Young gardener from Schorndorf breeds 130 types of tomatoes in the garden!

Young gardener from Schorndorf breeds 130 types of tomatoes in the garden!

Schorndorf-Schlichten, Deutschland - Max Uetz: The tomato collector from Schorndorf-Schlichten

in Schorndorf-Schlichten lives Max Uetz, a 19-year-old math student who has created a true tomato oasis in his parental garden. Over 130 plants from 33 different varieties can be found here. Did he inherit his green thumb from the father? Certainly a good knack for growing vegetables play a role! Five years ago, Uetz began to deal intensively with the cultivation of vegetables. A passion for what in his view is the best vegetable: the tomato.

The young gardener obtains his tomato seeds from the Allgäu and even from a multiplier from Austria. Uetz relies on seed-resistant varieties and deliberately avoids the F1 hybrids. These are widespread in agriculture, but often also controversial, since they cannot be increased themselves and thus promote the dependency on seed manufacturers. The my beautiful garden website explains: "F1 seed is a lucrative business for seed manufacturers, since it has to be bought again every year" and continues that old, seed-resistant traditions are often as robust and tasteful as their modern counterparts. This is also confirmed in Uetz 'philosophy of the extension.

The special cultivation

uetz has learned a lot about the proper care of his plants. In the field he cultivates the tomatoes and uses bricklayers to give them a stop when growing. With his father, he built a wooden linkage that also offers the plants support. The student emphasizes the importance of air circulation and sunlight for the taste of the fruits. In order to enable the plants to grow strongly, he practices a strict upbringing and even uses a fan to make it more robust.

The irrigation takes place only every few weeks, since the tomatoes reach deep into the ground with tap roots up to two meters long. For fertilization, it uses sparingly horn shavings and primeval rock flour. A good neighborhood in the bed is also important: tomatoes get along with almost all other vegetables, except with potatoes.

harvest time and enjoyment

In the previous year, the harvest of his tomato stock was a complete success from late June to shortly before Advent. Uetz, who also passes the fruits passionately, gave away many of the fruits. In addition, his mother processed the excess tomatoes into tasty sauce. At the beginning of Junis, he throws the first glance at the flowers of his plants when the early bush tomatoes of the "Borghese-Vase novel" variety bear their first fruits.

uetz is a good example of breeding the right techniques and a lot of passion, even without modern F1 hybrids, delicious and healthy tomatoes. His dedication to agriculture is in line with the preservation of old varieties and agricultural diversity, which has been increasingly pushed into the background in recent decades. It remains to be hoped that young gardeners like Uetz will continue to promote old, proven varieties in the future and thus make a valuable contribution to food diversity.

Stuttgartter News , My beautiful garden , lilatomate