Growing Tomatoes Indoors
Growing Tomatoes Indoors
If you have become used to the wonderful taste of home grown tomatoes from your garden, the good news is that just because the summer is ending doesn’t mean that you have to revert to buying store bought varieties which may not compare with your own produce in terms of taste and quality. Shop bought tomatoes are picked when green and are ripened with a chemical spray, they can never equal the taste of home grown.
By growing tomatoes indoors, you will not only have great tasting fruit, you will have the pleasure of seeing their cheerful bright red color throughout the long, dark winter days! This is also a fascinating hobby for children.
Plant your own seeds to guarantee organic produce. Sowing your own vegetable seeds gives you the comfort and assurance that your produce has been grown organically from seed to table. Choose plants that are easy to germinate such as broccoli, cabbage, basil and tomatoes. Find out the best time of the year to sprout your chosen produce.
If you have a greenhouse this can be the solution to growing your winter crop, if not you can easily growing tomatoes indoors and without even buying plants or seeds! If you have been growing outdoor tomatoes you can take cuttings and start new plants. All you do is to take some cuttings from your best plants, remove the smaller stems and leaves and place them in jars of water on a window sill until they grow roots. Once there is a good root system plant them into pots containing fresh potting compost.
If you choose growing tomatoes indoors on a windowsill you may prefer to use the smaller varieties of tomatoes such as Small Fry, Tiny Tim, Pixie, Patio or Toy Boy. These are smaller plants but will still need to be supported with a stake as they reach maturity. The small size of the fruit does not detract from their taste and they are ideal for snacks and salads.
Marigold flowers are quite the powerhouse in an organic garden. As their flowers and leaves decay, the marigold releases chemicals that attract frogs, repel snakes and kill nematode pests that attack many vegetable plants, including tomatoes. Look for ways to let the bright yellow marigold bring brilliant color and decoration to your garden, as it goes to work to protect the health of your plants.
You will see the seed for these and other varieties at your local garden center, where you will also find the pots, compost, fertilizer and plant stakes you will need.
A six inch pot is suitable for one plant, but you can grow two in larger pots. If you want to keep the crop continuing throughout the winter start one or two new plants every two weeks from seed.
Growing tomatoes indoors make a healthy, productive addition to any organic garden. To get the most out of your tomatoes, make sure you plant them properly: Tomato plants need lots of air and sunlight. You should space your tomato plants with plenty of open air between them, and site them so that they catch at least 10 hours of direct light every day.
If you prefer to grow larger types or a greater amount, you could choose to use the utility room or your basement for the purpose. Remember they will need heat and light, you can buy grow lights fairly cheaply, temperatures should be in the 70′s during the day and the 60′s at night or the plants will not thrive. If you locate them on a table it will be much easier to cultivate your tomatoes.
To begin with place two or three seeds each in small pots of seeding compost, you should see the seedling germinate within about a week. Once they are big enough to handle, about three inches high, transplant them into bigger pots. Start to fertilize them from now on with an all purpose fertilizer and nip out straggly side shoots from in between the main branches and stem. Stake the plants as soon as they are large enough and as the flowers open, tap the plants gently to encourage pollination.
When growing tomatoes indoors, add compost around the stem and trim the upper leaves. This will assist your tomato plants in growing in the best way that they possibly can. You should aim to do these things as soon as the first fruit begins to ripen.
When growing tomatoes indoors, avoid over watering, keep them moist, but not soggy. Before long you will see the fruits forming and you will soon be able to enjoy eating your crop.
Growing Tomatoes Indoors
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