This month Grandad Pete has some fun facts on tomatoes for you!

  • Tomatoes are actually fruits, not vegetables
  • Tomatoes are not just red they are also white, black, purple, pink, yellow, orange and even striped!
  • Tomatoes are native to Peru in Central America
  • A tomato has more genes than a human
  • The tallest tomato was recorded in Lancashire in the year 2000 at 19.8M (65ft)
  • The heaviest tomato weighed in at 3.63 Kg (8lbs) - did you know that tomatoes increase in weight as they ripen and even after they are harvested
  • There are over 10,000 varieties
  • Heinz Tomato Ketchup has a speed limit!!! If it pours are more than 0.028mph it is considered too runny and rejected
  • Tomato plants require a min of 6hrs direct sunlight per day
  • Tomatoes are great for our health, especially eyes, heart, bones, skin and hair
  • Last published world production was in 2016 at 195 million tons, with China being the biggest at 62Million tons
  • Tomatos are the number 1 source of Lycopene – protein for your body
  • Place a green tomato next to a banana and it will ripen in a few days