Zluta Kytice

jmsieglaff · May 30, 2016

I'm growing said tomato from seed from BigVanVader (thanks!!). The plant is very healthy and blossoms are just starting to open. I've read it is a compact indeterminate. It really wants to sucker and bush out. I'm curious to the habit for people who grow it. I usually keep my indeterminates to 2-3 stems and allow a little more branching as it gets taller, but I don't want to do that to this one if it is more compact and possibly limit production. Thoughts? My hunch is to treat it the same since it is growing at a nice clip.

Salsacharley · May 30, 2016

I grew it 2 years ago, and it was very dense and compact. It was an insane producer of delicious, small cherry size yellow fruit. It was murder to harvest the inner fruit due to the dense foliage. I haven't grown it again because it was too much work for me to harvest all of those little tomatoes. My back was killing me. I had to crawl on my knees to reach back inside the plant. If you prune it you can probably manage it much better than my experience.

jmsieglaff · May 31, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salsacharley

I grew it 2 years ago, and it was very dense and compact. It was an insane producer of delicious, small cherry size yellow fruit. It was murder to harvest the inner fruit due to the dense foliage. I haven't grown it again because it was too much work for me to harvest all of those little tomatoes. My back was killing me. I had to crawl on my knees to reach back inside the plant. If you prune it you can probably manage it much better than my experience.

Thanks! I think I'll let it bush out pretty heavily then and prune primarily for airflow. We are growing it in a half whiskey barrel the deck so the plant is up a bit which will help with harvesting and we've got two little ones that love to pick cherry tomatoes.

BigVanVader · May 31, 2016

Yeah I used a small tomato cage for it as it sent out runners everywhere. I think I probably picked 2k tomatoes off that one plant over the season. Glad to hear its doing well, it seemed really resistant to any issues for me so I wouldn't worry to much about that, but like Charley said its a pain to harvest without a little training.

jmsieglaff · June 2, 2016

Are you growing it again BVV?

It is really going nuts on the growth and there are tons of flower clusters that are opening or will be. I can see how you say you got 2K tomatoes!!

BigVanVader · June 2, 2016

I still have some in pots, I think I might put one in somewhere since it's so low maintenance.

jmsieglaff · June 5, 2016

This is my plant in a half whisky barrel. My management is pruning suckers that will grow inward and in general allow 4 main stems. Two are kinda original main stems as the plant branched really really early. The other two are already big suckers. So many flowers!

BigVanVader · June 5, 2016

Looks nice, I didn't prune mine much other than the bottom. It was in a cage so I just let it go. By the time it started dying I had stopped picking them

jmsieglaff · June 12, 2016

Has anyone else noticed this variety has foliage that is quite fragrant?

jmsieglaff · June 13, 2016

Unless the flavor disappoints, I'm surprised more people don't grow this guy. It three feet tall and quite wide. I'm pruning otherwise this thing will become a fortress that air will not penetrate.

jmsieglaff · June 13, 2016

And one of the blossom clusters, with human hand for size reference.

BigVanVader · June 13, 2016

The flavor definitely doesn't disappoint. Looking great!

NarnianGarden · June 15, 2016

How many blossoms usually set fruit? I'd love something like that... loved Ildi, but it takes way too much on a balcony.

jmsieglaff · June 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

How many blossoms usually set fruit? I'd love something like that... loved Ildi, but it takes way too much on a balcony.

I will be able to comment on that in a few weeks. As far as space it is growing in a 1/2 whiskey barrel which is about 25 gallons--which speaks to the prolific nature of the variety as it is about as wide as the container currently.

NarnianGarden · June 15, 2016

Yep, something like that is not for my balcony space, as I try to squeeze in many different varieties (with some air flow still possible!).
We had Ildi some years ago at my parents' door step, we joked about it scaring uninvited visitors away... It was quite a sight!

May 30, 2016	#1
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Zluta Kytice I'm growing said tomato from seed from BigVanVader (thanks!!). The plant is very healthy and blossoms are just starting to open. I've read it is a compact indeterminate. It really wants to sucker and bush out. I'm curious to the habit for people who grow it. I usually keep my indeterminates to 2-3 stems and allow a little more branching as it gets taller, but I don't want to do that to this one if it is more compact and possibly limit production. Thoughts? My hunch is to treat it the same since it is growing at a nice clip.

May 30, 2016	#2
Salsacharley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2013 Location: New Mexico Posts: 2,052	I grew it 2 years ago, and it was very dense and compact. It was an insane producer of delicious, small cherry size yellow fruit. It was murder to harvest the inner fruit due to the dense foliage. I haven't grown it again because it was too much work for me to harvest all of those little tomatoes. My back was killing me. I had to crawl on my knees to reach back inside the plant. If you prune it you can probably manage it much better than my experience.

May 31, 2016	#4
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Yeah I used a small tomato cage for it as it sent out runners everywhere. I think I probably picked 2k tomatoes off that one plant over the season. Glad to hear its doing well, it seemed really resistant to any issues for me so I wouldn't worry to much about that, but like Charley said its a pain to harvest without a little training.

June 2, 2016	#5
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Are you growing it again BVV? It is really going nuts on the growth and there are tons of flower clusters that are opening or will be. I can see how you say you got 2K tomatoes!!

June 5, 2016	#8
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Looks nice, I didn't prune mine much other than the bottom. It was in a cage so I just let it go. By the time it started dying I had stopped picking them

June 12, 2016	#9
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	Has anyone else noticed this variety has foliage that is quite fragrant?

June 13, 2016	#12
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	The flavor definitely doesn't disappoint. Looking great!

June 15, 2016	#13
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	How many blossoms usually set fruit? I'd love something like that... loved Ildi, but it takes way too much on a balcony.