Heirloom Tomato Varieties & Reviews | Tomat-Pomidor
Honest reviews of global tomato varieties from a 15-year-old growers community.
📖 Diary Highlights: Growers in Zone 4 discuss the tricky timing of harvesting greenhouse melons. If picked too early, they are bitter; if picked too late, the texture turns to mealy cotton. They cover how to check for the “slip” stage (when the stem detaches easily), relying on scent, and the unique harvesting challenges of … Read more
📖 Diary Highlights: A lively debate sparks when a grower doubts that greenhouse melons in northern climates (Zone 4) can ever match the sweet, sun-baked flavor of southern market melons. Several experienced northern growers chime in to defend modern short-season hybrids, sharing photos and stories of incredibly sweet, honey-like melons grown right in their own … Read more
🍅 Quick take: In this continuation of a Northern greenhouse grow diary, growers debate the best rootstocks for grafting watermelons and melons. While many beginners start with the classic Bottle Gourd (Lagenaria), experienced growers are switching to professional F1 interspecific squash hybrids like Ferro, Cobalt, and Root Power due to superior vigor and plant health. … Read more
🍅 Quick take: In this thread, Northern growers (USDA Zones 3-4) discuss the art of grafting greenhouse vegetables. While grafting tomatoes or cucumbers might not be worth the effort for some, the growers agree that grafting watermelons and melons onto vigorous rootstocks (like Lagenaria) is absolutely essential for a short-season climate. The discussion covers seed-starting … Read more
📌 Quick Summary: Forcing Melons to Set Fruit 🥒 The Problem: Your melon vines look incredibly healthy, but they are only producing male flowers. You might be tempted to rip them out. Don’t do it yet! ✂️ Pinching Mistake: Many growers pinch the vines too early. You should generally wait to pinch the main vine … Read more
📌 Quick Diary Summary: Greenhouse Melons 🍈 The Center Bed Success: Planting melons on the wide center bed of a greenhouse is a fantastic strategy. It gives the massive root systems room to spread, and it’s the warmest spot in the greenhouse. Using black plastic mulch over the soil helps heat the roots even more. … Read more
Will Unripe Fallen Melons Ripen Off the Vine and How to Save Them 📌 Quick Summary: Dropped Unripe Melons 🍈 The Ripening Rule: Gardeners in cold climates (like Zone 4 or Siberia) often deal with heavy green melons snapping off the vine before the end of the short season. But unlike green tomatoes, melons … Read more
📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Pruning Melons for Short Seasons ✂️ Open Ground (Heirlooms): Most heirloom melons produce male flowers on the main stem and female flowers (the ones that make fruit) on tertiary vines. To force early fruiting in cooler climates, you must pinch the vines: Pinch the main stem after the 3rd or 5th … Read more
Quick Summary: Exotic Cucumbers & Bean Growing Tips In this thread, our community dives into the fascinating world of exotic curcubits and garden beans. Here are the key takeaways: 🥒 The “Eight-Angled” Cucumber: Often sold under exotic names, these are usually ribbed varieties of Carosello (an Italian melon eaten green as a cucumber) or Armenian … Read more
Quick Summary: Short-Season Melon Growing Masterclass 🌍 Why this matters: If you live in a cold climate (like USDA Zones 3-4) with short summers and June frosts, growing melons can feel impossible. In this article, a seasoned grower from Rybinsk (North-West Russia) shares his proven techniques for harvesting sweet watermelons and melons outdoors. 🌱 Key … Read more