The previous post on these series I did a great leap forward. The truth is that mid-culture, things do not develop as quickly as at the beginning, or maybe it felt slower to me. Anyway, we left it a 17th of april with the first pollinated flower starting to develop; time for another fast forward. I will share some pictures to show the development of these cherry tomatoes. The backlit picture above was taken the 21st of april, 4 days after the last post.

 

tomatoes hydroponics

27th of april

They already look like tomatoes. The vine is still upright. It will bend later because of the weight.

 

tomatoes led

5th of may

The plants keep growing and I raised the led lamp higher by eliminating the roller and folding the hanging wires. This is the highest I can put it, but I already know that it won’t be enough.

 

led

20th of may

Only 2 weeks later and I am not sure what to do. Notice how one branch has gone through the vent, and some others are bending against the ceiling. Besides, the upper leaves receive almost no light. I decide to cut the growing tips and allow the plant to develop some of the lateral branches.

 

tomatoes nanny

20th of may

The same day I see the first tomate turning red.

 

tomatoes easyponic

28th of may

Surprise! This variety (Sungold) is not red, but orange. I have tasted the first one and it is delicious!

 

growing tomatoes

8th of june

With the lower leaves taken out, you see the hanging vines ready to be harvested. I will do it tomorrow. There are two types of tomatoes here: the ones at the front are organic Gardener’s delight and the others are F1 Sungold. Next post I will write my impressions on the two of them.

 

hydroponics tomatoes

9th of june

At last, time to harvest. The tomatoes look gorgeous and I cannot wait to share the result of my efforts with my family. Notice how the tomatoes look a bit dusty. It is not that I used any pesticide on them (I used none). Actually we have started some reforms in my house. Saddly I will have to cut the plants and store the hydroponic system. Besides, it is starting to be quite hot in the town I live, and the water temperature is not adequate for growing. Too high temperature means too little oxygen in it; the roots are in danger of hypoxia, which is rotting of the roots provoked by lack of oxygen. It is a pity because now that the plants are producing, I could expect to harvest some tomatoes every two weeks or so. Next time I will start my culture sooner, to have them producing during the winter.

 

indoors tomatoes

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