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Old January 8, 2018   #1
Nan_PA_6b
Tomatovillian™
 
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Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Default Anna Maria's Heart X Hardin's Miniature

I crossed Anna Maria's Heart X Hardin's Miniature this past summer.
Anna Maria's Heart = pink, heart, indet, 6-12 oz, full size plant.
Hardin's Miniature = red, elongated pointed cherry, determinate growth, everbearing, 1 oz, two sets of dwarf genes (12" tall).

HM would have made a better female parent as a successful cross would show in non-dwarf seedlings. AMH was used as the female in desperation because no other crosses took.

Here is the setup; five LED lights surrounded by aluminum foil to reflect light back to the plants:

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The seedlings are droopy like the female parent. They smell odd like the male parent. 5 seedlings were selected to grow on in a single 5-gallon pot. Medium was Master Gardener Bumper Crop Organic Gardener's Gold Potting Soil, with time-release Osmocote and ground eggshell. Here is the aluminum foil peeled back to see the pot with plants at time of first ripe fruit:

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The seedlings were stocky and much shorter than the female parent. Here is a measurement of a typical vine:

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The plants ranged from 8"-9" tall at first flowering, and 41-43 days from sowing to first flower. Germination occurred on 10-22-17 and ripe fruit appeared on 1-8-18, 78 days from sprout to ripe, or 83 days from sowing to ripe. Here is the first ripe fruit:

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Gin3ll has generously offered to help me grow out the F2's this year. I will be looking for a full size fruit that tastes like HM, as this is what my mother would like. Watch this space for updates.
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