2014-15 Winter Indoor Tomatoes... + sugar snaps and cucumber

[imafan26]

Rainbow may have to relearn some things about the garden when you find a new place. The soil will be different, you should have a longer growing season and some of the varieties will probably be different too.

[applestar]

A little update on those Winter Indoor Sugar Sprint snap peas:

TOP LEFT: Peas in ice cream tub was ousted to the garage to make room in the warmer indoor location.
TOP RIGHT: New plants in the OJ container extension for Utyonok tomato are starting to bloom.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Peas planted in the same container after Tatjana tomayo went down has fully mature(and probably starchy) peas. DD likes the peas more than the pods and prefers to let them mature. Tatjana grew a new vine from the stump and even fruited, but it's been overwhelmed by the TRM again.

BOTTOM LEFT: The peas in the KFC containers are pretty much done, but the Solstice broccoli and Japanise Sharaku "spinach" I planted are growing wild. I'm not expecting the broccoli to form heads under the limited condition, so I have been harvesting and eating the leaves when they get too close to the lights as they are now. Next year, I think will plant Kale and maybe spinach instead.

Since the Whippersnapper tomato in this hanging basket finished up, and two later planted ones keep dying from TRM, I've been using it for other purposes. But the peas have been growing and are starting to bloom and set pods.

...in the mean time... pea seeds for the spring garden outside is being readied for planting

[applestar]

My daughter harvested the Sugar Sprint sugar snap pods from this windowsill last night or I would have taken pictures. These Utyonok tomato fruits look almost ready for my other daughter who loves tomatoes

[applestar]

Dwarf Arctic Rose is blushing and ripening

But there has been a whitefly infestation on these plants that they had been resisting all winter. With the advent of warmer temps and stronger sunlight warming this windowsill, the infestation has gotten worse.

Also, Utyonok being determinate or semi-determinate, it went ahead and died, while the upper truss fruits were still green -- but they are blushing now. Dwarf Arctic Rose is also determinate and is rapidly going down despite these green fruits still on the vines.

[Lindsaylew82]

You would think that the usual pests wouldn't be such a hassle with the indoor plants! Still, look at those tomatoes!!!

[applestar]

Almost done with this thread -- but here are a couple of fruits from the Dwarf Arctic Rose including the biggest one which is pretty lumpy and ugly but HUGE

[Lindsaylew82]

Look at those!!!! I'd say this was a complete success! Even with the struggles.

Awesome looking produce there. I like the uglies!

How was flavor compared to outdoor tomatoes?

[applestar]

@lindsay, these Dwarf Arctic Rose fruits have excellent flavor for a winter indoor tomato. Definitely deep tomato flavor and zing. Difficult to get the sweetness when temperature is cold but since it's been hot lately, they have been more sweet.

I have three more mega fruits and about 1/2 dozen singles, but the most anticipated fruit I'm waiting for it to blush is a cross I made with Utyonok.

two singles in the truss with the three megas, and three more blushing below, and the one green medium sized Dwarf Arctic Rose x Utyonok fruit....

The other crosses I made with Maglia Rosa didn't develop ...and I would have had more fruits but one branch with 6 still-tiny green fruits on it broke off -- I suspect one of the cats pushed it over when trying to get on or off the windowsill.

[applestar]

DH picked up sandwiches from a newly discovered italian deli today. For me, he selected sliced roast turkey breast with avocado and mixed baby greens, red onions, and tomato, liberally sprinkled with dried oregano on focaccia bread. It looked wonderful until I noticed the "imitation tomato" -- you know the kind that actually look yellowish green to pale mealy pink, obviously gassed into forced color on the extreme outside epidermis of the skin?

I could not get rid of them fast enough ...luckily I had these REAL tomatoes to take their place.

[applestar]

I thought I'd post these photos --

* Winter Indoor Tatjana went down twice -- dried up all the way to the soil level due to TRM (tomato russet mites) and aphids. I put it outside under the trees with others after last frost for initial hardening off, and kind of forgot about it though it got watered along with everybody else in this group. It grew a new shoot and some fruits.
* Winter Indoor Dwarf Arctic Rose was still hanging on to life when I put it outside, and have grown one more fruit. I thought this is it ...though... I see a new side shoot.

[Lindsaylew82]

Amazing how resilient they are! I wonder if you are creating some seriously mite resistant strains of these plants that just keep on growing and growing! Are you gonna try to overwinter these same plants?

[applestar]

They grew And ripened one more fruit truss then gave up due mostly to foliage disease.

I have new seedlings started in the garage for this winter.

I'm not do sure the plants are resisting the mites -- I think it's more likely that there are predatorial mites, etc. outside that help control the TRM, and, because I'm not spraying to kill the mites in hopes that the predatory Garden Patrol are brought inside along with the plants in the fall, they are also present indoors.

[krinix]

Is it common for the lower leaves turning yellow on Sugar Snaps?