By Lisa Alexandra Lovelock

Does learning how to grow tomatoes indoors produce the same sweet and tasty tomato flavor fruit crops as with the tomatoes grown in outdoor garden or in hanging containers upside down? Absolutely yes! Personally, it is even far better tasting than those we buy in commercial stores.

When should you plant tomatoes indoors? Well, you can do it during winter before or after the frost comes. You can always plant tomatoes indoors with the right variety and care. Growing tomatoes indoors is also recommended to those who have no space for gardening outside their house. And to top it all, when you are growing tomato seedlings it is usually done indoors first before transplanting it to the outdoor garden or bigger containers.

If you cannot resist the temptation of having your own homegrown tomatoes this winter then you ought to grow cherry tomatoes indoors. All you need is a 6 inches pot with seed starter mix, potting soil, tomato seeds, fertilizer and an adequate spot where you can place your growing tomatoes.

To ensure a generous supply of tomato crops throughout the season you may grow tomato seedlings alternately. Meaning, you may want to plant tomato seedlings in sets every two weeks or depending on your tomato consumption needs so that you will have ample supply of tomatoes every time you need them.

When growing tomato pots indoors, I suggest you choose the kind of variety that does not grow too long like the Pixie, Toy Boy, Patio, Small Fry, or Tiny Tim variety. Although they produce small size fruit crops these types still needs staking. Regular exposure to sunlight is also needed, therefore it is important that you place them on the window sill or any place where they can acquire heat. If sunlight is not possible the heat of a fluorescent bulb will do.

If you have limited space you may also grow tomatoes in a container or hanging basket. But growing your tomato seedlings must be initially planted indoors before transplanting them to bigger containers or hanging growing tomatoes upside down. When growing your tomatoes please follow the same procedure as with the other way of planting tomato seedlings. It requires sunlight, appropriate watering, staking and pruning.

Always bear in mind that when growing tomatoes in pots indoors with germinate seeds, use a small container combined with a potting or starter mix. Seeds must be deeply planted about a 1/4 inch and water immediately just enough to keep soil moist. Development may occur in 5 – 10 days. Transplant the seedlings to a larger pot when the plants have grown about 3 inches tall. Two weeks after the transplant you may start to regularly and lightly fertilize the tomato plants. Keep watering your growing tomato plant sufficiently.

It would not take long before the plant will start to bloom. Tapping the stems and leaves with your finger will incredibly help in pollination. Remember to keep all sides of your tomato plant exposed with sufficient supply of sunlight as it decides the sweetness of your tomatoes.

Whenever you decide to grow tomato plants indoors just focus on these simple steps and I am certain that you will relish the bounteous fresh sweet fruit crops. Grab the opportunity of growing the best tomatoes indoors and to add to that, growing tomatoes indoors is very rewarding and fun.

Lisa Lovelock is a tomato growing enthusiast and author, who enjoys helping others get started in this amazing hobby. If you wish to read more useful and unique tips on growing tomatoes indoors or to get a copy of her Free ‘Growing Tomatoes Secrets’ mini-course then visit her site www.growtomatoesguide.com

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By Mark B Shelton

Many people think that hydroponic tomato growing is too complex and expensive and only very experienced gardeners should attempt it. I’m here to tell you that is not the case and with the proper instruction it is no more difficult than learning how to grow tomatoes with regular container planting. I’ll show you how the average gardener can make their own systems very quickly and cheaply.

Hydroponics Overview:
Growing tomatoes hydroponically can be very convenient. You can grow them indoors all year round and you don’t need large outdoor spaces – which is something of a rarity if you live in a city. In a nutshell hydroponic gardening involves growing plants in a non-organic material known as the “medium” instead of soil and using a flowing liquid nutrient solution to feed the plants. The purpose of the medium is just to support the plant roots and provide drainage with protection. Common mediums include gravel, perlite and rock wool. Hydroponic tomatoes can be grown in several locations which include: outdoors in the garden, on walls and patios, in greenhouses and in enclosed rooms using plant lights.

Hydroponic Systems
There are many hydroponic systems available ranging from small kits for the hobbyist to full-scale commercial modules. As a beginner you can buy hydroponic kits from specialist suppliers – you can find these by searching on the internet and they can deliver by mail order. These will consist of containers and irrigation systems along with any other essentials. It is also perfectly possible to make your own. I’ll cover two simple homemade solutions that don’t require pumps and are self feeding.

Method #1 – Self Watering Pot
This is a pot with a reservoir at the base filled with a nutrient solution. The pot draws on the solution using capillary action (where water molecules move by attracting each other) this means that feeding and watering occur over a longer period of time. The nutrient solution only needs to be topped up from time to time when it runs low.

Method #2 – Wick System
This system uses a combination of gravity and capillary action to feed the plant. A nutrient solution reservoir is placed at the same level as the plant and connected with an absorbent wick of string or rope to the roots of the plant. Nutrient solution will be slowly drawn down the wick by the plants and the gardener only needs to keep the solution levels topped up.

Many hydroponic systems recycle the nutrient solution and it is important to test and maintain the correct PH balance as this will alter as the plant feeds off the solution.

You can find more useful detail here on growing hydroponic tomatoes at my site www.growingtomatoanswers.com including the steps to follow when growing from seed.

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By Adam Bradley

By Adam Bradley

By Lec Watkins

Anyone considering growing any food should try learning how to grow tomatoes. Not only are they healthy they are really versatile, and so long as you take a few precautions, very easy to grow too.

Growing great tomatoes is really simple. People can be put off tomato growing by the shear number of tomato diseases mentioned in any vegetable gardening book. It is true, there are a huge number of diseases which can affect tomatoes but that is just because there are so many tomato types and so many tomatoes being grown everywhere. A few diseases are serious, but in the main tomato problems are just issues which reduce your tomato crops greatness somewhat. The tomato is such a vigorous and highly productive plant that even a less than perfect crop is likely to be tasty and abundant.

When growing tomatoes there are three important facts which should never be ignored.

Firstly tomatoes will not put up with frost. You can only grow them between the first and last frosts unless you provide protection such as greenhouse, cold-frame or cloche. So there is no point in planting tomatoes early when frost still threatens. They will die. Much better to wait till the risk of frost is over and then watch how quickly they romp away in the warm soil. It is tempting to leave plants in the ground for as long as possible as the summer draws to a close. But make sure you harvest any fruit before the frost starts again. Any fruit left on the vine will turn black and inedible after a night of frost. Bring all the fruit in, even green unripe specimens. These can be turned into hot fiery salsas or mellow chutneys. Or, you can even leave them somewhere cool and dark such as a paper lined draw, to ripen themselves.

Secondly tomatoes really must be rotated. All those diseases which can so easily attack your tomato plants build up in the soil very easily. Always leave at least two years between plantings of any of the ‘Solanaceae’ family of plants. This includes tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, aubergines and tobacco. So long as you maintain strict crop rotation disease will be unable to take over your soil and your crops will be much safer. Many people practice very relaxed crop rotation, occasionally having two years or even more, of the same crop in the same bed. Although some other types of crop are more forgiving, the tomato family is not. Forget to rotate your crops and you will encounter problems.

Thirdly tomatoes and cigarettes should never be mixed. All the Solanaceae family including tobacco pass on diseases very readily. The tobacco processed for smoking often still contains virus disease. This virus disease is easily passed to your tomato plants from your hands. All smokers should wash their hands thoroughly before handling tomato plants and should never smoke near the vines.

Of course whole books have been written about exactly how to manage tomato plants and indeed every year that you grow them, you will learn more. However, these three ‘must follow’ rules are the critical factor in ensuring you get a good tomato harvest. Additional things you learn may improve that harvest, but even partially neglected plants grown in warm disease free soil free from tobacco infused gardeners fingers, will produce more tomatoes than you can eat.