As you see in the above pictures, some of the tomatoes were totally red and ripe. I thought it was time to harvest. It was my first harvest of hydroponic cherry tomatoes.

These six tomatoes are from the first harvest in this experiment. Two of them were ruptured, maybe because they were picked too late. Two other tomatoes (shown right in the above picture) looked younger; maybe they were picked too early. I thought finding the best time to harvest was a delicate matter. These cherry tomatoes were from the plants grown in the heated room, where 12 seedlings were planted in four plastic pots.

“How’s the taste?” I wondered. I’ve heard that the characteristic flavor for this kind of cherry tomato is a distinctive tomato taste with both sweetness and sourness. I was thrilled to try them.

The size of the tomatoes was smaller than those in the store. Was this because I hadn’t trimmed the extra branches and leaves? Or because they had been grown in winter?

The tomatoes in the above picture were actually a darker red, and two on the right were reddish-orange. All were shiny and firm and looked tasty. When I tried them, I felt that both the skin and the flesh were firm and crisp. The jelly-like part with the seeds inside was fresh. The more of the flesh I ate, the more sweetness I tasted. While the jelly-like part had a tomato-specific flavor and sourness, it gave me a rich flavor with both sour and sweet tastes. Every tomato tasted good.

Since this was the first harvest in this experiment, I looked forward to tasting the tomatoes. They were better than I expected, with rich, sour and sweet flavors unique to tomatoes. I had only one concern; they were small. I don’t know what caused the stunted growth. Did they need more care? Was growing them in winter inappropriate? Did I choose the right variety? To find the answer to the questions, I will continue to observe the future growth of these tomatoes.