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These are just for fun, they are supposedly a short growing variety at a height of 30-40 cm, even so this is very much on the tall side for winter garden growing. Two seeds were sown, into a heated propagator with a nighttime temperature of 22c, I'll lower this soon. They are under lights and both germinated well, the picture is 7 days from sowing.
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Yes, it is lovely to have quick germination but look how long those seedlings are. I have doubts these will make any attempt to stay compact
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Progress, 16 days from sowing, they are continuing to make speedy progress. I don't know it comes across in the picture but they are quite tall in comparison to the dwarf sweet peppers next to them.
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They look ready to be moved up to the next pot size. They are so big.Comment
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They were more than ready to be potted up, but I've only just got to the job tonight. I think I will only have room for one plant though.
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Loving these, steady as they go.
State of play 20/12/19,this one has been potted on into a 2 litre pot, two Aji Cristal I think behind.
27/12/19, leaves are starting to expand and it really needs a bit more room to expand.
12/01/20, first flower bud, electric toothbrush at the ready!
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I am surprised and delighted that they are growing and flowering so speedily. All it needed was a bit of light. Congratulations and hope pollination works well too.Comment
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Your plants look wonderfully lush and healthy. Very exciting.
But electric toothbrush! Is that a bit drastic - or is it simply to create an air flow? Intrigued!Comment
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Thanks for further explanation and your encouragement to ask questions. So more .......!
The reading I did, mainly about tomato pollination, suggested that the aim in using an electric toothbrush or other is to get the pollen to fall onto the pistil. But I think you’re describing a method of collecting the pollen and then manually applying it? I’m confused as to why that would be necessary with self-pollination.🤔🤔. Or have I misunderstood? -
Yes, you have got it right. It's just in this case, the flower has an extended stigma coupled with a slightly looking up flower, just buzzing is likely to work well, but given there is little air movement it's worth collecting a little dab of pollen to apply as a backup.
With tomato seed saving although they are easy to bag and self pollinate if this is done repeatedly from the same singular plant line and within the same growing conditions then I think some divergence will occur from the original. Sharing the pollen between trusses and plants is a way of keeping diversity - though we all want crops that do well in our local growing conditions and selecting for those traits can be another game.
Potatoes setting true seed can be a little tricksy and I found buzzing and collecting pollen coupled with manually selfing flowers gives the best results for more stubborn fruiters.
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Pictures are a bit fuzzy in places....
Flower shape and tilt
Some pollen has fallen a bit short of the mark
Grains of pollen being shaken out, quite a collection on the leaf below.
I've collected an extra bit to apply
Hopefully this shows some of the grains attached, it's sticky so not visible for long. It seems a fair bit at the base of the petals too!
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Wow! Or wowzers as my sons would say. Amazingly clear close-up photos. A whole tutorial.
I can absolutely see now why gathering the pollen is a good idea. And thanks too for the overview of tomato and potato fertilisation. I feel very helpfully briefed for the season ahead and look forward to putting into practice.Comment
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It's your youthfulness showing through!
Plans fairly unformed. A lot of new directions in which to go. A lot of different seeds asked for or ordered! A determination to save seeds which need a bit more hands-on attention than the obvious ones, an interest in some more 'unusual' foodstuffs such as Achocha which I've not grown until now and an interest in doing some crossing perhaps, although that might be in 2021. Alongside the determinations, a small fear as always of over-reaching oneself and taking on far too much.
I imagine that an occupational hazard!Comment
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oh yes it is. But that is not a bad thing. Just remember we are in that blessed spell of time when the new year has arrived, but the gardening season has not yet put a foot wrong. The season of ideal plans, gardening catalogues and glorious photos. The season where nothing as yet is tempered with drab reality. Enjoy every minute of it because when it gets busy in only a few short months and when things go wrong, you need to keep an eye on those promises to yourself to keep going and to try again. Overreaching is to give yourself maximum license to experience and maximum license to progress. Really, it is all good Jang
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Thank you for this rallying cry! I loved your assessment of this precise moment in the growing year which I recognise so well.
And yes, enormously enjoyable to plan, research, prepare, imagine, expand. Only today my partner was encouraging me to carve out another bed in the meadow I’m ‘borrowing’. It took only two minutes to shift from feeling I was operating at full capacity maintenance-wise to finding myself allured and seduced by the prospect of yet more growing space.
Flirting with chaos it will be .....
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Looking like a January baby!
Picture today
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Yes, it is the same little plant that wasn't looking so good to begin with
Once I started looking after it right, it's thrived.Comment
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