Solar Power Saladette Tomato Plant

Solar Power Saladette Tomato is the perfect tomato for a small space. The salad-sized tomatoes are 2-3 oz and have a uniform 2-inch diameter. While this is an excellent tomato for fresh eating, the size makes it easy to cook up in pasta sauces or salsa. Solar Power has an unusual deep orange coloring and provides three times the beta carotene of other cherry tomatoes with exceptionally high yields from mid-summer through to the first frost. The indeterminate plants are slightly more compact than most cherry types but still need to be trellised or caged when planted. 

Solar Power Saladette Tomato Care  

Plant tomatoes in a spot that receives at least 6 hours of direct sun. Early morning or late day shade is acceptable and will help the plants recover during sweltering weather. Ensure that nighttime temperatures are above 50 degrees F before planting tomatoes in the ground. Extra protection from a hoop house covered in clear plastic or some other type of cloche will allow you to grow tomatoes much earlier in the spring. Space the vines 24 inches apart to provide adequate space for their extensive root systems. Alternatively, Solar Power can be planted in a large container with at least a 5-gallon capacity. Amend the soil with 1-2 inches of organic compost prior to planting and mulch around the root zone with 2-3 inches of clean straw, shredded leaves, or more compost. Tomatoes stay the healthiest when the foliage is kept dry. Drip irrigation or a soaker hose provides efficient watering while keeping the leaves dry.

Growing Solar Power Saladette Tomato

Solar Power is an indeterminate vine that begins producing fruit 63 days from transplanting into the ground. The mature height is 18-24 inches, but the spread will expand until the fall's first frost kills off the vines. Solar Power is fully ripe when the whole fruit is a uniform orange color and comes off the vine with little effort. Green fruits can be ripened indoors at the end of the season and taste just as good as vine ripened. Place green fruit in a paper grocery bag in a cool, dark spot, using fruit as it ripens. 

Growing tomatoes in containers is easy and only requires slightly more maintenance than plants in the ground. Watering must be done more often and checked daily as the roots begin to fill the pot. Use at least a 5-gallon bucket that has holes added for drainage. A soil-based potting mix will supply some nutrients initially, but supplemental fertilizing with a diluted liquid feed will be needed every two weeks until the first fruit forms. If the container is large enough, try planting low-growing basil plants around the top of the pot to help mulch and shade the soil.

Watering Solar Power Saladette Tomato

Tomato plants like to have evenly moist soil, and a regular watering schedule will help reduce cracking caused by irregular watering. Let the soil dry 2-3 inches from the surface between sessions and mulch well to keep moisture in the soil longer. Allow for 1 inch of water a week.

Feeding Solar Power Saladette Tomato

Fertilize tomatoes with a granular fertilizer made for tomatoes at planting time. A formulation specifically for tomatoes will supply the correct amounts of macro and micronutrients for healthy fruit and plants. Apply a diluted liquid formula, or a fish emulsion fertilizer every two weeks until the first fruit forms.

Solar Power Saladette Tomato Plant Information