We have grown over 40 different varieties of tomatoes using a Tower Garden. Although tomatoes give a bountiful harvest when growing aeroponically, in our opinion, they are average in taste during the hotter months of the summer….
Since we started farming with Tower Garden, we have experienced higher crop yields and superior flavors for almost anything green: Arugula, lettuce, herbs in general, kale, chard even with broccoli and cabbages! This is why even though we are impressed by the abundant crop yield of aeroponic tomatoes and find their texture acceptable, we feel disappointed with their flavor as we were also expecting top-notch crop with tomatoes which is not the case:
The flavor of our aeroponic tomatoes has been inferior to those grown in the soil based on all our comparative tests.
However, the tomatoes which we harvest late in the season on our aeroponic towers are absolutely exceptional (up to the end of November/Mediterranean climate in our case). We believe that although tomatoes withstand hotter climates, the temperature factor affects the taste significantly.
We advise you to use a grow cage or to use an outside structure supporting the growth of the vines.
When farming indoor with grow lights, although the temperature factor does not play as much of a role in terms of influencing the flavor, considering the amount of foliage and the prolific plant growth we advise to allocate enough space accordingly.
Do not over-plant tomatoes on a single tower. Once again, tomato plants grow ‘generously’ on aeroponic towers and require ongoing maintenance.
Do stress the plants by cutting the roots in half after one month of growth. Furthermore, do not hesitate to prune your plants severely and remove up to 40% of the leaves. These actions will promote the ripening process and give healthier fruits. It is important to harvest tomatoes on an ongoing basis thus preventing them from over-ripening. Tomatoes can also be harvested when they are still green. In fact, green tomatoes release a naturally occurring hormone called ethylene which allows them to ripen after they have been removed from the vine.
