On Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:02:48 +1200, "~misfit~"
wrote:

To update this;

The first two flower sprays didn't pollinate despite a fan blowing air
around and much finger-flicking. That's when I started reading the internet
and so started buzz pollinating with my electric toothbrush daily. Since
then I have small fruits forming on all flower sprays.

snip for brevity only

Another good thing to come out of this is that, now that my flowering cherry
trees are in full bloom and thick with Tuis and bees and the peach tree buds
have swollen and are starting to peek out I have several healthy cherry
tomato cuttings ready to go outside very soon (and a source for more).

I hope this experiment and the reporting thereof helps others with similar
interests.


I am going to give this a try. I have been doing variations on this
theme for 40+ years, some successfully, some not....mostly with
flowers, orchids and exotic plants, but it is time to try tomatoes.

Right now, I have a "real" plant light set-up, with two bulbs, one for
leaf growth, one for flowering. This is all in an upstairs bedroom
deserted several years ago by kids who finally fledged, and there is
plenty of heat up there.

The only problem with the set up is that I have to be careful about
soil enrichment, as I really do not want to introduce insects into
bedrooms. So...I will get creative, but won't use any of my
delightfully lively compost.

I just got some indigo rose cherry tomato seeds and I might give those
a go.

I have played with rambling cherries, and they do quite well wrapped
around and over themselves and a couple of stakes. I run 'em in all
directions outside...they are so close together with stems overlapped,
that it can be tricky to pick the fruit. It is almost like a thick mat
of stems.

If I follow through, I will report back. I say this, as currently I
have so many tomatoes in the kitchen and the freezer and outside, that
I am tempted to take a looooooong tomato break.

Boron