Do Tomatoes Grow on Trees?
By Vanessa Richins
I often peer through the weekly junk mail supplements to amuse myself with the latest miracle products.
One that I have often seen advertised is a tree tomato.
Can tomatoes grow on trees?
One man’s quest for a tree tomato from an ad is described on firstcoastnews.com. The glossy Ad touts Tomato trees as tall as men. It also claims that a tree will yield 60 pounds of Tomatoes. Turner has seen the ad for years, however this time he decided to try it.
He said “I ordered two plants for $6.98 on March 21st [article written a month later] , they’ve cashed my check, but I have yet to hear from them.” The article also mentions that there have been similar complaints filed with the US Post Office.
Perhaps it was just this supplier that was having problems. Does the tree tomato live up to its claims?
Although the tree tomato does belong to the Solanaceae family, it is not a true tomato - think of it as a cousin. Another common name given to the tree tomato is tamarillo. The scientific name is Cyphomandra betacea.
This plant can indeed be as tall as men, or even taller, reaching a height of 10-18 feet. With a plant that size, it would not be unusual at all to have a yield such as 60 pounds.
The biggest difference is that the skins must be removed as they are tough and taste bad. However, they can still be used much like regular tomatoes.
If you are interested in growing the tree tomato, forget the circular ad hype. Find a reputable grower selling Cyphomandra betacea seeds or plants.
Has anyone ever had one of these tree tomatoes?
December 11th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I was just down in Orlando and visited Disney’s EPCOT park.
Disney claims to be growing some of the food for its restaurants in EPCOT greenhouses. I believe they said they have a tomato tree that was producing thousands of pounds of fruit (or maybe thousands of tomatoes) over many months.
This sounded wacky to me, but it is the place where Dreams Come True!
Aaron Dalton, 1GreenProduct.com
January 25th, 2009 at 10:06 am
The EPCOT tomatoes are “regular” tomatoes, grown hydroponically under ideal conditions. These tree tomatoes are a different family of plant.
That EPCOT tour is amazing! I loved the plants that are grown in AIR and their roots just misted with water and nutrients. Sort of spooky!
February 24th, 2009 at 12:31 am
Does anyone know how to grow a “tomato tree” like at Epcot? Is it just a regular plant placed under ideal conditions?
May 10th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Today I have planted a tomato tree. It is May 10, 2009. I will let you know how it does.
May 14th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
nice post.. keep it up
June 15th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I bought the 2 plants or trees for 6 something. One thing I can tell you is the company has terrible customer service, but the product did get to me. It said as big as a man in 3 months. Well I planted it in late April, here it is mid June. Knee high! This thing better have a growth spurt soon or it’ll never live up to the hype.
January 13th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
When I first got married and moved to the Mpumalanga in South Africa, the lady next door had a tree tomatoe plant. It looked very much like a regular tree (perhaps like a guava tree) about 7feet tall but quite bushy. It grew orange/red, oval shaped fruit with a tough skin. This lady did everything with the fruit from making jams and chutneys to serving it peeled and chopped in salad. We all loved it and it was delicious. The tree was removed when she died and I have never seen one since until this Christmas when my daughter bought me a bunch of herbs and amongst them was a tree tomatoe plant. It is growing extremely well and shows signs of being significantly larger than any other tomatoe plant in my garden!!
March 26th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
We just returned from three weeks in Ecuador, where we were frequently served tomato juice - from the tree tomato. We also saw bushels of the oval shaped fruits in the markets. The trees are frost tender, so maybe you could grow them in Florida or other warm regions. In Ecuador they put the inner part of the fruit into a blender with a little water and (probably) sugar, blend it well and serve for breakfast and lunch. It’s pinkish red and tasted delicious. Wikipedia has a good description of the plant and its requirements.