A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Winter Tomatoes

The roma tomato plants that I am trying to over winter have blooms on them everywhere and are 4 feet tall. And I have been trying to hand polinate. So imagine my suprise to actually see one tomato starting to grow.

I love gardening. It's so rewarding and their is always something more to learn or do, IT'S GREAT!

Just thought I would share the tomato plants progress with everyone.

Where you do you keep them TK? What light source are you using?....fertilizing? Gimme' the run down. I'd love to do this.
Christina

Ok at the end of the growing season I took 4 inch cuttings from my tomato plants and rooted them in a mixture of garden soil and compost with some polymer crystals to help keep the water in the pot. They root in about 9 days. During that time they like a shady location that isn't too warm. They wilt alot if it gets to warm. That I did outside because it was still nice enough here in virginia in October.

Then I brought them indoors and added compost as the soil compacted. I have them in an east facing window with no additional light source. I have given them miracle plant food once I think but mostly the compost keeps them very happy. I can't imagine what would happen if I had a good veggie plant food lol. They would probably be taking over the kitchen lol.

When they got to big for their starter pots I put them in 8 inch pots burying their stems down as far as the pots would allow and pinching off the lower branches that would have been covered with dirt. I created a string trellis between the pots using some 4 ft stakes I had laying around from the summer.

I have to say I am fasinated by the process. I had no idea you could do this until papito told me.

woohoo I have two tomatoes tonight.

Yeah!!!! My tomato plants are long gone....far too late to get any cuttings. Bummer! I wasn't aware this could be done either. I thought you needed high pressure sodium lights to get any tomatoes...I'll remember your way next year. Thanx TK!! Keep us posted!
Christina

This is new to me too. I know it is heat that gets it from green to red so hopefully the kitchen will be warm enough. Do you think cuttings would make it to you after the christmas postal rush is over? I could take some and send them to you in January?

woohoo guess what I found today... that's right the third tomato. This is just to cool lol. It's suprising what can be done with a makeup brush lol.

Well two tomatoes got end rot while I was in hospital but having gotten rid of those I now have 5 little tiny tomatoes to make up for them. I so hope these mature ok. I am giving them water every day just a little and with half strength fertilizer in it. Hope that keeps it happy. They are over 4 feet high now so my next question is what to do with the extra height. They are at the top of the window. I don't know if I should just let them fend for themselves or if I should top them. Most of the new blooms are near the top so I might have to forgo them inorder to keep the plant within the confines of the kitchen. They certainly are rapid growers lol.

Hello I would top them or start trying to ty them down while holding them up. I know it sounds funny but i'm serious. ha ha

i have taken about a dozen tomatoes off of my plants but all of my plants are into my celing with nowhere to go and the tips are starting to die from no light or clean air. I am going to start some bush tomotoes here next week and kill off the large monsters.after i take a few more fruit off them. (i grow in a dark basement.)



Happy Holidays

definitely some of the bush variety next year. I lost the tomatoes to too much water. And none of the fruit rippened. I'm not sure what I should do with little green tomatoes. I thought about frying them and then I thought about harvesting the seeds. But I imagine there aren't any seeds because they didn't have a chance to rippen.

i would fry them yum yum