Tzimbalo fruit?

[Jayb]

I'm a fan of Pepino and this year I'm growing its relative Tzimbalo. I wondered if anyone here has tried it? I'd love to know how it tastes?

[Jayb]

[galina]

Jayb, you do get  me to google for interesting plants.  They look lovely.
http://www.readytogrow.co.uk/item_pages/fruit/solanum_caripense.html

Never even heard of these before. 

Any luck on the mashua?

[aj]

*mutters swear words under breath

Oh - looks like another seed order on it's way to ME

[Jayb]

I've not had a chance to sow the remaining Mashua yet, I'm hoping to have a bit of a google to see if I can get a better idea how to start them. I've got a few plants (from tubers) to grow in a polytunnel and I hope this will give them a chance to flower and seed a bit earlier although not much point if I can't germinate the seed! Not sure if we have a hot summer how that may affect them, but it is a BIG if.  I'll hopefully have a few tubers spare at harvest if anyone fancies, if seeds are not looking good

Not sure Tzimbalo are going to be very tasty, buy they do look pretty, I think they are the wild cousin http://solanaseeds.netfirms.com/exotic.html
I love this site http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1398&page=67

I think I've just a few seeds over if you would like them, germination was good. Or if I am lucky enough to get some fruit I should have fresh seed in the autumn.

[lottie lou]

Did you manage to get any edible fruit from your pepino?  This is my fourth year try.  If I don't get anything this year I will give up on them.  Managed to grow some lovely - well would have been - mashua, if the frost hadn't got em.

[lottie lou]

Oh heck, I can feel another seed order coming on.

[Vinlander]

Did you manage to get any edible fruit from your pepino?  This is my fourth year try.  If I don't get anything this year I will give up on them.  Managed to grow some lovely - well would have been - mashua, if the frost hadn't got em.

They need an indian summer and the last proper one we had was 2006.

I also get much better results from growing pepino in open ground than I do from my  greenhouse at home which is partly shaded half the day. A cloche on open ground is even better - it's a day-length thing - they aren't really fully adapted for the UK.

I'm assuming you grow yours from overwintered cuttings? - they are so easy to root and so easy to overwinter indoors that anything else is asking for problems...

Also buy a plant of a selected clone like Otavalo - they are selected for UK day length as well as everything else.

Cheers.

[Jayb]

Did you manage to get any edible fruit from your pepino?  This is my fourth year try.  If I don't get anything this year I will give up on them.  Managed to grow some lovely - well would have been - mashua, if the frost hadn't got em.

Pepino, yes happy with what I got, although I did lose some to the early hard frost we had, caught me on the hop! Good luck for this year. I wonder what is happening with yours, are they from seed or cuttings and do they get as far as flowering and setting fruit?

I've got a few I've over wintered but also sown several from seed taken from the best plants with the sweetest fruit, I'm hoping in time this will pay off. I'll keep they well away from the Tzimbalo though.

Did you have a chance to try any Mashua before the frost?

Hi Vinlander, growing a selected clone sounds a great idea, I'm wondering where I would find some?

[Jayb]

Tzimbalo plants are growing well they have all been flowering for a good month probably more like 6 weeks. Fruits have been setting, though not on the earliest flowers. I've 3 plants growing in multipurpose compost in pots in my greenhouse. Flowers have quite an exerted stigma so looks like bees etc are needed for pollination, I think also more than one plant is required? They are going to be far earlier than Pepino Dulce which was also sown at the same time are only just about to start flowering.

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I'm thinking I would like to try crossing Tzimbalo and Pepino Dulce, in the hope of producing an earlier type Pepino, fingers crossed.

[galina]

Congratulations JayB, they look very good.  And a cross with Pepino for earliness and good flavour sounds a very good idea.  You need to change your moniker to LutherBurbank, methinks  ;D

[Jayb]

Lol, I think that would be rude towards Luther Burbank  ;D
It's such fun, though I wish I'd cottoned on years ago!