California Grown Tomatoes

Tomatoes are an exceptionally rich source of lycopene, which has beneficial antioxidant effects, and may be a major factor in reducing illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease. The goal of growers is to grow their tomatoes with the highest content of lycopene. Stanislaus and Yolo counties in northern California have the highest content of lycopene in their tomatoes during the early season. The tomatoes with the most lycopene during the mid season are grown in Fresno, San Joaquin and Colusa counties. Tomatoes are in season from May through October. (You can grow tomatoes too! The fruit is the most common plant grown in backyards.)

In the historic city of Hanford, California, Fresh off the Vine, LLC grows tomatoes organically. The farm may be a Limited Liability Company, but it is still family owned. You can adopt one of their organically grown plants. Then each week for two months, the farm will send you four pounds of the fresh, red fruit. For more details about adopting a plant go to their website www.ripechoice.com. One perk about adopting a plant is that you get to name it. As a gift, your family and friends will laugh when you let them know that there is a tomato plant with their name on it.

California has the optimum climate to grow tomatoes. The plant is sensitive to frost and must be grown in a climate that is warm. The optimum temperature of the soil for seed germination is 68 degrees Fahrenheit.