2012-2013 Winter indoor tomatoes

[gixxerific]

Aweome Apple.

So Donomater did'nt hit the charts eh? Oh well the joitnless pedicle is worth the admission. The F3 can still throw many new possibilites.

[applestar]

You're right about that. I'm counting on other Donomater growers who have the large gardens to grow many more Donomater plants to discover the best line. My itty bitty sample doesn't reveal or mean a whole lot, but it IS interesting to pay close attention and make note of the differences.

I'm going to actually look at the pedicels from now on. I think Belstar is the only other variety I've ever grown to have that particular characteristic that is sought after by commercial and market growers for fruits that wont poke at each ther.

[gixxerific]

Yes that is a highly sought after trait. Jointless that is.

There is even a big time breeder looking to use this. Can you say stripes?

[applestar]

Yesterday's lunch:
Fresh DonomaterF2#3 and lettuce from under the lights on hamburger

[rainbowgardener]

Now you are just bragging, applestar! Beautiful!!!

You know, I've been a vegetarian so long, I honestly didn't recognize the brown thing next to them. I was thinking some kind of pita bread.

[applestar]

I wrote a long reply the other day then hit preview for one last check and my browser crashed. Too discouraged to write it again then.

To summarize, I wanted to say that I really would love to see more people trying this. If you can grow houseplants in winter, so can you grow tomatoes with a little bit of extra light.

I'm estimating
* one clamp on utility light with 6500K cfl bulb to supplement a sunny southeast, south, or southwest window for one or two plants. Two lights -- one on either side for four plants.
* two tube fluorescent fixture with 6500K bulbs -- overhead 24" fixture for two plants, 48" for four plants. Four tube fixture would double the capacity.
* two tube fluorescent fixture set vertically can support two plants. I'm envisioning hanging them on a wall corner or utility shelf unit or inside walls of a narrow bookcase or wardrobe like from IKEA for more decorative living area appearance.
.

[applestar]

...or you can go crazy like me

Photos taken yesterday --

Kitchen Window Bench:




Winter Wonderland in the Family Room:

[gixxerific]

Well you know I'll will be there with you next year.

I would be rolling in tomatoes right now if it wasn't for the disease that took most everything out. But try and try again right. I can kill a plant with the best of them, but I keep marching on.

Now to find that big pry bar I have, it's here somewhere. I need to rotate my house 180 degrees. I have ton's of great windows on my North facing side but none on the South facing, unless it is a kids bedroom. And with my kids the plants would be in shreds within day's.

[applestar]

I know -- I'm really sad that your tomatoes didn't make it this year, but it was an unusual infection, and hopefully not to be repeated especially since you,ll be on your guard.

I was thinking about growing indoor winter tomatoes more "decoratively" --

-- just from remembering duh_vinci's photos, one way is to use matching containers. Somehow, a "collection" of matching containers creates a sense of neatness. Using matching decorative plant/tomato supports like painted cages and spirals would help.
-- lighting could be concealed inside more decorative shelving units. I was thinking about how older deep entertainment units that are no longer useful due to flat screen TV's could be repurposed. On the inexpensive, there's always IKEA. But they'll need to be waterproofed. My IKEA table top being used for the Winter Wonderland is starting to show signs of wear: Spilled/dripping water seems to have gotten into the pressed wood core due to thin paint or lamination getting scratched off.
-- when I lived in an apartment long ago, I created a plant corner with mirror tiles and lighting.

[gixxerific]

Simply amazing Apple I don't know how you do it. I am impressed.

[applestar]

Thanks, Gixx.

Here are the stats on some of the tomatoes harvested after taking the pictures:


Do you see the giant sepals on the upper left Donomater fruit? Is that an indication that the fruit might have grown much bigger if the plant was growing in a more sizable container

I remembered I have one of these ruled cutting mats (found it in quilting section of a fabric/craft store) after seeing a similar background on tomato photos at Tatianastomatobase. Unfortunately it's mauve pink and may cause color distortion. I may have to go look for a white one.

[gixxerific]

Awesome not sure about the sepals. Blane was telling my that my Caught In A Mosh looked like a cherry when it was very young. I though he was nuts but he was right. The thing is the sepals on that were like 4-5 times bigger than the fruit. I figered it to a big one.

Might have to discuss this with experts.

[applestar]

Last time we had a Sophie's Choice, it had a very acid/tangy afterbite, so I waited a little longer to eat the one pictured above. This one had an even better full tomato flavor but still tangy/a little bite/tingle at the end. Very yummy and my daughter asked me if she could finish all of the 2/3 of the fruit I gave her.



I then gave her a small 1" Spudakee not pictured. It was still pale and not fully colored, but she burst into a smile. "Sweet and SO good!" she said. Considering the plant is growing in a 7" pot, it's a good trade-off in spite of the miniaturized fruit size.

[dustyrivergardens]

nice I am liking the looks of that one.

[Duh_Vinci]

WOW Apple, I missed apparently quite a lot in the last few months!!! You've done amazing with your indoor tomatoes,

Regards,
D

[gixxerific]

Yes you have missed a lot.

Apple did amazing this year indoors. Sadly mine didn't do so well unless you count the first ever antho dwarf making it through.

[applestar]

You're here! You're here!
So happy you dropped by.

Yes, I'm actually growing many of the seeds you gave me -- hoping to keep them viable and going before its too late. You may recognize them -- I posted the full list over in the other thread in Seed Starting forum, I think. You'll see most if not all of them have already sprouted.

ETA - ha! mr. Speedy jumped in ahead of me.

[ElizabethB]

Apple I have been watching your amazing progress. You re one of my inspirations to plant from seed this spring. When will you be able to move your plants outside? Tallk about extending the growing season. You give that a new defintion.

[applestar]

List of ALL tomato varieties I'm growing... Mostly one each some multiples:
https://helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewt ... 767#289767

.
.
.
Thanks ElizabethB
My last average frost is 3-4th week of April. Safer to plant out 1st week of May if I don't want to scramble around covering them. I'm planning to plant out the Winter Indoor Trial varieties under low tunnels earlier than the rest though, since most of them are cool temp tolerant/preferred.

[applestar]

Random updates photos --

Air layering an overgrown sucker -- I don't want to cut it off because it's loaded with all those green fruits. So I'm going to get a good root system growing in the cup of sphagnum moss mixed with coir and potting soil before cutting it off and potting it up


DonomaterF2#4 in upstairs bedroom. It is super thirsty now and needing to be watered every day, sometimes 2x a day.


Loaded with fruits:


The first large fruit was not a fluke. Compare with these ripe DonomaterF2 #3 fruits which are smaller and rounder (these look very much like DonomaterF2 #1 fruits from Winter Wonderland)

[gixxerific]

Awesome Applestar. They are looking great I am happy.

[applestar]

Donomaters are getting tired:


This one (#4) is yellowing. Hope the fruits start to blush soon....
(#3 in the other bedroom is barely keeping ahead of the Spidermites.
The ones downstairs, #1 is almost done. A couple more ripening fruits and a few more little green ones. #2 was the last to start to fruit so it's still working on ripening the first fruits, but overall, this one has been a very slow grower even after being moved to Winter Wonderland.

Since they are determinates and their demise was expected, I may pull the plug once the bigger fruits blush and not keep them limping along, especialy since I need to bring the overwintered in the near freezing garage peppers inside to wake them up.

[applestar]

Updating a lot of threads today

[applestar]

Upstairs Donomaters are almost done.

Here is F2#4

The harvested #4 cluster compared to typical #1 and #3 fruits -- definitely larger sizes:


I haven't cut them apart to weigh them yet, but will likely be heavier than those Sophie's Choice fruits since Donomater fruits are almost globes and not flattened like SC's
(But I do have another Sophie's Choice that is shaping up to be the biggest of them all)

Last of F2#3


...see how sad they both look? It's not just the lighting that's making them look so yellowed...

[applestar]

Spudakee on the floor in Cool Gang is now ripening fruits at 4 ft and 5 ft heights....

[Jardin du Fort]

Apple, you have exceeded the subject of your post! These are not any longer Winter indoor tomatoes, they are Spring indoor tomatoes! (of course they were grown over the winter, but hey)

How many more producers do you have coming before this year's crop is done and you succumb to relying on regular outdoor tomatoes?

[applestar]

If I start a new thread now, I might exceed 10 pages in that one before my regular outdoor tomatoes start producing.

[applestar]

One last look at the Winter Tomatoes in the Winter Wonderland from this morning -- and this photo was taken AFTER harvesting three ripe fruits