My roma's started Nov 9, 2010 as 3 inch high seedlings are now full grown and have produced about 3 lbs of tomatoes so far. They started ripening about 2 weeks ago, and I have been enjoying the crop:
I used botanicare grow, bloom, micro and some "ripe" when I got along to having a lot of green fruit hanging on the vines. Again, the whole ebb and flow system is housed in a bedroom inside a 6x6x8 grow booth. Lighting is a 400W HPS light with a standard reflector. Also sharing the nutes and home are some hot chili pepper plants shown below:
They're hot, but not quite habanero, but I'm going to let them grow a bit and see how much bigger they get. I have used some in my hot sauces and hot jelly that I make. I pollenate both plants with a small $5 kids electric toothbrush every few days and visibly I see plenty of pollen out and about. A small fan keeps the plants tossing around and keeps fresh air cycling through the system. I try and keep my TDS anywhere between 1500 and 1800 for now, and I just use a small handheld meter to keep me in line with nutes. Ph is tested via vial and drops, and I check it every few days to be in the 6.x range. Flushings happen ever 4-6 weeks, depending on the TDS readings and I top off the water every 4-5 days now that there is fruit and the plants requirements are much higher. I have a small 12v pump which pumps out into the drain in the bathroom, then I reverse the pump and pump in tap water. Once that's filled, I drain it once more, and pump in PH and Nutrient adjusted water. Its a 25 gallon tank, so it takes about 10 minutes through a standard garden hose attached to the pump.
The end result today, was a very nice salad with some hydro basil added in for a little extra flavor. Short of making my own olive oil, salt and pepper, I feel very proud as I always do for bringing all these plants to fruition.
Lettuce is a mix of varieties which I grow in dwc, ebb and flow mini systems and grow trays.
Ok, off to eat lunch. :)
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