A cluster of nine cases of Salmonella poisoning has David Acheson, the director of food safety for the FDA, hoping that they have at last found the lead they needed to discover the source of the recent contamination.
Thirty seven states, including Puerto Rico and parts of Florida have been eliminated as possibilities. According to a recent FDA report, there have been 228 cases nationwide of an uncommon form of Salmonella called salmonellosis serotype Saintpaul. Raw red plum, red Roma, round red tomatoes and any products containing these raw tomatoes have all been implicated in the outbreak.
It is important to remember that there is no danger of Salmonella poisoning from processed tomato products since the heat used in the processing reaches 160 degrees or higher and Salmonella is killed at 145 degrees. However, it is not recommended that anyone attempt to wash or process tomatoes they believe may be contaminated as this will cause the bacteria to spread.
The good news is, you don't really have to give up fresh tomatoes either. They are one of the easiest produce to grow and flourish just as well in containers on a sunny porch as they do in front of a window inside your house. A large number of local nurseries, as well as places like Walmart and Meijers carry young tomato plants in one gallon containers, so it isn't even necessary to grow your tomatoes from seeds.
Before you buy your tomato plant, you'll want to decide on where to keep it as that has an impact on the type of tomato you purchase as well as the size of the pot you will need. While there are literally hundreds of varieties of tomatoes, the best kind of tomato to grow inside the house is the dwarf variety. These include 'Tiny Tim,' 'Cherry Gold,' 'Red Robin,' 'Yellow Canary,' 'Small Fry' and many others. All of these varieties produce small fruits in 45-72 days.
Whether your intention is to keep the tomatoes in pots suspended from the ceiling or sitting on a plant shelf, you will only want one plant per container. The pots should be approximately five gallon and should include a drip tray. After the first flowers appear, start placing the pots outside several times a week to allow pollination. This should be continued throughout the life of the plant for continued fruit growth.
If your intention is to keep the plant on your porch, you are only limited by the size of the porch itself and not the plant since most plants grow well under these conditions. In this case, you will want to buy at least a ten gallon bucket. Unless the bucket already has holes in the bottom, you will need to drill one on the very bottom to allow water to escape. After adding in a small layer of rocks, add in potting soil. When the plant has grown to about one foot in height, push a long tomato stake into the dirt beside it and loosely tie the plant to the state with string. As the plant continues to grow, you will need to continue to add string to help hold it up. The plant should not grow much taller then to top of the stake as they are too weak to hold themselves up without the support.
