Surprising Health Benefits of Tomatoes

The tomato, Solanum lycopersicum, originates from South America. The first tomato ripped about three thousand years ago under the hot sun of the Peruvian Andes. The first people who have grown this plant in their gardens were the Maya people, and this crop of tomatoes was also spread, reaching today that tomatoes to be known all over the world.The tomato is a herbaceous plant, annual, which grows in temperate climate zones of the world.

Tomatoes are one of the main crop of garden vegetables, both because of relatively easy cultivation and for its fruit, which is a very valuable food that contains meaningful amounts of nutritious substances. In one kilograms of tomatoes are found about 30-40 g sugar, 20-60 grams of vitamin A, vitamin C 20-60 g, 40-50 mg calcium, 20-30 mg of iron.

Tomatoes require more light, especially shelter and greenhouses. They need more food, so they must be planted in fertile soil, natural fertilizer gradually being gained.

Tomatoes grow more by seedling, although it can grow with good results and by direct seeding in the field. Sprout early crop occurs in warm seedbeds , when they are sowed in February. At 2-3 weeks after they come out , when showing the first true leaves, prick out the landing distance of 10/10 cm if you want to get a vigorously sprout and have enough space. Better results may be obtained from the nests or pots frequently fertilized . For summer crops, seeding in the seedbeds is made at the beginning of March. When the danger of late spring hoarfrost passed , from mid-April and by May, you can plant tomatoes in the garden.

How to care for your tomatoes
Tomatoes must be attached by stakes The work is done as the bushes are charged with fruit and become heavier. Binding is done with string, strips of cloth or other textile material, just below the leaves surrounding the stem so that to be enough place to grow fruit.

Breaking shoots raised in primary leaves, is made as soon as they appear, for good fruit development. You can leave the bush sprouts from those that occur near the first cluster of fruit, to increase production.

Watering .It is made at 6-7 days, depending on the degree of dryness of the land. Spring and early summer, tomatoes are wet in the morning, because the land gets warm during the day, and so the plants don’t suffer of cold during the night. During summer, the watering is made in the evening and at night when the soil is cooler. The watering must be done so it can reach the plant roots and not directly on the plant, and the water don’t have to be cold, but be left in the sun to warm up a bit. The land should be fertilize once at 10-15 days from planting seedlings, then at 2 weeks. For this purpose is appropriate to use natural fertilizers such as animal manure (manure bucket 1 thins with water buckets 5), 10-15 liters per 1 sq m, or compost, which is spread among plants and buried in the soil by cultivation.

Benefits of tomatoes
Studies conducted on thousands of consumer revealed the benefits of this plant on the human body, and the results are amazing. The vitamins which tomatoes contain ones are vitamin A (important for eye and endocrine processes), B complex (B1, B2, B5, B6 – protecting the nervous system, skeletal system, metabolism), vitamin C (necessary cardiovascular system, nervous system and endocrine), vitamin E (vitamin of youth and fertility) and vitamin K (important for the synthesis of certain figurative elements of blood). Then, tomatoes contain large amounts of potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, magnesium and selenium, and organic acids, the last one having an important role in the digestive system. Also, the tomato is the richest natural source of lycopene, a substance which gives the red color . Unfortunately the lycopene cannot be produced by the human body, so the only source is the diet.