Tomatoes are one of the most iconic vegetables (or fruits, botanically speaking!) associated with summer time here in North Carolina. They are a staple on our tables, in our home gardens, as well as at farmers’ markets, and are often a core ingredient in many of our favorite dishes, including pizza, pasta, sauces, salsas and more! With fun names like “Sungold,” “Mortgage Lifter,” “Midnight Snack,” and “Brandywine,” it’s hard not to love all the shapes and sizes of tomatoes out there! Tomatoes are so deeply interwoven in our American diets these days, it is hard to imagine our plates without them. Today we are talking all about tomatoes, their history, the types of tomatoes out there, their health benefits and ways to add them into our diets, and how current research at NC State is helping us to continue growing tomatoes across our state in the midst of our quickly changing climate.

Global History of Tomatoes

Despite how well tomatoes grow here in NC, these plants are not from around here! Tomatoes are native to the Andes Mountains in western South America, and indigenous peoples brought tomatoes with them as they traveled up through Central America and Mexico. Spanish explorers learned about the tomato and brought its seeds back to Europe, where it was spread and integrated into the cuisine of surrounding countries like France and Italy during the mid-1500s. Tomatoes were brought to North America by European settlers in the 1700s and slowly became part of the core fabric of food in the United States, especially gaining popularity in the early 1900s.

After centuries of cultivation and breeding, there are now thousands of tomato cultivars available, that’s a lot to choose from! No wonder I have a hard time deciding which to grow each year when the seed catalogs come out!

NC Tomato Production and Research

North Carolina is a top producing tomato state in the US, ranking 7th based on the most recent data from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Since tomatoes originated in the mountains in South America, it might not be surprising to learn that our top tomato producing counties are clustered in the mountains and piedmont regions, with Henderson, Rowan, and Buncombe being the top producing counties in 2024 (North Carolina Agricultural Statistics).

At the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research Station in Mills River, NC State is working on breeding improved fresh market tomato cultivars which combine both improved quality traits (taste, fruit size, crack resistance, color, etc.), stress resistance, and disease resistance. Breeding efforts have developed tomato cultivars that are now available for home gardeners to use, including “Fletcher,” “Mountain Fresh,” “Mountain Magic,” and “Mountain Pride.”

Top Gardening Tips for Tomatoes

Despite the thousands of tomato varieties and cultivars out there, they all fit into two basic classifications: determinate or indeterminate. Determinate varieties are more compact and bush-like and produce all their fruit at one time. They are often a great choice for a container or a patio, since their growth occurs for a limited period of time. Indeterminate tomatoes, on the other hand, are more vine-like, and will grow taller and continue producing fruit until frost. Indeterminate tomatoes often require staking or trellising due to their continuous growth. All tomatoes need well-draining soil, full sun, and consistent watering to prevent issues like fruit splitting or blossom-end rot.

Benefits and Ways of Eating Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a versatile vegetable in the kitchen! Their flavor and acidity makes them a great ingredient in soups, sauces, salsas, salads, casseroles, and pasta just to name a few! You can eat tomatoes in many different ways, including fresh, baked, roasted, sauteed, stuffed, grilled, canned, and more.

Tomatoes, like other fruits and vegetables, provide us with essential vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies healthy. Tomatoes are good sources of vitamins A and C as well as lycopene, an antioxidant that helps keep our hearts and immune system healthy and may reduce our risk of developing certain forms of cancer. When you pick or purchase a ripe tomato, keep it at room temperature and out of direct sunlight. If your tomato is a little firm, you can place it in a bag to ripen. Once you’ve cooked or sliced up your tomatoes, keep them in the refrigerator and eat them within two days.

For more information about finding, growing, or cooking NC tomatoes, contact the North Carolina Cooperative Extension – Lee County Center and ask for Meredith Favre, Amanda Bratcher, or Ashley Szilvay, our Local Foods Agent, Horticulture Agent, and Family and Consumer Sciences Agent respectively, for more information.