Geranium Blog

Micro Farm Update 1

The plants of the Micro Farm are getting larger. There have been a few ripe tomatoes, but somebody - either a mother grackle or a nibbling chihuahua - has been getting to them before me! Nice of my to lay out such a lovely buffet. I better start picking them sooner.

Micro Farm

The micro farm is a 14" square pot with 3 miniature tomato plants called Micro Tom and 2 Medusa pepper plants. I will update you weekly with photos of the farm's progress. These two varieties are considered ornamentals or novelties, but I will be taste-testing Micro Tom. I can already report that Medusa peppers are sweet and crunchy. They look great in stir fry or salads, too.

Order Arrives From Tomato Growers Supply!

My first order of seeds arrived today and now I know Spring is right around the corner! [Tomato Growers Supply] I'm trying some new (to me) tomato varieties and an "old" favorite:

Sprite - Determinate, 60 days. Grape tomato on a small bush. The packet promises "no sacrifice in fruit quality, size, productivity, or flavor - just shorter plants for smaller gardens." I want to believe!

Martino's Roma - Determinate, 75 days. Pear shaped paste tomato "perfectly suuited to cooking, but delicious enough to eat fresh." These plants are promised to be compact and "extremely productive." Heirloom variety.

Juliet - Indeterminate, 80 days. I have grown Juliet for several years now and will never stop. Super grape!

Micro-Tom - Determinate, 85 days. "World's smallest tomato variety." Irresistible! Grows 5-8 inches tall in a 4 inch pot and produces "flavorful miniature tomatoes about the size of salad croutons."

Last year I grew only Juliet and Yellow Pear tomatoes. Both of those make a large vine and my Mom seemed to be overwhelmed by just one Yellow Pear, so I wanted to try some smaller varieties this year.

No big surprises with the peppers. I am trying a new variety of sweet banana peppers.

Sweet Spot X3R Hybrid - 70 days. "This high-yielding banana type pepper produces an incredible harvest of mild, sweet peppers about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide." Happy days!

Medusa - My favorite ornamental pepper. The little chilis it produces are not hot at all. Very sweet and edible.