Hydroponic Tomato Success!!!

I have been experimenting with several plants, and as you can see in my previous posts, most of them are the simple and easy to manage plants, such as herbs and lettuces. Along with my more advanced plant experiments (Melon and broccoli), I have also been growing Tomatoes! CHERRY TOMATOES to be specific.

I wasn't too sure with this experiment, so that led me not to post any entries about it. I heard from other hydroponic enthusiasts that there is a problem with "end blossom rot". This is a condition where the fruits rot at the bottom before ripening. But still, i wanted to prove that hydroponics, using my system, nutrients and such, works! And if it doesn't, well, hey! At least I gave it a shot.

Aside from that, many of my customers who visit the garden ask me "will this work with anything else, aside from herbs and lettuces?". I have to be aware of the fact that since i am catering to Cebuanos, not all Filipinos use basil, tarragon, sage and lettuce in the kitchen. Truth be told, majority of my customers are expats (foreigners) from America, Germany, Canada, and so forth. If my customers are Cebuanos, they have either been using herbs for quite a while or have been educated to use it (culinary students, chefs, wives of foreigners, mid-high class individuals).

So i have to prove that Hydroponics works on crops that is used in many of the filipino dishes. My first step was -- TOMATOES!

In all honesty, it wasn't hard to do at all. Tomatoes are quite easy to grow, whether it be on the ground or elsewhere. But they do consume a lot of nutrients. They are known to be "nutrient-hungry-plants". Unlike herbs and leafy veggies, tomatoes are one of the many "fruiting" plants that eat a large amount of nutrients when they start to fruit.

To my delight, i came to check on them one night, and saw the cutest cherry tomatoes on their way!

Great thing about hydroponics is that i didnt get much pests. Sure, there were a few, but none that were potentially dangerous. After a few more weeks of waiting and constant check ups and cheers, the cherry tomatoes finally made it!

I didnt harvest much, since it was only a single plant for experimentation, but hey! LOOK WHAT I GOT!

With this, i have proven that IT DOES WORK! 

The thing i'm most proud to say, really, is - if you've been in Cebu for a while, you know that cherry tomatoes aren't a regular variety in the grocery stores. If they do show up, once in a blue moon, their prices are unreasonably high! The ones i've seen are php50-80 for a small packet of about... i dunno... 10-20 tiny tomatoes. Not to mention their tiny sizes. 

What i have here, is proof that you can do it alone! Sure, it may take some time and practice, but that's what makes it all the more fulfilling when you're out there, picking them from the branches of the plant yourself. Best of all, it's SAFE! You know what the plant has been through, you know if there's pesticide or not. 

Last thing is.. you are self sufficient. Everyone knows how hard it is to get money here - not just in Cebu but everywhere else in the world, in fact. This way, you'll have your own food to pick from your backyard - fresh,  price-less and satisfactory. :) 

'Till Next Entry! 

Ulyssa