TERMINATED: Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes

[pfunnyjoy]

Seeds: AG Heirloom Cherry Tomato
Aerogarden: Harvest Elite 360
Location: North 40, office
Water: tap, filtered, Big Berkey, PH adjusted
Grow Medium: AG seed pod
Preferred PH: 5.5-6.5
Preferred EC: 2.0-5.0
Nutrients: none until germination
Water PH: 6.5

CONCLUSION: Successful garden, enjoyed my tomatoes. But very messy in my office. Perhaps a better basement project. THE END

Believe it or not, this is my very first time growing these. My only tomatoes previously were the Mega Cherry tomatoes that came with my 6E+ and Veggie Pro units. They were OK, but not all that prolific. Which might have been inexperience. However, I've always wanted to grow these, and I had a little space in my office, so I got a 360 on sale with the tomato kit. Fits perfectly! I only planted ONE seed pod, in the center opening.

2023-12-09: Day 4
Seeing signs of germination! No sprouts yet, but I'll add nutrients, check PH, and add my usual teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide as soon as I see one.

[swimmom500]

Dec 9, 2023 15:59:07 GMT -5 pfunnyjoy said:

Seeds: AG Heirloom Cherry Tomato
Aerogarden: Harvest Elite 360
Location: North 40, office
Water: tap, filtered, Big Berkey, PH adjusted
Grow Medium: AG seed pod
Preferred PH: 5.5-6.5
Preferred EC: 2.0-5.0
Nutrients: none until germination
Water PH: 6.5

Believe it or not, this is my very first time growing these. My only tomatoes previously were the Mega Cherry tomatoes that came with my 6E+ and Veggie Pro units. They were OK, but not all that prolific. Which might have been inexperience. However, I've always wanted to grow these, and I had a little space in my office, so I got a 360 on sale with the tomato kit. Fits perfectly! I only planted ONE seed pod, in the center opening.

2023-12-09: Day 4
Seeing signs of germination! No sprouts yet, but I'll add nutrients, check PH, and add my usual teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide as soon as I see one.

I have planted these twice in the last month. 3 pods in a Harvest with the intention of moving them after they sprouted. I got nothing from either grow and am getting ready to plant them again. Never had trouble with the Mighty Minis and the Mega Cherry tomatoes. Not sure what their problem is! Keep us posted on your results.

[pfunnyjoy]

Will do! I'm hoping for the best, but like I say, no experience with these and not a whole lot of experience with Aerogarden tomatoes in general. Though I've always been able to grow Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes outside with no issues. I love cherry tomatoes!

[pfunnyjoy]

2023-12-10: Day 5
First sprout showing!

Added 1.0ml of CALiMAGic
Added 4.0ml of AG nutrients
Added 1 TSP of 3% hydrogen peroxide

PH check a half an hour later is between 6.0–6.5. So I’ll keep an eye on that.
EC is 1.1 ... hopefully this isn't too strong.

I expect to do an early rinse and refill next weekend to bring the nutrition up if needed, but having burnt out three gardens of seedlings lately, I'm going with nutrient caution.

[lynnee]

The AG Red Heirloom cherry tomatoes grow like gangbusters for me. I like the sweetness of Burpee Veranda Reds better, so those are my preferred cherry tomatoes now.

However, both the AG Red Heirloom and Golden Harvest cherry tomatoes shouldn't be hard to grow. I used nothing but AG nutrients for a long time.

Now I add CalMag and Koolbloom at six weeks and thereafter. Cal Mag improves the flavor of all tomatoes. Koolbloom helps the production. I do an R&R every two weeks, starting at six weeks.

They grow better and produce more if you regularly prune the lower leaves that aren't getting light, all leaves that are yellowing, and all growth in the middle that is twisted.

[pfunnyjoy]

2023-12-17: Day 12
I finally thinned the seedlings. Had 4 total, all the same height, all looked healthy with strong stems. There really wasn't much to distinguish between them but now there is only ONE.

PH is holding at 6.0.
EC is holding at 1.1.

There was a very slight reduction in water.

[pfunnyjoy]

Dec 10, 2023 19:40:51 GMT -5 lynnee said:

The AG Red Heirloom cherry tomatoes grow like gangbusters for me. I like the sweetness of Burpee Veranda Reds better, so those are my preferred cherry tomatoes now.

However, both the AG Red Heirloom and Golden Harvest cherry tomatoes shouldn't be hard to grow. I used nothing but AG nutrients for a long time.

Now I add CalMag and Koolbloom at six weeks and thereafter. Cal Mag improves the flavor of all tomatoes. Koolbloom helps the production. I do an R&R every two weeks, starting at six weeks.

They grow better and produce more if you regularly prune the lower leaves that aren't getting light, all leaves that are yellowing, and all growth in the middle that is twisted.

Thanks for the tips! 

[pfunnyjoy]

2023-12-10: Day 14
I’ve done the rinse and refill.

The little plant doesn’t look happy. Hoping it is lack of nutrition and not nutrient burn. It's hard to see it as nutrient burn since I started the garden with HALF the recommended amount of AG nutrients.

Added 1.0ml of CALiMAGic (our water, which is on the soft side, reads EC 0.0)
Added 8.0ml of AG nutrients (per bottle recommendation)
Added 1 TSP of 3% hydrogen peroxide

PH is 6.0
EC is 1.1

[lynnee]

Tomatoes are okay when they get brown tips. If a plant has given up on a leaf branch, the top leaves will start to yellow. I take all branches with yellowed leaves off during pruning (along with lower leaves that get no light, and twisted or spindly growth in the middle that has no room to grow properly).

Unlike Tatsoi, you are not eating the tomato leaves, so brown spots and ends don't matter.

[pfunnyjoy]

I just don't remember seeing this kind of thing at the very start when I last grew tomatoes, even if they weren't the Heirloom Cherry variety. I remember my Mega Cherries as very pretty looking seedlings, though I no longer have any photos of them.

I'm thinking that with my water EC at 0, the AG nutrients probably aren't entirely enough on their own, but the trouble is that I don't really know just how much cal/mag to add at this point, or even if I should add any for a barely started seedling.

Wait and see if it grows for now.

[lynnee]

Everyone's experience is different, but in a Bounty I use normal AG nutes alone until the 3rd feeding (6weeks). Then I add 5ml CalMag and 3ml Koolbloom along with the AG nutes (per the label for 9-pod models) at R&Rs every 2 weeks.

The Bounties hold a little more than a gallon of water, so this is following the label instructions for the supplements. (For Farms I base the calculations on 2 gallons of water.) The amounts aren't exact, but are close enough to keep the plants happy. You want to go a little easy on the Koolbloom because it can shock your plants.

Some people think that CalMag added close to harvest will negatively affect the tomato flavor, but I don't notice this.

[pfunnyjoy]

2024-01-19: Day 45
The tomatoes started blooming on 1/17! Which would be day 43. AG website says 45 days is average. 

I’ve given the plant a few light shakes; it might be time to consider a fan, although I'm not sure about that, as with the cold snap, the house is dryer than normal. It’s time to rinse and refill, a couple days late.

My old GH chart doesn’t have growth stages, so I’m going with a close approximation of a medium feed/early bloom on a current chart. I’m taking a guess at the cal/mag, given that our water is sometimes a bit soft, sometimes a bit hard with EC running between 0.0 and 0.4.

Nutrients (per gallon)
4.0ml of CALiMAGic
6.0ml Flora Micro
5.0ml Flora Gro
6.4ml Flora Bloom
5.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide

Nutrient mix PH: 6.0
Nutrient mix EC: 2.2

The roots look rambunctious and healthy, they were not tangled in the filter again, nor in the water level sensor, but it's a wonder as there are a LOT of them! I trimmed them slightly to make it easier to get them back in the bowl. Good decision/bad decision, no idea.

I also trimmed a few lower leaves that were feeling “crispy” and dry. Got most of the crumbs off the deck, but if I think about it when I have the vacuum out, I might poke the crevice tool in under the plant to get the rest.

I raised the light just a little once the rinse and refill was done.

[lynnee]

pfunnyjoy, you can flick the blossom clusters with a finger, or buzz them with a toothbrush, to encourage pollination. You don't need to shake the entire plant. Buzzing the clusters would work better than a fan, which might dry out the leaves.

[pfunnyjoy]

Jan 20, 2024 15:40:52 GMT -5 lynnee said:

pfunnyjoy , you can flick the blossom clusters with a finger, or buzz them with a toothbrush, to encourage pollination. You don't need to shake the entire plant. Buzzing the clusters would work better than a fan, which might dry out the leaves.

I did flick them this morning. I'm giving them a little dose of fan while I'm here at the computer, but will turn it off when I leave the room. 

Hubby was excited when I told him I had blooms!

[pfunnyjoy]

2024-02-02: Day 59
Rinse and refill. Looking at the current feed chart, GH is suggesting only 2.0ml of CALiMAGic instead of what I used before. I have seen a little leaf curl and browning, so I’m going to dial it back by 1.0ml. Also, they had the Micro and Gro at more even amounts going into a mid-bloom stage.

I did some pruning of the lower branches to make watering easier. And cut off a couple that were getting too close to the light, as I’ve got the light as high as it goes now.

Nutrients (per gallon)
3.0ml of CALiMAGic
5.4ml Flora Micro
5.4ml Flora Gro
7.6ml Flora Bloom
5.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide

Had to add quite a bit of pH Up to this one! It was very acid at 4.0 at first.

Nutrient mix pH: 6.0
Nutrient mix EC: 2.0



First cluster of tiny tomatoes!

[lynnee]

Your tomatoes look wonderfully healthy! FWIW, I usually just prune off unhealthy-looking leaf branches--as part of my never-ending war against thick leaf canopies on cherry tomatoes.

[slw]

I don't do a lot of pruning on anything; I guess I should be better about it but then the picture on the Aerogarden website for Heirloom cherry tomatoes looks like this...

[pfunnyjoy]

I'll prune if the branches look unhealthy, but right now, it's really just a leaf or two. More flowers blooming today!

[pfunnyjoy]

2024-02-16: Day 73
Rinse and refill. The plant looks happy, though I’ve seen fewer new blooms lately. It does have some nice size green tomato clusters! EC is 1.6 before adding nutrients. I’m going to bump the cal/mag up a notch, as I see a little yellowing on leaves here and there. No blossom end rot. I pruned just a little bit. Roots look healthy and have been well-behaved, checked, no intrusion to pump or water level indicator. No trace of algae. Pruned a few leaves.

Nutrients (per gallon)
4.0ml of GH CALiMAGic
6.0ml GH Flora Micro
6.0ml GH Flora Gro
8.0ml GH Flora Bloom
5.0ml 3% hydrogen peroxide

Nutrient mix pH: 6.0
Nutrient mix EC: 2.2



Can't wait for one of these to ripen!

[lynnee]

pfunnyjoy, your tomatoes really do look great! I never got AG red cherry tomatoes that size until I started adding CalMag and Koolbloom to supplement the AG nutes. Obviously your supplements are doing their job!

My tomatoes never look like the AG product page photos. AG must prune every day for weeks to get those pics!

You may have discovered this already, but you need to exercise care in vacuuming the AG decks to remove dropped flowers and whatnot. With the decks that drip water at the pod openings, you will vacuum up water along with the debris. Most vacuums are not designed to pick up water.