Micro Blue - Mini Me

[jayb]

I love growing mini micro tomato plants, they are just so cute. They are mainly for fun, taste is ok but not good. I've one Micro Blue F6 plant in the greenhouse and several F5's from a later sowing, mid August, to grow on the windowsill.

[Galina]

Gosh they look so good. Will you need extra light for them? I have never been very successful with late tomatoes, but I know you have been able to grow them throughout winter before. Lovely

[jayb]

I'm hoping no, they are quite an early producer, If they can do a good bit of growing this next month, then that should carry them through. They would grow better if they were out in the greenhouse, but with LB and mould about, I think it would be a problem. The plants are very compact and damp air would spell doom for them. I'm keen to see if they can be grown as a house plant. It's a big ask, more so with falling light levels.

[jayb]

Making progress, the first flower trusses are coming along nicely, still only buds no flowers yet.



The buds are quite hairy

[Galina]

Hope they are doing well with the decreasing light - it is depressingly dark here today, especially after the bit of late summer recently. Yes they are hairy, almost look spiney.

[jayb]

Most have one or more flowers open now, plants are still very compact. The foliage isn't looking 'blue' but the stems are quite dark.

[Galina]

They are coming on - tomatoes by Christmas? Well it would take about that time in summer, maybe longer this time of year. They are twee lovely.

[jayb]

That's what I'm hoping for, I think they will look so cute!

[jayb]

Yayy, first little tomatoes are setting, I wondered if the temps were too low, but the recent milder weather must have helped

[Galina]

I somehow expected currant tomatoes or cherries, but these look like very tiny beefsteaks? Interesting shape. Is it the lighting or are the flowers far more orange than normal tomato flowers? What a joy to have flowering/setting tomatoes at this time of year and I am delighted for you that they are setting fruit

[jayb]

So far there has been a mix of fruit types and some plants have given both round and the cute beefy types. Flower colour in the picture might be down to lower light levels, though they do look a nice rich yellow, I'll compare to another type, but I think they are fairly regular. Thanks , I'm loving having flowering toms even if they are a 'toy' type! Having said that, one I grew this summer had good flavour and was certainly one to aim for agian.

[Galina]

I guess many more fruit must have set. Do you help them setting by 'jiggling?' Are they still producing flowers?

[jayb]

Sadly no, only a few more fruits. Temperature has been just too low and damp
I've brought them into the house but I think too little too late. They may perk up and get a second flush of flowers later on and I'm eagerly awaiting ripening of the few fruits.

[Galina]

Flowering happily 7 weeks before the shortest day means that from a light point of view they should be happy at 7 weeks after the shortest day, which is second week February if my mental arithmetic is right. If heat or lack of it is more of a factor than light conditions (not sure which is the more important) then they should pick up indoors quite fast. Indoors and grow lights to give an early November day length should mean they carry on growing nicely over winter. Something like 9 or 10 hours of daylight? Can't get the astronomy calculator to work atm. Hope they will thrive. Plants that have fruit to ripen are probably more 'programmed' to keep growing than plants that don't. Good luck little toms.

[PhilaGardener]

Fun little project - those are really cute!

[jayb]

Thank you both