No officer, those are Cherry Tomato plants
How could I possibly consider home cultivation without the traditional tomato bushes? Well I couldn’t, hence this post. I’ve had very minor success in the past with my tomato plants, with tiny baby tomatoes despite them being regular tomato bushes.
So this time I thought instead of being ashamed of the smallness of my tomatoes I’d purposely grow small ones and revel in the glory. Cherry tomatoes it is.
The main thing I love about tomato plants is their smell, there’s nothing else like it. That biting tomato smell when you brush the leaves or have to touch them for some reason. I love it.
Probably everyone else hates it.
I’ve gone all out this time and planted four plants, in the past I’ve only ever tried growing one at a time. I’m hoping by having other plants they will cross pollinate or something. Do they even do that? I don’t know maybe they can talk to each other.
The seedlings I’ve gotten look really healthy and they want lots of sunlight and healthy doses of water. I haven’t done so yet but they will also require staking. Not in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer way, well kind of actually but don’t stab the plants themselves. Actually you need to be very careful not to damage the roots so the sooner the better, even if they don’t need it now.
I also managed to dig up the (bahahaha the puns) fertilizer granules and have given all the plants a sprinkling.
Interesting fact to mention next time you’re eating cherry tomatoes and want to look ‘dang knowledgeable’ - cherry tomatoes have 24 chromosomes. Does this make them the fruit equivalent of Jack Bauer - genetically speaking that is?
April 20th, 2007 at 3:07 am
Don’t know if you’re looking for advice, but here it is: when you are ready to transplant your tomatoes (they will be 7 to 10 inches tall by then, I would guess), pinch off all but the top two sets of leaves. Lay the roots and the bare stalk into a small individual trench dug into your garden soil, cover with fine dirt and tamp it down well, sort of coaxing the top of the plant into an upright position - don’t force it too much or it might break! Even planted sideways, the plant will find vertical eventually. Then put your stake next to the plant on the opposite side of the “laid-in” roots and stalk. The stalk will sprout roots quickly and give your tomatoes a huge root system for the season. I have great success with this method of transplanting tomatoes - beefsteak to grape.
April 20th, 2007 at 10:07 am
There was a item on the radio on my drive home from work about whether tomatoes should be classified as fruit or vegetables. The conclusion was that a clever man knows they are a fruit, but a wise man won’t put them in a fruit salad.
Also it was generally agreed that the banana is a herb.
April 20th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Thanks for the tips Lise - unfortunately these plants will never know what it feels like to roam free in the garden as I don’t have space - it’s all about growing them in the pots!
Dan! You noticed!! I spent a good couple of minutes pondering whether I would do the correct thing and put them under fruit or just leave them under their own banner. Banana a herb? Mmmmmm I never thought of it like that.