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Post by mayz on Jul 4, 2013 8:19:20 GMT -5
That's the first time I grow this solanaceae. It seems to thrive even in this cold season. An idea of the taste? sown 1st march indoor planted outside may 10
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Post by zeedman on Jul 4, 2013 15:14:44 GMT -5
To me, the taste is sort of a gooseberry/cherry cross; but I have had some variation between plants. I had one plant whose berries had a hint of peach flavor. The flavor also seems to be affected by temperature, it was not as good when picked in hot weather (above 80 degrees F.). The ripe berries have the same tacky feel as ripe cherries, and are about the same size. The texture is more succulent than ground cherries, but the seeds are a little larger (though still not unpleasant). When ripe, the thorny calyx will fold back, exposing the fruit. Some separate easily at this point, while others need to be torn off... I have been selecting for large berries that separate easily. The plants bloom freely until killed by frost, and are very pretty... but you wouldn't want to plant one near a path (unless you have garden thieves). The plants are surprisingly resilient, they volunteer & fruit even in my Wisconsin climate, although the volunteers just barely ripen. If I want a decent crop, I still need to start them as transplants. The plants have a bit of frost resistance, mine have survived temps as low as 27-28 degrees F. Birds have shown little interest in the berries, probably due to the thorns. However, in recent years, wasps have taken a liking to the fruit, and damage much of the crop late in the season.
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Post by mayz on Jul 5, 2013 1:51:55 GMT -5
This solanum seems very interesting. I'm curious to enjoy it. Here, no problem with high temperature. Usually temperatures higher than 80F are uncommon (only one day during June). Is this plant sensitive to disease like mildew?
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Post by zeedman on Jul 6, 2013 2:31:33 GMT -5
I've observed no disease problems, even when late blight destroyed my tomatoes. The plants are exceptionally vigorous... they are one of the last green plants left standing in the Fall, when frost & disease have vanquished nearly everything else. The only problem I have noted is that Litchi tomato seems to be especially attractive to Colorado potato beetle. It makes a good trap crop for that pest, because the beetles & larvae are easily visible in the lacy foliage, where they can then be destroyed (I use a soap spray). Since I started growing "Morelle de Balbis", I have had almost no CPB on my eggplant, so I would rate it highly as a trap crop.
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Post by ottawagardener on Jul 31, 2013 20:34:10 GMT -5
I quite like it. Tastes kind of tomato/cranberry? I really enjoyed it stewed in applesauce actually. It seems to tolerate cooler temperatures somewhat especially at the end of the growing season where it will survive light frosts that kill off other nightshades.
I second the trap crop as when I gardened in an allotment that had these, they were all over the litchis.
Here, I have a smaller potato beetle or at least it's not the monster CPB of the allotment garden though in all other respects, it looks the same. My 'CPB's here prefer perennial ground cherry as their trap crop as it is up so early in the spring. At my old place they also quite liked chinese lantern.
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Post by zeedman on Aug 1, 2013 0:12:07 GMT -5
... My 'CPB's here prefer perennial ground cherry as their trap crop as it is up so early in the spring. At my old place they also quite liked chinese lantern. Funny you should mention perennial ground cherries. I just found a patch last week, in a wild area next to a bike trail. They are growing vigorously, completely contemptuous of the tall grass around them. Makes me wonder what they would do in garden soil... but having experienced how invasive Chinese lantern plant can be, I'm a little hesitant to try it. I'd probably put them in a new bed, where they couldn't become a nuisance.
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Post by steev on Aug 1, 2013 1:41:18 GMT -5
The trick is to eat the little buggers before they get away.
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Post by ottawagardener on Aug 12, 2013 9:22:43 GMT -5
The perennial ground cherry or the CPBs steev?
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Post by steev on Aug 12, 2013 10:24:38 GMT -5
Chacun a son gout!
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remy
gopher
Posts: 44
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Post by remy on Aug 28, 2013 10:45:38 GMT -5
I grew them in large pots last year as I had run out of room in the garden. Being very thorny, I figured my dogs would leave them alone. The vegetable garden areas are fences off. Well, they figured out how to eat around the thorns! The dogs love them, lol. Anyone have any recipes for using them?
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Post by raymondo on Aug 28, 2013 16:47:49 GMT -5
I grew them in large pots last year as I had run out of room in the garden. Being very thorny, I figured my dogs would leave them alone. The vegetable garden areas are fences off. Well, they figured out how to eat around the thorns! The dogs love them, lol. Anyone have any recipes for using them? I'll be trying them out this year for the first time so ways of eating them will be of great interest in a few months.
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