Photo: Хомелка / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum): Lycopene-rich fruit-vegetable that protects against cancer, heart disease, and skin damage.
🔍 Quick Facts
| Common name | Tomato |
| Other names | Tamatar (Hindi); Thakkali (Tamil); Tomato (Telugu) |
| Scientific name | Solanum lycopersicum |
| Plant family | Solanaceae (nightshade family) |
| Size | 0.6–2 m |
| Native region | South America |
| Climate | Tropical/Temperate |
| Ease of growing | Fast |
| Parts used | Fruit, Leaves (limited) |
About Tomato
Tomatoes reached India with the Portuguese and are now essential to almost every curry. Cooking tomatoes in oil makes their red pigment, lycopene, easier to absorb. Determinate (bush) varieties suit pots, while indeterminate types need tall staking. Tomato is the most popular first crop for terrace gardeners.
Botanically known as Solanum lycopersicum, it belongs to the Solanaceae family. It is native to South America and grows best in a tropical/temperate climate. The parts most often used are the fruit and leaves (limited).
Uses & Nutrition
Tomato is best known for:
- Lycopene (antioxidant)
- Heart health
- Skin protection
- Cancer prevention (research)
- Vitamin C
How to Eat & Cook It
- Cooked into curry bases, chutneys and rasam.
- Eaten raw in salads and kachumber.
- Made into sauce and soup.
How to Grow Tomato
| ☀️ Sunlight | Full sun, 6–8 hours. |
| 💧 Watering | Deep, regular watering; irregular watering causes split fruit and blossom-end rot. |
| 🪴 Soil | Rich, well-drained soil with compost; add calcium (eggshell powder or lime). |
| 🌱 Propagation | Seeds raised in a nursery tray, transplanted at 4–6 weeks. |
| 📅 When to plant (India) | In the plains, sow in September–October for a winter crop; in the hills, sow in spring. |
| 🏡 In pots / at home | Grow in a 12–16 inch pot or grow bag with a stake. Cherry tomatoes are the easiest. |
Precautions & Safety
- Leaves and stems are toxic — do not eat.
- Can aggravate acid reflux in some people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Further Reading on Tomato
Written by the WhyOnPlanet editorial team · Last updated October 2026