Applestar’s 2018 Tomatoes (and peppers ...maybe eggplants)

[applestar]

This year’s large fruited indeterminate and dwarf line up —

Yellow/Orange or Bicolor
Allons-y, Dr.X F4(with antho)
Dwarf Blazing Beauty
Dwarf Lemon Ice
Gold Medal
Northern Lights
Uluru Ochre (dwarf)
The Witz SFH’17 F8/F9

Red (yellow epi) or Pink (clear epi) Piriform Sauce type
Canestrino Della Garfagnana
Ernie’s Plump
Gezahnte

Pink or Purple (clear epi) or Black (Yellow epi) beefsteak
Big Cheef
Blackberry
D.B. Cooper
Dwarf Chocolate
Dwarf Chocolate Lightning (striped)
FFS or Bear Creek — 2017 excellent fruit was not labeled
Faelan’s First Snow
King Aramis (dwarf)
Maiden Voyage F4
Maralinga (dwarf)
Pruden’s Black
Rebel Yell

Red (yellow epi) or Pink (clear epi) extra-large oxheart
Goat Bag (3# fruit)
Wes SFH-9.9.17 14 oz
Zena’s gift (1# plus)

Cherry varieties
Afternoon Rosé F4 (Maglia Rosa x Coyote+Faelan’s First Snow F4)
Buttermints F4 (Maglia Rosa x Coyote+Faelan’s First Snow F4)
Coyote Rosa Bébé F4 (Maglia Rosa x Coyote+Faelan’s First Snow F4)
Ladyfingers F4 (Maglia Rosa x Coyote+Faelan’s First Snow F4)
Molten Sky F4 (Maglia Rosa x Coyote+Faelan’s First Snow F4)
Wild Rosa F4 (Maglia Rosa x Coyote+Faelan’s First Snow F4)
MRxCF.F3.SFHX Short wispy white elongated pointed cherry F4

Brown MF SGAX-S by compost
Helsing Junction Blues
Japanese Golden Pear
Napa Rosé
Sweet Aperitif

Micro Dwarf varieties (12-24” extra compact plants typically determinate cherries)
Birdie Rouge
Jochalos (micro)
Pinocchio Orange (micro)
Yellow Canary

Cocktail/Saladette size varieties
Jack Frost’s Early Love F5 (Whipper Snapper x Faelan’s First Snow F5)
Shimofuri #1 F5 (Whipper Snapper x Faelan’s First Snow F5)
Shimofuri #2 F5 (Whipper Snapper x Faelan’s First Snow F5)
WSxFFSlv VGB largest fruit F5 (Whipper Snapper x Faelan’s First Snow F5)
NRAM VGB.PSRB F3 (Not Raymondo’s Australian Mist F3?)
Dwarf Arctic Rose x Utyonok F2

FYI/Ref. Subject: Learning • Practicing to Cross Breed Tomato Varieties

[applestar]

Here’s an interesting pepper I’m growing for fun because friend sent me the seeds. It’s called Rain Forest Variegata ... and it is starting to display the faint light spots that is the beginning of variegation in the foliage. Typically, variegation starts showing up on 2nd or 3rd set of true leaves, so this one is precocious.

[applestar]

I estimate 4 more weeks until tomato planting weather, 5-6 more weeks until pepper planting weather....

The seedlings are chugging along This should mean 3-4 more sets of true leaves on the tomatoes by then. Peppers are generally slower-growing.


...Tomatillo seedlings in the top-left photo — First time growing these ... I started them with first round of peppers and they are growing fast (one of them was touching the light bulb in the morning and got scorched before I noticed it). I probably could have waited to start them with tomatoes.

...I’ve started moving seedlings with true leaves out to the cooler Garage V8 Nursery. These will be Uppotted to individual and divided community containers soon.

[applestar]

Moved more tomato seedlings out to the Garage V8:


... Allons-y, Dr.X F4 seedlings are showing strong antho in the hypocotyl/seedstem. Maybe we will see stronger antho expression on the fruits this year?

FYI

This is "Allons-y, Dr.X". It's a still-segregating F3 generation of Purple Elgin x Sgt. Pepper's from which a breeder is planning to select for specific characteristics and call it "Alonzo's Medals".



When the segregate of the F2 I was growing produced a completely different type -- bi-color with antho (blue pigment) shoulders, he told me I could give it a different name and continue to pursue this segregate if I liked. So I saved the seeds from a fruit harvested (HBR 9.11.16), and named it "Allons-y, Dr.X".

This first fruit was a bit mis-shapen due to double-blossom/conjoined twin fruit and some incomplete pollination issues during the heat-wave, but when the distracting damaged parts were trimmed off, it looked quite impressive. I think those green streaks and speckles turned into these galaxy/nebula-like yellow marks? Red and yellow bi-color into the flesh... only a sprinkling of antho on this fruit, but the antho was also present in the flesh after the skin was removed.



It was very tasty, too -- assertive front-end flavor, not so much sweet as maybe salty and very tomato-y, with building umami in the middle, then strong, tangy finish and lingering acid bite.

[applestar]

Peppers —

[applestar]

These are 5 of the Bill’s Striped peppers, Uppotted today from bathroom paper cups to MacDonald’s ice cream sundae cups. I have 3 more seedlings elsewhere.



...there had been two seedlings that had cotyledons that were physically fused together. One of the fused cotyledons seedlings is in the middle. The other one started to push the seedleaves away from each other, and when I gently tugged, they came apart.

...I’m not sure why two of these have developed dark stems? One of the 3 others did, too. Are they just further along?

[applestar]

Sweet Aperitif cherry tomato seedlings — these are supposed to be extra tasty (someone described the flavor as “like sweet ketchup”)... and Maiden Voyage F4 which is a potato-leaf variety ... you can see the difference in the trueleaves already.

— Sweet Aperitif is growing well — just Uppotted from doubled KCups — you should have seen the LOOOOOOG roots all coiled up in the bottom... maybe 3 inches! ...they seem to have that “currant-leaf” type first true leaves similar to those of Matt’s Wild Cherry and Coyote? Did we decide that’s a wild cherry tomato characteristic or the smaller sized cherry tomato characteristic? .... except I believe Sweet Aperitif has regular cherry sized fruits....

— Maiden Voyage F4 is a cross-breeding project by a fellow gardener/hobby-breeder – Amish Paste x Pruden's Purple. He describes the traits from last segregate as

PL Pink — tasty, BIG, pink, thin skin, crack free, heavily fluted, slow ripening/good shelf life, productive.

[applestar]

Here are some of the genetic dwarf varieties — (dwarf) Uluru Ochre, (dwarf) King Aramis, and Dwarf Chocolate Lightning:




This is my own Dwarf Arctic Rose x Utyonok F2 cross from which I am hoping to select genetic dwarf segregates. These have not been uppotted after sprouting and still look like this — I think they are showing dwarf growth characteristics


...Molten Sky F4 in a clear cup next to it should turn out to be an indeterminate cherry variety. I buried their stems up to nearly the seedleaves when I uppotted so it’s not easy to see, but these should grow with double or greater internode (stem length between where each pairs of leaves emerge) as seedlings and ultimately grow to over 6+ feet whereas the dwarfs will only grow to 3~5 feet.

...most of these seedlings have developed very dark stems because the unheated Garage V8 Nursery has been cold...

[applestar]

Napa Rosé is a Wild Boar Farms variety that is a sister line to Blue Boar Berry, which expresses notable anthocyanin. Although Napa Rosé is not described as an antho variety, it may have some latent antho genes which show up under environmental stress.

Subject: Applestar’s 2018 Garden
Mon Apr 02, 2018 11:35 am

Featuring Napa Rosé cherry in this photo, but note Pinocchio to the right which is a micro variety — growth comparison is interesting — and please note my Ladyfingers F4 (I have to fix that label!) behind and Molten Sky F4 in the paper cup

...I replaced Pinocchio seedlings with Helsing Junction Blues seedlings which is an antho cherry variety, hoping they will catch up and keep up with the other three varieties, then moved this box out to the unheated Garage V8 Nursery to toughen them up and keep them from growing lanky and wimpy. The past week has been rather cold, really bringing out the antho expression... but... Napa Rosé at the front left quadrant are showing much more antho in the leaves than the acknowledged antho Helsing Junction Blues at the front right quadrant .



...Ladyfingers F4 at the rear left quadrant and Buttermints F4 at the rear right quadrant...
...(Buttermints F4 is not likely to have wispy true leaves)...

[applestar]

Last one for today

This morning I was super excited to spot this first recognizable white blotch variegation on the 2nd set of true leaves on one of Shimofuri #1 F5 seedlings.

[applestar]

Uppotted a bunch of tomatoes and peppers ...

TOMATOES

Coyote Rosa Bébé F4
WSxFFSlv VGB largest fruit F5
Allons-y, Dr.X F4
Gezahnte
Blackberry
Pruden’s Black
Rebel Yell
Goat Bag (3# fruit)
Wes SFH-9.9.17 14 oz


PEPPERS

Hab Chocolate
Numex Sandia
Numex Jalmundo
Barker’s Hot (green chili)

Giant Sweet Devil’s Horn
Oxhorn of Carmagnola

...and ONE of the Hon Naga Nasu eggplant seeds graced us by sprouting so I planted the little baby in a Kcup. Now I have 1 Diamond and 1 Hon Naga Nasu....

EGGPLANTS

Hon Naga Nasu (Japanese)

[applestar]

TOMATOES in Garage V8 Nursery — I’m running out of room but the community pots are burgeoning... however, with overnight forecast in the 30’s with windchill of 33°F, 33°F, the 31°F for the next three nights, I’m forced to wait.




PEPPERS (and eggplant...odd tomatoes here and there) in the house on Winter Paradise (inside the covered shelves) and Winter Paradise Penthouse (outside the cover above the shelves):

[applestar]

I’m growing two Micro Dwarf tomato varieties this year —oh I just realized I didn’t include them in this year’s line-up in the first post. I’ll have to go back and fix that later

Bunny Hop Seeds/Heritage Seed Market has a selection of them, and concisely describes them as

Extremely compact dwarf plants, often not over a foot tall.

This is my 3rd or 4th year growing them — let’s see... I’ve grown Chibbikko, Floragold Basket, Gold Pearl, Hahms Gelbe Topftomate, Red Robin, Yellow Canary ... as well as Mohamed and a Red Robin cross that is an on-going development. They are typically cherry sized highly productive determinate plants and are good for...in fact BETTER SUITED FOR container-growing.

This year, I’m growing Pinocchio Orange and Jochalos. As you can see, their growth habit is very different from typical tomato seedlings. I was a little stumped about what to use for seedling containers after the initial Kcups, but settled on takeout BBQ sauce cups and Chobani yogurt cups:

[applestar]

Peppers are hard to figure out. They sometimes refuse to germinate/sprout for 2 weeks or more or only some out of the same batch will sprout within a week, others later. The two on the left — Giant sweet Devil’s Horn and Oxhorn of Carmagnola — were started on 3/16 and sprouted in 6-7 days. With predicted plantout of mid-May, they are getting way too big. The one on the right is Hanoi Market which had been started on 2/28 ... but this one is a super bushy, super short variety and doesn’t grow much taller than 20” (in my inventory, I have pepper varieties sorted by mature height).



There are three of the Bill’s Striped seedlings to the left ...and two more hiding behind them... (started on 3/16) in the next photo, and Giant sweet Devil’s Horn and Oxhorn of Carmagnola in black square pots that are about the size of Hanoi Market, maybe a tad shorter.



...And these photos are my smallest peppers that were started at the same time as the others — both 2/28 and 3/16. They might be tiny to be planted in 4 weeks?


... Then I have other seedlings in sizes that might be perfect size for this timeframe while waiting to plant out in 4 more weeks.


So what is the conclusion? — if I delay starting peppers in the future to avoid the overgrown seedlings, I might risk having many more of the too small seedlings.

[applestar]

“Allons-y, Dr.X F4” which IS a lightly antho shouldered fruit variety and has had good antho stem color in the past are in the three containers to the front-left, but is far out-matched by Napa Rosé.... (...yes, the garage temps have been cool in the last few days/nights.)


...afterthought — Helsing junction Blues should be in the right quadrant next to Napa Rosé.....

[applestar]

Look at this. I decided to add Yellow Canary and Birdie Rouge — both micro-dwarf tomato varieties — to This year’s roster. Since I was in a hurry to have them catch up, I used the spoonzip method to pre-germinate them, of course, but in addition, I put them on the heatmat that is being regulated for peppers (83-85°F).

Yellow Canary (seeds from winter harvested fruit) germinated within less than 1 day and needed to be sown in their Kcups before 24 hours and are starting to sprout today.

Micro Yellow Canary 4/18 SpoonZip > KC(3) 4/19 1d
Micro Yellow Canary 4/18 SpoonZip > KC(3) 4/19 1d
Micro Yellow Canary 4/18 SpoonZip > KC(4) 4/19 1d

Micro Birdie Rouge 4/19 SpoonZip > KC(3) 4/21 2d
Micro Birdie Rouge 4/19 SpoonZip > KC(4) 4/21 2d

Birdie Rouge seeds were sent to me by a friend from her 2015 harvested and saved seeds. They germinated in 2 days. I will sow them tonight if I’m not too tired, and I could probably expect them to sprout by the next day also.

...normally, I don’t subject tomato seeds to this level temperature — about 75-80°F... and get first germination in around 3 days and see sprouting elbows in 4-5 days.

[applestar]

First /biggest Pinocchio Orange micro dwarf to be Uppotted to this special bowl — DH found an excellent Okinawan Japanese place that sends out excellent take-out udon in these 1 L polypropylene bowls (the soup is packed in a separate container — mark of knowledgeable noodle soup chef) with sturdy lids perfect for drip tray.



1L is about 1/3 cup more than a quart — I guess it will outgrow the bowl, but it seemed like a perfect fit.


...and here’s Jochalos — also a micro dwarf — in another bowl:

[applestar]

...I’ve been buzzing these with an electric toothbrush...

[applestar]

These are 5 of the Bill’s Striped peppers, Uppotted today from bathroom paper cups to MacDonald’s ice cream sundae cups. I have 3 more seedlings elsewhere.



...there had been two seedlings that had cotyledons that were physically fused together. One of the fused cotyledons seedlings is in the middle. The other one started to push the seedleaves away from each other, and when I gently tugged, they came apart.

...I’m not sure why two of these have developed dark stems? One of the 3 others did, too. Are they just further along?

Bill’s Striped have been neglected for the past week. They are pot bound in their 8 oz cups and in the last several days of heatwave with indoor temp soaring in the 80’s (near 90’s in their location) have dried out needing to be watered twice a day while growing 1-2 inches a day, requiring daily raising the lights. I really do think Bill’s likes heat and sulks in lower temperatures.

I turned the lights off without checking on them yesterday, and this morning, they were all pushing up at the lights with no way to raise the lights any higher. The one in a 16oz cup behind the two in small bucket had singed leaves. I took them outside to “chill” —- heatwave is over and today’s high will only reach mid- to upper 60’s. The singed one was actually in a medium medicine bottle. I only Uppotted it because othewise it won’t make it out there. But the others need to be Uppotted too. There are 4 more in the bucket to the right.

It’s interesting that they all seem to mature uniformly, and they are almost all developing buds that should open any day now. Are they doing this BECAUSE they are pot bound? ...or are they responding to the several days of heat?

[applestar]

...now I’m starting to feel the pressure. I have yet to plant any of my tomatoes even though the weather is right, and some of the starts are developing flower buds.

Standouts among them — My BUTTERMINTS F4 and WILD ROSA F4 have opened blooms already, URULU OCHRE and one other dwarf ...MARALINGA?... had blossoms that were starting to unfold yesterday. Surprisingly, GOAT BAG is one of the other ones have fat flower buds that might open any day now... although I wasn’t too surprised that Zena’s Gift does also— a previous grower in Michigan said Zena’s Gift is consistently the first large fruited tomato to mature in her garden.

[applestar]

Here’s a sweet roasting pepper called Oxhorn of Carmagnola.

Carmagnola Ox Horn Pepper - Presìdi Slow Food - Slow Food Foundation
https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/s ... rn-pepper/

Ripens to red. — I HAD to uppot it ...it kept falling over... so I grabbed an used container, stirred it up, then added Citrus fertilizer that was handy. Topped it off with aged (unfortunately) vermicast.

— I need to find out how big this plant gets... I can’t remember if this IS a short variety with long pods that drags on the ground — which would be perfect in this container, or if this is the kind that grows to 5 feet or something equally unsuitable.



...also, does it look OK to you? I’m afraid I’m letting them all get too pot bound....

[rainbowgardener]

looking a little spindly, but not too bad.

[applestar]

That’s what I thought. Peppers have the ability to keep growing slowly even while miniaturized in small containers, so I have tendency to let myself slack off and not keep increasing the pot size when I really should. Ideally, the plant should be Uppotted to at least as wide as the leaf spread, I believe. Peppers also don’t need as much light as tomatoes, so they get the less bright accommodations. Peppers also give me trouble when germinating and after sprouting, so they either get coddled or they get put side in favor of seedlings that respond well.... Then, too, nobody in my family eats peppers except when I sneak them into mixed background flavor like soups and stews

This one actually had one of the largest containers for plant starts. I have a bunch of stunted starts inside that have been staying alive in tiny containers. I just finally uppotted them and am letting them settle in and show signs of growing again before hardening them off.

I SHOULD try devoting more attention to growing the pepper seedlings one year just so I have a handle on what well-grown pepper starts look like.

[applestar]

Sooo excited about my Shomofuri#1 F5’s I just HAD to cross-post here

Subject: Learning • Practicing to Cross Breed Tomato Varieties

I *think* I’m seeing Striped/variegated calyx on the blossom upper left —

[applestar]

Yes, I AM growing tomatoes....
Subject: Applestar’s 2018 Garden

FINALLY! Tackling the Spiral Garden. Some of these (overgrown) tomatoes were planted — especially impossibly pot-bound ones ... others are buried in their pots for tentative placement review. Dwarfs are still on the table — not positioned here yet.

...It’s slow going, because I have to remove the weeds to find space between garlic plants and strawberry plants to plant them. (Also removing some of the Wild strawberries that are in the way). Needing to widen the rows and hill up with the rich swale/path soil. Earthworms everywhere.

[applestar]

Sweet Aperitif

I forgot to take a look at the flower clusters, and the photo is not very clear, but these are supposed to unfold in corkscrew shape — maybe they will present better once they have had the chance to stretch out a bit —



...they have those cupped leaves that look different from other plants though...

[applestar]

Napa Rosé are the first in the entire Spiral Garden to be planted with green fruits. These two have pretty strong antho in the stems and calyces, as well as surface antho on the leaves



...I have a third plant that has hardly any antho on it. That one might be the “true-to-type”? I have been told that Napa Rosé is a sibling to an antho variety, but is not SUPPOSED to be antho variety itself. I’m going to plant it in the Patio-side Kitchen Garden.

[applestar]

Helsing Junction Blues

...whatever was going on as seedlings in the house, Helsing Junction Blues definitely have Napa Rosé beat in the dark stem color now... but I’m not seeing the foliage surface antho....



I’ve planted all of the varieties that are showing antho characteristics on the SUNNY-er side of the panels, so hopefully, we will see some spectacular antho effects on the fruits.

[applestar]

Zena’s Gift

Honestly, I’ve never seen the like! That bigger Zena’s Gift seedling completely bullied the 2nd wimpy seedling in the container, then the weakling got snapped by something — it looked like a bird landed on it.

I’ve left the stub in the ground but I don’t know if it will come back. In the mean time, I had to give this monster practically the entire front side of the panel to itself. Look how wide-spread it is!



Wes and Goat Bag on the other side, Rebel Yell at the end to the right — they are no slouch, you know.....

[applestar]

Napa Rosé and Helsing Junction Blues update. (see previous photos couple of post up) Wow. just....wow.

Napa Rosé


Helsing Junction Blues

[applestar]

More “Greenies’!
- Dwarf Lemon Ice
- King Aramis (dwarf)
- Uluru Ochre (dwarf)
- Bear Creek or Faelan’s First Snow (no variegation)
- Gezahnte
- Brown Multiflora (volunteer by the compost last year)
- Allons-y, Dr.X F4
- Pruden’s Black doesn’t have green fruits yet, but I took a pic because of the number of flowers on the truss.



...and the Shimofuri #1 and #2 F5’s and Jack Frost’s Early Love F5 ... but don’t get excited about the extra white spatters — I used Surround kaolin clay on them to hopefully discourage the Tortoise beetles. They seem to be more vulnerable.

[applestar]

This is Napa Rosé — one of the very strongly antho plants that I am not sure should be....




...and this is one of my Shimofuri#1 F5’s — I’m in love!

[applestar]

The micro-dwarf Yellow Canary in a takeout udon bowl produced the first ripe tomatoes of the season!



The ripest ones that I thought I could pick yesterday... but didn’t, split from last night’s deluge. But they tasted great since there was intense flavor left from being on the dry side until then. The flavor of the other, unsplit ones have been diluted by the rain. But I’m looking forward harvesting more.


This is my third Napa Rosé plant that doesn’t have much antho if any at all. This might actually be the one that’s true to type?

[applestar]

More Shimofuri#1 F5 pictures

[applestar]

Here are my Bill’s Striped growout in a Rubbermaid SIP. This is a special project and I’m supposed to bag the blossoms and save the seeds from plants with best striped fruits:


Took pictures of the 6 biggest fruits —


...what do you think?

[applestar]

Helsing Junction Blues — amazing antho pigmentation on red cherry tomatoes. Said to be sweeter than most antho varieties. Antho varieties tend to separate into two categories — antho pigments that carry the “blecch” flavor, and the antho pigments that are tasty and reminiscent of blueberries and grapes. I’m hoping this one has the latter flavor profile.

— 3/21 seeds started
— 3/26 sprouted
— 6/1 planted out

[applestar]

Gezahnte — Swiss heirloom pink dry/hollow paste/stuffing variety

— 3/23 seeds started
— 3/28 sprouted
— 5/30 planted out

[applestar]

First two fruits on Dwarf Lemon Ice (ivory yellow heart) — stable selected release of (Roza Vetrov x Anna Banana Russian) ... you can see the cute squat heart shape inherited from Anna Banana Russian in these babies

[applestar]

Shimofuri #1-2 F5



Shimofuri #1-3 F5


Shimofuri #1-4 F5 in a 2.5 gal container



Shimofuri #1 F5 in hanging basket container


Unnumbered (less spectacular variegation) Shimofuri #1 F5


...I realized I didn’t take a good photo, but one of the unnumbered plants on the far right and in the back looks like it would sprawl (maybe grow well in a hanging basket).

[applestar]

— Buttermints F4 is blushing!
— Molten Sky F4 is displaying all kinds of crazy shapes — last year, in the previous generation, sister segregate Wild Rosa F3 was the one that kept changing shapes for the entire season ... I’m suspecting shape differences on these are environmental.
— Just starting to display stripes ...hoping for same gorgeousness as last year