Who has grown a tomato plant indoors during the winter?

[cleo88]

Hi there,
I'm going through withdrawal - I ate my last garden-grown tomato last week and already I'm climbing the walls!


In my desparation, I am contemplating growing a New Big Dwarf and possibly another even shorter variety in my basement. Hey, those grow lights aren't doing anything until March, right?

Is there anything I should know about this endeavor? Will it work? What advice would you give?

[Stepheninky]

Hardest thing for me right now is getting the right balance between temp, humidity. The more powerful the lights the more heat they will produce and with the heat on in the house humidity has been a factor for me. I am getting good growth but damage from the lights is happening.

I have a post called Indoor Closet grow on this site and it is basically like a journal, of my first indoors grow this winter. I have saidly had to start over again with my seedlings but I live and lean and am keeping at it. My clone though is doing well and is posted in that thread as well

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=16020

[dokutaaguriin]

I would go with the smallest plants possible: Red Robin, Yellow Canary

Jeff

[cleo88]

Cool Closet Grow-Out post.

For the past two years, I've started seedlings with some pretty unfancy lights - one is a shop light with just regular fluorescents, the other two have some sort of grow lights but not super expensive ones. I know all of these light work great for seedlings ages 0 to 7 weeks to get them to plantout in May.

But if I want to keep growing indoors rather than planting out, do I need more powerful lights, for those later stages of growth?

[geeboss]

I'd use the following item with the inside lined with reflective film mylar and 2 [4ft T12] fixtures caddy corner to each other.

Use the following to create a grow lab:

Grow chamber -

http://www.campready.com/default.asp?S=503&A=E&PKV=01084|0


Mylar

http://www.nehydro.net/index.php?mai...bvsb2kvvdvrv84


New Big Dwarf and also red robbin on stacked support out of pvc tubing.

George

[hill60]

Like StepheninKy I'm giving it a try under lights this winter. I'm working on getting the balance of how much light and nutrients. Starting them has been easy enough but as the plants get bigger it seems to be trickier.

Tatiana's tomatoBase has been a great source for smaller container tomatoes. The ones I have growing.

Anmores Treasures
Golden Dwarf Champion
Shtambovy Kartofeinolistny 164
Spiridonovoskie
Hahms Gelbe

I'm also growing peppers cucumbers onion and carrots. Everything is under T8 shop lights for now. As they out grow them I have some large Compact Fluorescent Lights that I will put them under.

Hill60

[franzb69]

Hardest thing for me right now is getting the right balance between temp, humidity. The more powerful the lights the more heat they will produce and with the heat on in the house humidity has been a factor for me. I am getting good growth but damage from the lights is happening.

perhaps a small fan can help ease the plants from the heat given off from lights.

[amideutch]

Here is a thread on Purple Haze I grew indoors. Ami

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ht=Purple+haze

[wordwiz]

I had hoped to have 52 growing this morning but found out my water pump is not strong enough. As soon as a larger one arrives, I'll be set (I hope).

Among the varieties:
Jetsetter
Bush Goliath
Fantom Hybrid
Cabernet
BHN 589
First Prize
IT 06 313
Florida 91
Celebrity
Brandywine Red

Mike

[MJACTIVIST]

Originally Posted by cleo88

Cool Closet Grow-Out post.

For the past two years, I've started seedlings with some pretty unfancy lights - one is a shop light with just regular fluorescents, the other two have some sort of grow lights but not super expensive ones. I know all of these light work great for seedlings ages 0 to 7 weeks to get them to plantout in May.

But if I want to keep growing indoors rather than planting out, do I need more powerful lights, for those later stages of growth?

To answer the question above, no u don’t need more powerful lights to flower or fruit. But, if u compared harvests from a 1000w HPS to a 26w T5 high output florescent the HPS would out do the T5s by far.
It’s all dependent on what and how you want to grow.
L8
MJ

[cottonpicker]

I have successfully grown Red Robin tomato indoors under fluorescent lighting in wintertime. Have also grown & harvested lettuce & Swiss chard.

LD

[Stepheninky]

Originally Posted by franzb69

perhaps a small fan can help ease the plants from the heat given off from lights.

I actually have a 20 inch fan and it really does not help at all. I really do think it is just a matter of finding the optimum distance and the space is not enclosed I keep the doors on the closet open. 85 deg F really should not cause the problems I am seeing its got to just be the intensity of the light and the lack of humidity. The fan does lower the temps a bit but it also dries the plants out quicker. If I ever get time been working 9-10 hours a day 5-6 days a week I plan on trying to build some sort of light stand so that the window set up will use the lights in it that way they get some natural light along with the cfl lights.

[franzb69]

ok, i know you may have already thought of this, but have you tried adjusting the height of your lighting?

[wordwiz]

Originally Posted by MJACTIVIST

To answer the question above, no u don’t need more powerful lights to flower or fruit. But, if u compared harvests from a 1000w HPS to a 26w T5 high output florescent the HPS would out do the T5s by far.
It’s all dependent on what and how you want to grow.
L8
MJ

I don't disagree. But for people thinking about growing indoors, there is a lot more to it than lights.
There is a huge correlation among Growing Degree Days, Daily Light Intensity and the biological age of the plant (growing medium aside).

Tomatoes, to be productive need ~22 mols per day. That's the measurement of PAR light that strikes the plant. They need to accumulate 1300 Growing Degree Days by the time they reach ~30-60 days after transplant, depending on their variety.

One needs to provide the right amount of heat as well as light at different growth stages to get a decent harvest (again, growing medium and method aside).

YMMV,

Mike

[les matzek]

i am going to start a applause tomato plant this week
as they only get about 4 ft. tall i will have them under
a 4 ft. 8 tube fluorescent light and i will have a small
desk fan on a timer to cycle for five minutes every
four hours.

les