Winter time tomatoes

I recently purchased a tomato from the grocery strore that cost over $3 a pound, and it was tasteless. I won't begin planting tomato seeds until mid-March and my earliest fresh tomatoes will be in June. I would like to grow a determinate salad type tomato plant indoors in the mean time. My house temperature winter time is 58 degrees F, and I have a bay window on the south that gets plenty of sun light when the sun shines. What I would like is to plant a couple of varieties of tomatoes that would fit these requirements. Any suggestions???

The only tomatoes I have ever had much winter luck with are the small fruited varieties. Take a look thru Tomato Growers Supply. I use a little heat in my greenhouse when we expect a freeze and my little guys produce all winter. I like Galina(look under the yellow varieties) Riesentraube is a great tasting tomato. Starts slower but worth it. Under early season tomatoes,Glacier says it sets under adverse conditions. I have not tried it as I am usually more concerned about heat than cold. A determinate sets its crop all at the same time so will not continue all winter. You might also try a patio variety. Wish I could be more definite help but growing tomatoes in the house is not easy! Consider a small grow light to extend day lenght(also provides warmth).

Something like Red Robin or Extreme Bush might work inside in a sunny window, but the cool house temp could be a bit of a problem.

Most of the tomato's we buy in the stores in winter are either imported from elsewhere or grown in hot houses (greenhouses) to my mind, they usually are tasteless anyway as they are grown in such controlled environments, I have never grown them in winter as there is something about a tomato taste that is so different when grown in sunshine and ripens naturally than ones forced in winter, but could be wrong, I have found the sweetest tomatoes are the small cherry type as they are really so full of flavour, but there are hundreds of different others to choose from, if you have the space, try several types and put a name tag into the soil so when you do pick and eat, you will remember which ones were the best for you. good luck. WeeNel.

I received a small package of Tiny Tim tomato seeds at Christmas. Using the sandwich bag/coffee filter method I selected five seeds which are already germinating. I will pot up to peat pots here shortly. I have several options as to lighting...south facitng bay window (w/ 6 hr/day max sunlight) and florscent lighting to augment as necessary. I'm undecided as to wheather a heat pad will be necessary. I will proabably try a number of options to see which works best.

WeeNel...Your comment about indoor grown tomatoes not tasting much better than hot house tomatoes, which is esentially what I am doing, has me wondering if this isn't a useless crusade. Regardless, I still think it's worth a try. Who knows, I might learn something.

My potting soil is a combination of peat moss and spent worm bin media (also peat moss). When the white roots start emerging from the peat pots I plant to pot up to 10-inch dameter plastic pots. At which point I will add some well composted horse manure to the above mix. Hopefully, this will improve the taste over the hydroponic or green picked tomatoes purchased in the grocery stores.

Cherry tomatoes on sale at Safeway @2#/$5! Yee gods!!!

Thanks All, I appreciate the tips on indoor tomato growing and varieties. If successful with the Tims I will experiment with some more varieties.

morgan

I find that the little tomatoes vine ripened beat anything at the grocery store this time of year!

Amen Gammy...and the other thing for sure is, you can definitely BEAT the price!

Also, you can grow varieties that actually have the taste left in them to start with--commercial tomatoes are selected for shipping and keeping characteristics, which are not always compatible with taste characteristics!

Several years ago I collected some Yucca seeds from some unusual flowering Y. glaucas. I did some research and found out I could place the seed in a zip lock bag with a potting media and leave it in a warm place to germinate. Almost a year later I found some one inch white threads growing in the bag which I immediately potted up. After a while a little green leaf appeard. Now three years later I have fourteen of these Yuccas growing at the back of my yard.

When I received the Tiny Tim tomato seeds I had just read an older thread somewhere in a DG forum on germinating seeds with a coffee filter and a flap opening plastice sandwhich bag. I place foru of the Tiny Tim seeds inside the moistened folded over coffee filter on Christmas day and have been watchin the sprouts for several days. They are nearly an inch long at this point.

So now for the dumb question...is it time to transplant to a peat pot with my potting media, or should I wait for cotyledons to form? I should probably go back and find the thread where I read this but, I just had to ask.

morgan

Go ahead and pot up your tomatoes. If you have roots they are ready to go into growing medium.

On my way to pot up my Tims doccat, and thanks for the hyperlink procedure on the compost thread...sent you a direct link to the Tufbell site... and it worked!

m

You're a little early for your zone, but you can coax them along. You may have to repot to a larger pot, so they don't get to leggy before you can get them in the ground. But they should do fine. I'll be starting mine next week. I have about 8 different heirloom varieties I want to try, some I bought, some I traded for. Haven't done this in a long time, but it's like riding a bike, once you get the hang of it, it all comes back. Plus I have all my gardening journals with my notes.

docatt5...your right..way early for tomatoes here...i'm just trying to grow some indoors for salads..don't plan take the tims outside.

like yourself i have ordered four varieties of heirloom tomato seeds to try this year for the first time...i start first with hot pepper seeds in march and go to tomato seeds about april...according to threads i have been reading on tomatoes i have been doing some things seriously wrong...plants too big to transplant...using peat pots...leaving buds on the transplants...only problem is-it was working for me...ah well.

Just keep working at it. I've discovered I think I've learned more from my mistakes than from the things that went as planned. LOL If it works for you, then don't worry about it. I normally plant my tomato seedlings in mid-March. The beds are already prepared and worked. I cover them with row covers or cloches (milk jugs with the lids) I always plant in a trench, add a matchbook (no cover, no striker plate) and a handful of bone meal to each trench, mix that in well and then plant my seedlings laying on their side and cover to the 1st set of True leaves. That allows the root system to grow and develop faster and makes for a stronger plant, since that stem is loaded with tiny rootlets. The more you have the better the plant does. The matches provide a little boost of sulphur. I use epsom salts water on my blossoms that helps them set fruit and helps prevent blossom end rot. They like the magnesium, I also use it on my peppers and cukes and squash blossoms. It's 1 tablespoon of epsom salts to a quart of warm water and mix throughly. Some people just add the epsom salts to their amendments. I like to have a little better control.