Litchi Tomato (Morelle de Balbis, Solanum sisymbriifolium)

[Kierkegaard]

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!

[gardenfrog]

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.

[Zeedman]

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.

[GunnarSK]

(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.

[Redbaron]

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.

[greentiger87]

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.

[Zeedman]

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.

[rockhound]

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.

[Tracydr]

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.

[gardenfrog]

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!

[Wil SC]

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.

[Zeedman]

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.

[KarenO]

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

[Wil SC]

Originally Posted by Zeedman

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.

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.

[pershing]

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