0500 (CDT)

> The way I look at it is that a tomato generally
> grows about like a weed!

In some places tomatoes ARE weeds. I have a friend who ran a small municipal
waste treatment facility for a while. He had tomatoes as weeds all around the
settling ponds. He never planted a garden either! ";>)

In South America, where tomatoes originated, they grow wild and can be weeds.
Like other native plants, like wild grapes, they are adapted to the feeding
of browsing animals. The plant can be cut back and it responds by growing new
shoots from surviving growing points. They are very good competitors,...the
essence of weeds.

Bill
William H Shoemaker, UI-NRES
Sr Research Specialist, Food Crops
St Charles Horticulture Research Center
535 Randall Road St Charles, IL 60174
630-584-7254; FAX-584-4610




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