Tomato ‘Vilma’
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Solanum lycopersicon esculentum ‘Vilma’ (so-LA-num ly-koh-PER-see-con ESS-kew-len-tum) Family: Solanaceae Common name: ‘Vilma’ |
| Description: An open-pollinated, dwarf, bush-type tomato. Plant grows up to 24 inches (60 cm) and 12 inches (30 cm) wide. Regular compound leaves are dark green. Good yield of bright red, small cherry-sized tomatoes weighing about three-quarters of an ounce (20 g). Flavour is truly exceptional.
Special Notes: ‘Vilma’ has been specifically bred for container growing…purported to be from the Czech Republic but I have been unable to confirm this detail.
How to Grow: Start seeds indoors in late March through April. Optimum soil temperature for germination is around 24 °C (75 °F) for tomatoes. Pot seedlings up into gradually larger pots as they grow. When ready to pot up into their permanent growing pot for the season, select a 6 – 8 inch (15 – 20 cm) diameter pot which is a minimum of 6 inches (15 cm) tall. Typically, bush, or determinate, tomatoes do not need to be pruned. Removing the side shoots decreases overall crop yield.
In our Zone 7a garden: I grew this tomato variety for the first time in 2017. A dozen seeds were sown into 4-cell pots on April 8th. Seed pots were placed in a plastic tray on a heat mat under fluorescent lights hung directly above. Seven seeds had germinated by April 14th. All 12 seeds had germinated by April 21st. I selected five seedlings and potted those up into 6.5 inch (16.5 cm) diameter pots which were 6 inches (15 cm) tall.
Harvested a total of 50 fruits on first picking from all 5 plants on September 7th. Total weight: 10 oz (283.5 g). Next picking on September 11th netted 20 fruits weighing 5 oz (142 g). September 16th harvest yielded 34 fruits; weight 6 oz (170 g). Weighed individually, largest fruits were between 0.22 and 0.25 of an ounce (6.5 – 7 g)…not 20 grams as references stated. Judging by the photos I have seen of ‘Vilma’, the dimensions of the fruits on my five plants looked to be on a par, which truthfully, looks more currant-size than cherry-size. Definitely on the small size. But positively big…as in huge…on flavour. No dispute there. Two things I would do differently next year…stake the plants and fertilize with a liquid fish or seaweed amendment once a week.
Posted on September 25, 2017
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Quote of the Week
by Leslie Cox; Sunday; September 24, 2017
Autumn is the season of change.
~ Taoist proverb
This week in the garden…
by Leslie Cox; Saturday; September 23, 2017
Well…the overnight temperatures are starting to dip dangerously. Last Monday’s (18th) reading from the thermometer on the back porch was 3.5 °C (38.3 °F). That gave me a kick in the butt! Time to start bringing the tender plants back indoors…jades, rex begonias, pelargoniums (tender geraniums), areca palm. It is the end of summer vacation for them!
Actually, I do not mind having my houseplants back indoors. The house has seemed a little bare throughout the summer season. And if I have to spend more time indoors because of rain and cold, then I prefer my space to be crammed full of green.
8 Houseplants with Beneficial Air-purifying Qualities
by Leslie Cox; Saturday; September 23, 2017
If you are a plantaholic like me, then you are already familiar with the many benefits in surrounding yourself in greenery…both outdoors and in.
But if you are not much of a gardener, you need to know there is a positive in placing at least three or four tropical-type plants throughout your home. Bottom line…air purification.
Depending on the furniture you own and the cleaning products you use, there could quite possibly be some not-so-very-nice toxins floating on the air currents inside the house. Certain plastics, for instance, emit a toxin called xylene into the air. The same toxin is found in some solvents.
Placing one 12-inch (30 cm) sized potted plant from the following list for every 100 square feet (9 sq m) of space in key rooms…living room, dining room, den, rumpus room…will go a long way to making your most used living spaces a healthier environment for you and your family.
- Aglaonema spp. – Chinese evergreens
- removes benzene, formaldehyde, and other toxins
- oxygen content in emissions is high
- does well in low light levels, but variegated cultivars need more sunlight
- needs good drainage
- Chamaedorea seifrizii – bamboo palm; reed palm
- removes formaldehyde
- natural humidifier
- prefers bright, indirect light
- needs regular water
- Dracaena fragrans ‘Compacta’ – compact cornstalk dracaena
- general air purifier
- removes formaldehyde
- tolerates low light levels well
- reasonably drought tolerant
- Dypsis lutescens – areca palm; bamboo palm; golden cane palm
- one of the best overall air purifiers
- prefers partial sun and well-draining soil
- reasonably drought tolerant
- Ficus elastic – rubber tree; rubber plant
- removes formaldahyde and other toxins from the air
- oxygen content in emissions is high
- prefers filtered light and rich soil
- quite drought tolerant
- Ficus maclellandii – banana-leaf fig
- general air purifier
- prefers indirect sunlight
- do not overwater
- Nephrolepis exaltata ‘Bostoniensis’ – Boston fern
- removes formaldehyde
- natural air humidifier
- prefers bright light but will tolerate lower light levels
- prefers regular water
- Phoenix roebelenii– pygmy date palm; miniature date palm
- removes formaldehyde and xylene (chemical found in plastics and solvents)
- prefers sun but will tolerate partial sunlight
- regular water
Welcome Autumn!
by Leslie Cox; Friday; September 22, 2017
As I pen this blog post whilst enjoying my morning cup of coffee, the last sun of summer is streaming into the house. Good thing! There was a vague hint of frost on the fields behind us as the day began.
Many people herald the onset of autumn. Admittedly, I am not a true fan. While I love the changing colours in the landscape…gorgeous yellows, vibrant oranges, flashing reds, sensuous burgundies…I abhor the temperatures dipping towards frost with each passing day.
