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#16 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 26
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Obviously these pictures are kind of old. I will try to take some new, but you all know how they look. The one in the pictures is 6 feet tall since I staked it (I got tired of walking on the fallen flowers and getting thorns because the plant leaned over) and it has a friend to cross-pollinate with. The big one has dozens of unripe fruits on it. I'm really getting tired of waiting for them to ripen.
![]() EDIT: Oops, forgot my pics! I left the second one big so it would have depth, so click on it! ![]() ![]() Last edited by Kierkegaard; July 10, 2012 at 10:01 AM. |
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#17 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Shelbyville, IN
Posts: 343
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Half of my Litchi Tomatoes were blown down by severe winds a few weeks ago. These are some TOUGH plants, and they continue to thrive, but with some in contorted positions.
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#18 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 313
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I started some Morelle de Balbis transplants this year, since I want to get a fair quantity of seed for trading. But I've also got several volunteers... which is interesting, since I last grew it in 2010. The volunteers are catching up with the transplants, and are already blooming.
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#19 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Warsaw, Poland 52° N
Posts: 363
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(I think) I wrote that Baker Creek has it too, but it's in fruit and berries, which may not be the first place to look.
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#20 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 4,488
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I wonder if anyone has tried grafting a tomato on this? Sounds like it might be a good possible choice for rootstock, and unlike certain other nightshades (jimson), this has edible fruit while being quite hardy.
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Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture |
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#21 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Houston, TX - 9a
Posts: 211
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http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy...o-devil-plant/
I learned a lot from this post on grafting onto another spiny relative, Devil's plant. I had no idea litchi tomato was so.. pretty. |
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#22 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 313
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Thanks for the link, Greentiger... it is a very detailed tutorial on the grafting process. I've bookmarked it for future reference, in case I decide to experiment with my Litchi tomatoes.
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#23 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 285
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Hadn't thought of using for rootstock. I grew it one year and found the fruit not to my taste and very seedy. Couldn't think of another reason to grow it so I haven't planted it since.
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#24 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7
Posts: 3,207
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After having grown the noxious Chiquilteberries, I'm a little reluctant to try another unusual berry. I need some assurance that litchi berry isn't absolutely horrid tasting! I'm growing pepino, which I was able to taste from the gourmet grocery and liked. I'd love another easy fruit but the litchi makes me a bit nervous. Looks easy, though.
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#25 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Shelbyville, IN
Posts: 343
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Litchi has a good flavor if you let it ripen properly. As mentioned earlier, Litchi Tomato is very hardy. Here in central Indiana I've had them survive halfway through the winter before! If you plan on growing this for the first time, consider 4 or 5 plants to see if you like it. This is one plant that should be grown by all of you at least once!
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#26 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 10
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For those that have grown this I have a question. I've read the germination rate is "long", but how long is it in days?
I planted some seeds 6 weeks ago, then more seeds 3 weeks ago, and did the rest of the seeds using paper towel/plastic bag method 2 weeks ago. Not a single one has germinated yet. All my other plants have come up fine, even super hot peppers in under 7 days. I'm wondering if I got some bad seeds and need to re-order. Thanks for any help, I was really looking forward to a row of these this year. I still have time since my growing season is long, but if they are supposed to germinate in 2 weeks or less then it looks like I need to order from a different source asap. |
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#27 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 313
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Sounds like you got bad seed. While germination can be spotty with older seed, mine start to come up in about 7-10 days. They need warm soil temperatures, but if you germinated superhots, you must have that. If you want fresh seed, PM your address (or better yet, email) and I'll send some out.
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#28 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vancouver Island
Posts: 5,931
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Grew it last year and found it disappointing just like the person I got the seed from... Thorny and weird. Found the fruit dry, seedy and inedible reminded me of a Rose hip more than anything else. Interesting novelty but I won't grow it again. Fiercely sharply thorny.
KarenO |
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#29 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 10
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That would be great. The seeds I purchased were from baker creek and while I'm sure they would send replacements, I'm worried I would just get seeds from the same batch and still have no germination. I'll send a PM with my info and a trade list. |
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#30 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Mckinney, TX
Posts: 41
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I got same seeds and also had only few sprouts after trying different methods and countless seeds. Finally got 1 good seedling out of 20-25 planted seeds. It took weeks to sprout. I had to pay close attention to moisture and soil temps. You are not alone
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