2023 late season growing and winter indoor micros
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GoDawgs
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Re: 2023 late season growing and winter indoor micros
Your micros are looking good! I like Florida Petite and Red Robin. Have never tried the others buy maybe there will be some seed of the others in the MMMM to try!
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maxjohnson
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Re: 2023 late season growing and winter indoor micros
Spider mites taken over a few of the microdwarves. Didn't expected this happen to me so I wasn't paying attention and left it going for too long. Especially with the Picolo Gato, the leaves were already fuzzy and silvery, but overtime the webbing became more clear. Also dots over all the leaves is a classic sign.
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maxjohnson
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Re: 2023 late season growing and winter indoor micros
So far Fuzz Wuzzy is my favorite in term of appearance, very attractive.
One plant is different than the other three. Possibly a cross or still having genetic instability. Thicker and sturdier main stem, less leaves which are more rugose-like but still somewhat fuzzy. Also the blossoms are thicker, they are all bigger and seem to indicate larger fruits. I'm excited to find out what the fruit is like.
One plant is different than the other three. Possibly a cross or still having genetic instability. Thicker and sturdier main stem, less leaves which are more rugose-like but still somewhat fuzzy. Also the blossoms are thicker, they are all bigger and seem to indicate larger fruits. I'm excited to find out what the fruit is like.
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maxjohnson
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Re: 2023 late season growing and winter indoor micros
Unfortunately there is a bit of a spider mites issue going on, so I had to get rid of some plants and harvest them earlier than intended. I did some pruning and spraying so should be under control, mostly.
Lesson learned:
-Start seeds and grow completely indoor and never bring outside to reduce chance of bringing mites indoor.
-Give more spacing per plant for better airflow to reduce mites.
-Watering need for fruiting plants were underestimated and resulting in more dropped blossoms. Use at least 8in saucers that can hold more water. The 8in saucer sold by Lowes seems to be the perfect size.
-6in wide pots seem to be adequate.
Florida Petite
Mite damaged. Fruit is slightly powdery, but not bad, still a decent tomato taste. Picolo Gato
It has a more chewy but tender texture, and nice tang to it without being too acidic. Very tomatoey flavor that satisfy the desire for tasting fresh garden tomato in the middle of winter. Fuzzy Wuzzy
Fruits are only barely coming out, but I notice a nice determinate characteristic. It has a lot of stems, looking to be producing a lot at once, if you measure the height from the soil surface then they're at 18in but is not getting taller. I put them in 8in wide pots which turn out to be a good decision. Make sense to grow something like this for a bigger indoor harvest. Tiny Totem
Also at 18in, but the plant is taking up more space and less compact compared to Florida Petite. Strong sturdy main stem. Also drinks more water than typical micros.
Lesson learned:
-Start seeds and grow completely indoor and never bring outside to reduce chance of bringing mites indoor.
-Give more spacing per plant for better airflow to reduce mites.
-Watering need for fruiting plants were underestimated and resulting in more dropped blossoms. Use at least 8in saucers that can hold more water. The 8in saucer sold by Lowes seems to be the perfect size.
-6in wide pots seem to be adequate.
Florida Petite
Mite damaged. Fruit is slightly powdery, but not bad, still a decent tomato taste. Picolo Gato
It has a more chewy but tender texture, and nice tang to it without being too acidic. Very tomatoey flavor that satisfy the desire for tasting fresh garden tomato in the middle of winter. Fuzzy Wuzzy
Fruits are only barely coming out, but I notice a nice determinate characteristic. It has a lot of stems, looking to be producing a lot at once, if you measure the height from the soil surface then they're at 18in but is not getting taller. I put them in 8in wide pots which turn out to be a good decision. Make sense to grow something like this for a bigger indoor harvest. Tiny Totem
Also at 18in, but the plant is taking up more space and less compact compared to Florida Petite. Strong sturdy main stem. Also drinks more water than typical micros.
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Last edited by maxjohnson on Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:55 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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maxjohnson
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Re: 2023 late season growing and winter indoor micros
I decided to harvest the tomatoes that were started in August and sitting in my garage. Unfortunately still mostly not ripen, and I didn't have grow lights in there for them.
Spencer
Was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately for some reason the seeds didn't seem to develop, so I can't save seeds for them. I guess because they were green when I brought them in and there wasn't enough light and heat for them.
I can tell they are going to be very good tasting grown under the sun. The fruits are about 1.5oz. Durable skin but lots of gel inside, juicy, nice interplay sweetness and acidity. Clear Pink
5-7oz. Haven't tasted them being still green, but they're already going to be a favorite being determinate and good producing. Queen Aliquippa
8.5oz the biggest one, smaller one 4oz. Also impressed with how much it produced in a 3 gallon container. They are quite beautiful with the green shoulder and pear shape.
Spencer
Was really looking forward to this one. Unfortunately for some reason the seeds didn't seem to develop, so I can't save seeds for them. I guess because they were green when I brought them in and there wasn't enough light and heat for them.
I can tell they are going to be very good tasting grown under the sun. The fruits are about 1.5oz. Durable skin but lots of gel inside, juicy, nice interplay sweetness and acidity. Clear Pink
5-7oz. Haven't tasted them being still green, but they're already going to be a favorite being determinate and good producing. Queen Aliquippa
8.5oz the biggest one, smaller one 4oz. Also impressed with how much it produced in a 3 gallon container. They are quite beautiful with the green shoulder and pear shape.
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maxjohnson
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Re: 2023 late season growing and winter indoor micros
Results of some of the microdwarf tomatoes. Three new favorites, which I will be growing indoor again later this year.
Tiny Tim The flavor is very good. Sweet, light acidity, meaty. Just as good tasting as a good beefsteak, just compact and thicker than average skin. Better tasting than Florida Petite and much less acidic.
The production is prolific for such large fruits, which averages around 50grams each. However, the time to ripening is long, the fruits don't ripen at the same time, the main down side. The plant gets heavy with fruits and and tip over easily with the small container. I think it needs to be in 2 gallon pots and supported with a small stake.
Fuzzy Wuzzy A winner, my new favorite. The flavor is excellent and complex. A balance between very sweet and citrusy. Just the right amount but not too acidic. You can even smell the citrus aroma from the plant leaves. Not just as a microdwarf, but overall it is one of my favorite tasting cherry.
This is classified as a dwarf at 2 ft tall, not exactly a micro. I grew it in 2 gallon container. It produces a lot of stems from the root base, it seems to be ideal for hanging basket.
Laura #5 Another good one. This one is more short and compact and most of the fruits ripen at the same time. It is prolific for it's size, so also gets top heavy and the main stem may bend over or break without support. The small grape cherries have a good balanced flavor, not too much of anything. 1 gallon containers are adequate for it.
Tiny Tim The flavor is very good. Sweet, light acidity, meaty. Just as good tasting as a good beefsteak, just compact and thicker than average skin. Better tasting than Florida Petite and much less acidic.
The production is prolific for such large fruits, which averages around 50grams each. However, the time to ripening is long, the fruits don't ripen at the same time, the main down side. The plant gets heavy with fruits and and tip over easily with the small container. I think it needs to be in 2 gallon pots and supported with a small stake.
Fuzzy Wuzzy A winner, my new favorite. The flavor is excellent and complex. A balance between very sweet and citrusy. Just the right amount but not too acidic. You can even smell the citrus aroma from the plant leaves. Not just as a microdwarf, but overall it is one of my favorite tasting cherry.
This is classified as a dwarf at 2 ft tall, not exactly a micro. I grew it in 2 gallon container. It produces a lot of stems from the root base, it seems to be ideal for hanging basket.
Laura #5 Another good one. This one is more short and compact and most of the fruits ripen at the same time. It is prolific for it's size, so also gets top heavy and the main stem may bend over or break without support. The small grape cherries have a good balanced flavor, not too much of anything. 1 gallon containers are adequate for it.
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