Best and biggest indoor tomato?

[dcarch]

cancolgirl,
Welcome to TV.
Pics of SFT (ate quite a few fruits before this photo was taken.
LGS, very nice taste.

dcarch

[Diviya]

dcarch -

Those plants look great - like tomato bonsais! How do you keep them in bounds like that?

Diviya

[cancolgirl]

Thanks for posting those dcarch and thank you for the welcome. I've been around but doing mostly reading. When I realized I may need to have some tomato plants growing indoors, since I have such a short season. Figured I can start trying now and if it doesn't work indoors, spring is right around the corner.

Is that one of those cookie type jars?

[dcarch]

cancolgirl & Diviya,

The following may answer some of your questions.

dcarch

http://www.tomatoville.com/viewtopic.php?t=3939

http://www.tomatoville.com/viewtopic.php?t=3790.

http://www.tomatoville.com/viewtopic...light=bottling

[Diviya]

Thanks dcarch - that does help - maybe a project for next winter! Just a quick question - it looks like you are using a plastic rice container with a hole in the cap - is it difficult to thread the seedling through the cap, and which way do you go - leaves through, or roots through?

Thanks!

Diviya

[ddsack]

dcarch - it's always fun to see updates on your indoor tomatoes. Did you ever start the Sophie's Choice?

Can't remember seeing if you mentioned any special fertilizing routine?

Also, what do you plan to do with the plants in the spring? Keep them as houseplants, or put them outdoors? Wonder how long you could keep one going, assuming no disease caught up with it.

Dee

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by ddsack

dcarch - it's always fun to see updates on your indoor tomatoes. Did you ever start the Sophie's Choice?
Can't remember seeing if you mentioned any special fertilizing routine?
Also, what do you plan to do with the plants in the spring? Keep them as houseplants, or put them outdoors? Wonder how long you could keep one going, assuming no disease caught up with it.
Dee

I feel that indoor tomato growing is a neglected area by most tomato enthusiasts. It’s interesting and challenging.

Yes, I got a few Sophies going. Not very productive, but very nice taste. I will always have a few.

For fertilizer, I use the same stuff greenhouse hydro growers use. Seems to work.

I don’t know if determinates can last too long, they seem to fruit once and die off gradually. But this is the first year I am doing this. Much to try and much to learn.

dcarch

[honu]

Dcarch, Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos and techniques. Your info will help me with a project to help seniors who are unable to go outdoors to enjoy gardening. Was supplementary lighting required?

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by honu

Dcarch, Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos and techniques. Your info will help me with a project to help seniors who are unable to go outdoors to enjoy gardening. Was supplementary lighting required?

Thanks.

Depending on what you are growing, all miniature varieties are easy to grow and requiring just window light:
Micro Tom, Red Robin, Florida Petite, etc.

But if you want to grow bigger dwarf varieies, you will need supplimental light. I use a 250 watt Metal Halide light, which is also my room light.

I am sure this can be a very satisfying past-time for anyone, not just senior citizens, to be able to enjoy tomatoes you grow yourself indoors.

dcarch

[OmahaJB]

I can't speak to "biggest and best" because I've only been growing tomatoes indoors for a little over a year. In this short time I've made lots of mistakes so I'm getting better at it, and hopefully becoming more patient.

The first group I started in the fall of '05, included Martino's Roma, Heidi, Silvery Fir Tree and a couple others I can't recall. After seeing a couple of tomatoes with BER on Heidi & Martino's Roma I got rid of them thinking all the tomatoes afterwards would get BER. (Foolish, I know). And I pulled the Silvery Fir Tree out because it wasn't producing anything. I didn't give those plants enough time, and I also had started other varieties that I wanted to grow out. So I was trying to do too much in a small space, and expecting the plants to produce right away.

Since then I've had better luck and instituted better growing techniques, such as bringing in 2 300-watt lights. My production is still low due to small pot sizes (3-gallon & smaller) and possibly not enough fertilizer being used. However, I am getting some tomatoes & sweet peppers. And hopefully one of these days I'll be getting some hot peppers & beans (bush).

Tomatoes I've had the most luck with in this short time, have been Czech's Bush and Golden Dwarf Champion. I don't think they're windowsill material, but definitely do decently indoors. The only tomato I have going right now is Sophie's Choice. It was transplanted about 2 weeks ago and is setting it's first buds. It looks to be a very manageable plant for containers. I've been anxious to try it and someone was kind enough to trade a few seeds to me.

I have quite a few determinate varieties I want to try but space is limited. It doesn't help that I want to try growing hot peppers, sweet peppers, herbs (no, not the illegal kind) , bush beans, melons (Charantais & Kansas), lettuce, onions, garlic, potatoes, and much more, all in addition to the tomatoes, in a space with enough room for a mere 6 pots. I'll either become a very patient man, or find a way to grow outdoors maybe in a community garden.

I bought seeds for Bush Champion VFFA Hybrid so I'll try one this year at some point. They supposedly produce 8-12 oz tomatoes on a 24" plant. I want to see that.

BTW, for me Czech's Bush had a zingy bite to it and tasted decent, and Golden Dwarf Champion was a bit mild for me, but still decent. I'm really going to have to find a way to grow Kellogg's Breakfast indoors! Those tomatoes are out of this world to my taste buds.

Jeff

[CLa]

*Looks above and then speaks with an Australian accent*, "Thats not an indoor tomato plant."




Now thats an indoor tomato plant.

My Black Krim. Moving along slowly but surely, very healthy growing in a less than 4 gallon container while being served water from the bottem, in the pan. Cheapest self watering container known to man;D.

I have heard that Black Krim cracks very easy. I water once every 2 days right above the drain wholes on the corners as seen in the next picture. Very consistent watering, and very easy to maintain. I added a handfull of fertilizer in one location about 3 inches deep under the top of the soil(mix/mostly a compost dirt from outside that has been heated at around 180F last summer) so its a fertilizer pocket that hugs the wall of the container, tried to get it as far as away from the roots as possible. (mini slow release idea, working so far) Fertilizer was bought from walmart, 9 12 12 I think, in a box called tomato and vegetable fertilizer. Currently lots of blooms but just starting fruiting. One tomato size of a golf ball growing slow but thats understandable, all she gets is the morning sun from that one window.

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by OmahaJB

---------
Since then I've had better luck and instituted better growing techniques, such as bringing in 2 300-watt lights. My production is still low due to small pot sizes (3-gallon & smaller) ---------Jeff

two 300w lights. What kind are they? If you are using halogen (incandescent) you are not getting the get results.

Regarding pot size, obviously the bigger the better, I have used mostly one quart pots and no more than one gallon ones. (see links to other pictures). If you water and fertilize regularly, you can get good results.

dcarch

[dcarch]

Originally Posted by CLa

*Looks above and then speaks with an Australian accent*, "Thats not an indoor tomato plant."

Are you familiar with the play "Little Shop of Horrors"?

dcarch

[OmahaJB]

dcarch,

Menard's here in Omaha sells 300-watt PS-type bulbs that I use in brooder lamps that can handle that much wattage and more. Eventually I'll buy a switchable HID lighting system unless I'm lucky enough to find an apartment/cheap house to rent with outdoor growing space when I move (hopefully at the end of May to Billings, MT). The 300-watt bulbs are $2.99 each so they fit my budget right now. I shine those on the plants from the sides and have 2 4-ft. shoplights above the plants using Cool White tubes. Believe me, when I say my plants produced better once I got the 300-watt bulbs, things really did improve.
I'm not getting tons of tomatoes and peppers, but I'm doing ok all things considered.

I've also been putting a little hydrated lime in the soil to help prevent against my burning the roots with too much fertilizer. No matter how little I use, I still seem to use a tad too strong a solution of fertilizer. And I rarely fertilize! So the hydrated lime comes in handy.

Jeff

[CLa]

Yes, I think I saw that as a ...movie? With steve martin...

Mine hasn't eatin me yet though

Originally Posted by dcarch

Are you familiar with the play "Little Shop of Horrors"?

dcarch