The Great Tomato Book [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Sheila Buff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 29, 1999

Nothing gets gardeners going like tomatoes--by far the most popular home garden vegetable. Here is a book to satisfy their all-consuming passion for the perfect tomato. With expert tips on growing the biggest, sweetest tomatoes possible, The Great Tomato Book also includes tomato history and lore, heirloom varieties, tomato science and research, tomato festials, tomato trivia and a wealth of recipes--an ultimate guide for the tomatomaniac.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers can ponder America's favorite garden produce in all its pomp and plumpness here. From the tomato's sophisticated Aztec beginnings (more than 500 years ago) to its impressive invasion of Europe (except in England where, in a 1592 article, herbalist John Gerard described the tomato as being "of a ranke and stinking savour" before it became known as the "love apple"), Buff moves quickly into the agribusiness behind the contemporary tomato. Descriptions of the top 10 producing states aside, the bulk of the text covers all the basics of growing tomatoes: starting seeds, cultural and pest problems, diseases and hybrid vs. heirloom varieties. But gardeners of all ilks will stay with the book for its entertaining lore and facts that Buff sets straight. She tells us how the botanically correct "fruit" became a "vegetable" (the result of a Supreme Court case) and about the "space tomatoes" whose seeds hitchhiked aboard the Challenger and spent six years in orbit before they were planted on Earth, and she relates a corrective piece on the consistently misquoted Gershwin songA"You say Tomayto, I say to-mah-to." Recipes from the now familiar book and movie Fried Green Tomatoes to Green Tomato Chutney and Fresh Tomato Pie round out this fast-paced compendium. A hefty list of seed sources includes Big Tomato Contests, which only proves the author's earlier point: "Something about tomatoes make gardeners get a little strange." Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Here is everything gardeners need to know about tomatoes. Buff begins with a history of this popular fruit--or vegetable, if you prefer--and then discusses its many varieties. The author, a garden and nature writer, offers instructions on growing (including watering, mulching, staking, pruning, fertilizing), disease and pest control, and harvesting and preserving. Twenty-three recipes are presented; also included are tomato trivia and black-and-white and color photographs. George Cohen

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Burford Books (March 29, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580800300
• ISBN-13: 978-1580800303
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,290,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The great tomato book, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Tomato Book (Paperback)

This book is truly one of a kind for the beginner or the expert. It provides informative incite to from the seedling to the dinner table for those that consider themselves tomato addicts. The book is an extremely good bargain for the price and should be in every gardener's library.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great book for tomato lovers, March 20, 2002

By 

Ken Scheffler (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Tomato Book (Paperback)

The Great Tomato Book is simply an excellent book. Clearly and concisely written, it covers all aspects of the tomato, from its history right down to what to do with your harvest. While it may not have loads of colour photopgraphs like some other tomato books--it does have some though--it more than makes up for it in the numerous interesting and useful bits of information that are found throughout.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reference for novice growers, March 7, 2005

By 

K. Kasabian (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Great Tomato Book (Paperback)

This book was a handy reference tool when I decided to grow heirloom tomatoes from seed. Though 145 pages, the bulk of helpful information is found within about 60 pages, which cover tomato growing essentials. The remainder is devoted to tomato history and tomato recipes. There is also a fairly good list in the back of the book of tomato seed resources. One noticeable omission from that list is Gary Ibsen's fabulous tomatofest.com, which offers more than 500 organic heirloom varieties (perhaps due in part to Ibsen's competing book of the same name!)

Nevertheless, this book does its job in walking the reader through the steps of successful tomato growing:

a. CHOOSING SEEDS (hybrid vs. OP, or open pollinated varieties.) I was especially glad to see the author discouraging the reader from hybrids, especially F1 hybrids, which:
reduce naturally occuring varieties over the years
encourage pollution through the seeds' reliance on fertilizers
don't reproduce normally from seed
F1s may be more disease resistant, but they also help the commercial seed grower maintain a monopoly over what kinds of tomatoes are grown, whch is why saving and sharing seeds of naturally occuring varieties is an essential component of biodiversity.

b. CHOOSING POTTING SOIL
c. STARTING THE SEEDS - how, where, when
d. TRANSFERRING SEEDLINGS
e. MAINTAINING AND ROTATING CROPS
f. FIGHTING PESTS AND DISEASE - an important chapter, since heirlooms are more prone to disease
g. MULCHING
h. HARVESTING

The book also covers "tomato lingo" fairly well, explaining such terms as determinate and indeterminate, and the difference between heirloom and other naturally occuring varieties. It features a few b/w photos and 8 color pages of tomato pictures that while pretty, are not at all functional. Better to have devoted the color photos to plants with insect damage or disease as a helpful reference to the home gardener.

The Great Tomato Book is a beginner's book, and a good one. It got my tomatoes off to a wonderful start a couple of years ago and I've once again pulled it off the shelf to refresh my knowledge as I start a new crop of tomatoes from seed.