I am glad that I decided to grow micro dwarfs. It is fun for me at a time when I am confined to my apartment most of the day and am often confined to watching TV, where there is nothing interesting except sports broadcasts.
I have seedlings outside the window and I like them very much. I have two varieties bred by Heide and four varieties bred by MORAVOSEEED. I will grow all of them on the north-eastern balcony in 5 l containers.
Vladimir

I am glad that I decided to grow micro dwarfs. It is fun for me at a time when I am confined to my apartment most of the day and am often confined to watching TV, where there is nothing interesting except sports broadcasts.
I have seedlings outside the window and I like them very much. I have two varieties bred by Heide and four varieties bred by MORAVOSEEED. I will grow all of them on the north-eastern balcony in 5 l containers.
Vladimir

Next week I will be sowing dwarfs intended for my large garden bed. I have room for 64 pole tomatoes in that bed. So I planned to plant 64 dwarf varieties there. Unfortunately, it won't work, because I only received seeds from three donors, the fourth somehow didn't work out for me. I only have seeds for forty-nine varieties, so I will grow two plants from some of them. Maybe I will plant some bush varieties there too.
Vladimír

I have a quick question @MrBig46. What are the best Czech varieties you've grown? The only variety with which I'm familiar is Stupice. I can probably have some of my relatives in Praha send me some seeds for whatever you can recommend.

Today I sowed 64 dwarf varieties.
Vladimír

Dwarf Adelaide Festival
Dwarf Andy´s Forty
Dwarf Arctic Rose
Dwarf Audrey´s Love
Dwarf Awesome
Dwarf Babylon Glow
Dwarf Balkan Tiger
Dwarf Baron Solemaher
Dwarf Beauty King
Dwarf Betty´s Smile
Dwarf Black Fre
Dwarf Blazing Beauty
Dwarf Boronia
Dwarf Brandyfred
Dwarf Bundaberg Rumball
Dwarf Crimson Sunset
Dwarf Dark Stripe Mikro
Dwarf Eagle Smiley
Dwarf Eastly Yellow Heart
Dwarf Elbonian deep
Dwarf Franklin County
Dwarf Galen´s Yellow
Dwarf Gandolf*
Dwarf Gloria´s Treat
Dwarf Gramma Elsie
Dwarf Howards Ral
Dwarf Cherokee Tiger
Dwarf Chiciate Heartthrob
Dwarf Irma´s Highland
Dwarf Jeremy´s Stripes
Dwarf Loxton Lad
Dwarf Maritime Bells
Dwarf Merry
Dwarf Metalical
Dwarf Mr. Snow
Dwarf Noah's Stripes
Dwarf Parfait
Dwarf Peppermint Stripes
Dwarf Purple Heart
Dwarf Purple Heartthrob
Dwarf R.St Dipper´s Delight
Dwarf Red Heart
Dwarf Rosella Purple
Dwarf Russian Swirl
Dwarf Sara´s Olalla
Dwarf Scarlet Heart
Dwarf Snakebite
Dwarf Sneaky Sauce
Dwarf Sonrojo´s Monster
Dwarf Speckled Heart
Dwarf Spekled Heart
Dwarf Suz´s Beauty
Dwarf Sweet Sue
Dwarf Tasmanian chocolate
Dwarf Tennesee Suited
Dwarf Uluru Ochre
Dwarf Velvet Night
Dwarf Wherokowhai
Dwarf Wild Spudleaf
Dwarf Yukon Quest
Dwarf Big Green
Seven Gnomes
Limba
Liliput

@MrBig46 What are you using to divide your cups?

Wow!

MissS wrote: ↑Tue Mar 18, 2025 12:49 pm @MrBig46 What are you using to divide your cups?

Previously, we used plastic safety signs (for example, the direction of the emergency exit, etc.), today they are replaced by stickers. The plastic was relatively thin and can be cut with scissors. I used a few larger ones to make the dividing partitions. It would probably be a good idea to show the process in case someone wants to do something similar.
1.Drawing on plastic.

2. Shearing into strips.

3. Several strips are placed in a vice at once and grooves are cut with a saw.

4. Strips are cut and partitions are folded

Vladimír

Wildcat82 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 14, 2025 2:24 pm I have a quick question @MrBig46. What are the best Czech varieties you've grown? The only variety with which I'm familiar is Stupice. I can probably have some of my relatives in Praha send me some seeds for whatever you can recommend.

A few years ago I tried all available Czech varieties, both OP and hybrids. If I may recommend, the hybrid variety Start F1 is my favorite and tastiest variety. You don't have to ask for seeds in the Czech Republic, Tormato has plenty of them in MMMM. An interesting variety is Zlatava, which is orange, but the inner flesh is pink. It is similar to Jaune Flamée, but it is tastier (sweeter). Of the cherry tomatoes, I like Goldkrone, Rubinka and Datlo.
Vladimír

@MrForest You sure have some great and very useful ideas!

It seems to me that real spring has come to us. It is a little bit cold at night (-1 to -2 °C) and during the day temperatures are above 15 °C. I was not lazy and yesterday I delivered the grown seedlings to the garden (Sophie's Choice, Lyana Rozovaya, Maglia Rosa, Vspyschka, EM Champion, Seven Gnomes, Gold Nugget, Orama, Santiam and Oregon Eleven) and planted them in a cold frame. I also put a non-woven white fabric on the windows to protect the seedlings from direct sunlight and also to prevent the greenhouse from overheating so much. I hope that I will manage to keep these plants in good condition.
Vladimír

I sowed the Dwarfs seeds on March 18. Today, most of them have sprouted and I will have to transplant some varieties.
Vladimír

Vladimir! Good news that you are up and gardening. Wishing you a successful growing season.

Vlad how are GG's and Pa's Pride doing? Are they bringing you happiness?!

473 / 5 000
I have two micro dwarfs PA'S Pride and two GG'S Glory by the north-east window. I think they are doing great. They are in 150 ml pots, today I want to transplant them into larger 500 ml pots. Then I will definitely transplant 1 + 1 into five-liter plastic containers. I don't know what to do with the remaining ones yet. I can either plant them in the garden directly in the flowerbed, or in smaller containers so that they can also fit on my balcony. I need to know what the minimum volume of the container I can use for these dwarfs.
Vladimír

I wish you a speedy recovery. This dry cough is a terrible disease. Right now, after a month, I finally feel like I've gotten rid of it. My wife is in worse shape, she lost 7 kg and is so weak that she's afraid to go out alone. We were treated with medications prescribed by the doctor (antibiotics, codeine, etc.) But it seems that my wife's disease is already receding, after a long time she's starting to eat.
Once again - get well soon..
Vladimír

The cough that is going around this year is terrible to deal with. It lasts and lasts but I am glad to hear that the both of you are finally getting over it.

MrBig46 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 10, 2025 10:41 am According to information from the Internet, there is a direct relationship between the sweetness of tomatoes and the electrical conductivity of the watering water. Perhaps tomatoes watered with water with an EC of up to 4 µS give the right sweet taste. I have enough time so I prepared 1 liter of solution with an EC of 4 µS. I have two fertilizers available, KCl and K2SO4. I added them to 1 liter of water until I measured 4 µS. When I then evaluated it, an incredible amount of potassium fertilizers was needed to achieve the necessary conductivity (2g KCL/l or 2.6 g K2SO4/l). Giving so much fertilizer would be both uneconomical and an excess of potassium would have a negative effect on the plants. I think that the number 4 µS originated somewhere in the south of Spain (in Almeria), where tomatoes are grown on the coast with a low level of seawater, which contains a large amount of NaCl. It is not possible to use NaCl in the garden.
Vladimír

I've experimented a lot with large amounts of potassium sulfate and to a somewhat lesser degree with monopotassium phosphate. The only negative I noticed with potassium sulfate was that it seemed to increase the odds of big slicers being mealy. The plants themselves didn't seem to mind. I think having warmer soil reduces the mealiness, though, since it makes the potassium less available and phosphorus more available. I haven't noticed any issues with mealiness when it comes to monopotassium phosphate, so far.

Something that really seems to love large amounts of potassium, though, is cantaloupes/muskmelons (along with a calcium source); it works wonders with them. Watermelons don't seem particular. Tomatoes don't really need it in large amounts, but it does make the plants super strong super fast, and does contribute to fruit size (in some varieties more than others). It makes them harder to physically damage, for instance (it makes them tough).

However, if it's efficiency you're after, what I recommend is doing a foliar spray with a recommended amount of potassium sulfate after that tomato plants get reasonably big. The bigger the plant, the more effective a foliar spray of potassium is going to be. It takes hardly any potassium sulfate, and it's very effective at strengthening the plants (and seems very helpful with fruit size). You ideally should have a pure source that won't clog your sprayer, though. I'm talking about filling a spray bottle of some kind with the solution (not attaching a hose; that's not as efficient).

Anyway, to me, that's a much better solution (no pun intended) than adding lots of it to the ground. Even just doing it once the whole season is very effective. Nitrogen, on the other hand, that takes a lot more repeat applications, if you're doing foliar sprays.

For indeterminates (which is what I usually grow), I like to wait until the plants have fruit of a certain size, with the plants being about three feet long or more.

But of course, that wouldn't contribute to your nice watering electrical conductivity plan, and dwarfs might benefit from more applications than a bigger plant.

That’s a lovely selection, Vladimír—really appreciate how compact and early-ripening your choices are. Jagodka and Maglia Rosa are two of my favorites for flavor and productivity in small spaces.

Since you're heading back to the garden tomorrow after a long break, you might want to check for any self-seeded volunteers—especially from varieties like Bajaja or Golden Nugget, which sometimes surprise me in spring.

If you’re planning to move any of your micro dwarfs or determinates outdoors, a slow acclimation (a few hours a day over 5–7 days) can help avoid transplant shock. And if you're dealing with colder nights, cloches or row covers might come in handy.

By the way, if you're curious about how long it typically takes for tomatoes to mature, you might find this article useful: How Long Does It Take Tomatoes to Mature? https://agricbusiness.com.ng/how-long-d ... n-nigeria/

Would love to hear how the garden looks after the break—always fun to reconnect with the soil after a few months away.