Litchi Tomato

[karstopography]

Anyone grown these? If so, what’d you think?

[Shule]

@karstopography

Lots of times. This is the first year since 2016 that I haven't grown it. I was trying to acclimatize it better to my growing conditions, but I didn't notice additional acclimatization benefits after the first couple years or so. I think my saved seed lost its vigor one year; so, if I were to grow it again, I would use earlier saved seed (from 2016 or 2017).

I have lots of old saved seed from 2016, if you want some.

However, in my own climate, it's more of an ornamental/novelty than a serious food-producing plant; I imagine it would be better for food in a more humid climate. For the most ornamental value, I recommend having several plants growing in the same spot (they stay upright better that way, and they branch uniformly around). Otherwise, it's like a cane bending over that grows from there.

In other climates the plants are said to get a lot bigger than in my garden.

The fruit's taste ranges from seriously amazing (like a super awesome strawberry) to decently good (like a mild cherry) to okay (like a less tasty mild cherry) to really weird and not so nice (like nothing you've ever tasted).

It's also known as Morelle De Balbis. I like how the fruits in their green husks look kind of like dragons to my imagination.

The seeds look exactly like eggplant seeds (same size, shape, and thickness). They can be hard and significant, or soft, depending.

In my opinion, the fruits aren't ripe the moment they turn red. They're ripe when you can easily roll the berry out of its (ideally withered) husk.

The plants can survive down to about 17 degrees F. So, they're cold-tolerant.

Black-winged aphids (whatever they're called) are a best to it in my garden, but they don't seem to do a terrible lot of damage in my garden.

The plants have some serious prickles, and you can expect some pain during harvest (also, expect some pain when taking the plant out after it dies).

In my experience, the plants sprout erratically, and they don't really seem to grow much under fluorescent lights (they seem to prefer sun quite a bit).

They do volunteer, but not nearly as abundantly as wonderberries.

Speaking of its ornamental value, it has white flowers that change colors (the flowers look similar to tomato flowers, but they're somewhat bigger and somewhat more showy--in addition to being white). They last a really long time, unless they set fruit. The plants aren't particularly heat-tolerant, with regard to fruit set, in my climate; so, the flowers can last a really long time. When the temperatures cool, though, the same flowers that have been there through the heat can set fruit.