The lychee tomato is still a true rarity in our latitudes. The plant, which originally comes from Central America, also grows excellently in our latitudes and bears plenty of fruit.
How can you grow lychee tomatoes yourself?
Lychee tomatoes can be grown in a similar way to normal tomatoes: Grow young plants from seeds from the end of March, plant them outdoors in nutrient-rich soil after the Ice Saints and secure them to stakes. Care for the plants regularly with organic fertilizer and sufficient water.
What is the lychee tomato and what does it look like?
Like tomatoes and potatoes, the lychee tomato is also a nightshade family. The plant has, very unusually for tomatoes, hard spines on the stems, leaves and fruit capsules. The red or yellow, small cocktail tomato-like fruits are surrounded by a spiky pericarp and are somewhat reminiscent of chestnuts. Depending on the quality of the soil and care, the shrub grows up to two meters high. The taste of the fruit also does not correspond to that of an ordinary tomato: the fruits are sweet and are more reminiscent of cherries. For this reason, the ripe lychee tomatoes can not only be eaten fresh from the vine, but can also be cooked into jam or fruit juice.
How to plant the litchi tomato
You can grow the litchi tomato in a similar way to normal tomatoes, i.e. H. You grow the young plants from the seeds from the end of March / beginning of April. This can be done easily in standard potting soil (€6.00 on Amazon) on the windowsill or in the greenhouse. You can plant the young plants outdoors after the Ice Saints (mid to late May). Lychee tomatoes need loose, nutrient-rich soil. Before planting, dig the soil thoroughly and work mature compost or manure into the soil. Place the plants in the soil and press them firmly. Now you can fix the lychee tomato on a stick so that the fast-growing bush doesn't bend - like with conventional tomatoes.
The optimal location for lychee tomatoes
- sunny
- sheltered from the wind
- protected from rain (e.g. by a roof)
- protected from the cold (no ground frost, no temperatures below 1 °C)
The right care
You can also care for the litchi tomato in a similar way to tomatoes, but - unlike normal tomatoes - it does not need to be starved. Fertilize the lychee tomato about every two weeks with preferably organic fertilizer such as compost or horn shavings. Alternatively, you can also use liquid tomato fertilizer. The plant should be regularly supplied with water. However, only water them near the ground and never shower them. The litchi tomato also has difficulty withstanding rain and should therefore be kept under a roof.
Harvesting lychee tomatoes
Litchitomatoes are harvested from the end of August to the beginning of October. The ripe fruits have a diameter of between two and three centimeters and can be easily separated from the fruit capsules. However, you can also harvest slightly unripe fruits, as the lychee tomato continues to ripen.
Tips & Tricks
You can also keep the exotic plant in a sufficiently large container on the balcony or terrace. In this case, you should water the lychee tomato regularly, fertilize it and, above all, protect it from (heavy) rain. A covered shelter is therefore the optimal location on your balcony.
