Growing winter tomato
You can extend the growing season of tomatoes right in your own home by growing winter tomato. The best method is to start the plants outdoors as the plants in the garden begin to die. One huge benefit of doing this is that the seeds are extremely inexpensive this time of year. Before the frost hits, bring the small seedlings indoors. If you want to have continuous tomatoes, you need to start a few plants every few weeks. You can purchase an inexpensive shop light and put a grow bulb in to create indoor lighting for the plants to develop.
tomato seedling
In this throw away world, you can salvage some containers from the take out salads to use as your indoor green house for starting the tomatoes. Poke holes in the bottom to provide drainage, put in several inches of growing medium and plant away. Place them under the grow light for 10 hours a day and increase it to 14 hours, as the plant gets bigger. When the seedling touch the lid of the container, snip the plastic that connects the top and bottom and raise the lid above the bottom container using a toothpick at each corner. Layer the sides with plastic wrap to keep the moisture inside. Never allow the ground to get dry when you are growing winter tomato seedlings, do this by keeping the moisture inside the container. Don’t attempt to meet the water requirements by over watering.
soil preparation
Once your seedlings are large enough to put in their final pot, you have to focus on soil preparation. Make sure there is adequate drainage. A plastic container maintains the moisture content better than a clay pot. Soil preparation requires a potting soil mixed with planting soil. Fill the pot three-fourths full. Place the seedling in the pot and fill in around it. Add water and allow the soil to settle fill it in until the soil is as high around the plant as it was in its seedling pot. Part of the fun of growing tomatoes in winter is building the soil up as the plant grows. Continue to add to the pot, removing some of the lower leaves if necessary, as the plant grows larger, until it’s almost an inch from the top. Add fertilizer every few weeks or use a slow release fertilizer stick.
You need smaller breeds of tomato plants some popular breeds are smaller cherry type of tomatoes like the Cherry Gold, Red Robin, Pixie hybrid, Small Fry and Tiny Tim. The larger tomatoes that grow well in containers are the Husky varieties including the red, pink and gold. In addition, the classic small space Big Boy is good.
planting tomato in a greenhouse
Once you see blossoms, unless you have bees in your house, you have to help pollinate the plant. Lift the branches with flowers over others and shake, releasing the pollen. Another way to pollinate is with a Q-tip. Swab some of the pollen from one flower and put it into another.
Keep the plant in the sunlight and as the tomatoes come onto the plant pluck them when they are ripe. You may need additional support for the larger tomatoes.
Growing winter tomatoes is tricky but very rewarding when you are successful. You may need to supplement with some artificial light during times when the sun decides to hide all day. Make sure you keep the plants away from drafts and in a warm area. Mist the plant occasionally with water.
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