Topic: Growing tomatoes inside for winter..anyone else going for it.

[Jeannine]

Garten Pearle is a bit too wide for my single light XX Jeannine

[Jayb]

Help needed please
I've been having a trawl around and I'm wondering about these;
http://www.greenhousesensation.co.uk/product-range/holiday-proof-planters-1/quadgrow-octogrow-1.html
http://www.ctledlight.co.uk/catalog/3/ledgrowlights
Not sure which size lights so will probably email them, but any thoughts?

[Jeannine]

Hi Jayb, I have toyed with the idea of getting a LED panel about 30 inches square  a mix of red and blue bulbs but I really shouldn't. I am not sure where I would put it. John bought my light fixture as a surprise ..had I known what he was planning I might have gone this route. I have heard very good things about them. Amazon US is where I might have got one from or even Amazon CA except they don't usually have the range of the US site.

XX Jeannine

[Sholls]

Thanks Sholls, I'll have another look, trouble is I've come across LED grow lights now!

Yes, I was considering getting my soldering iron out last winter, it might yet happen.  ;D I do have a small blue LED array with an Edison screw fitting, it was good at stopping the seedlings from becoming leggy, but the plants soon outgrew the area it illuminated.

On the tomato front, I'm in with:-

Chibikko
Shtambovy Kaetofelnolistny
Hahm'sGelbe Topftomate
Micro Tom

I've already got Micro Tom and the other three are on order from Tatiana. I might give more a try depending on space, but for now I'm trying to exercise restraint. ;) (It won't last long... )

[Jeannine]

I thimk I will pop down and see Tatiana, I am curious if her UK sales have gone up recently LO XX Jeannine

[Jayb]

Mmm, I like your choices Sholls and think I will be growing some of those too. I still haven't managed to shortlist what I'm growing yet, although I've decided to scrub Tiny Tim and Vilma from the running. I've yet to put in an order for lights, maybe later today  :P

Anyone else know what they are growing yet?

[Jeannine]

No, I have been waiting to see what you are doing  ;D

We should get our heads together and go over each one we have, I have lots and I know you do so we could knock some off the list. Why have you bumped off Tiny Tim and Vilma.

I am knocking off anything over 18 inches I think or I have to buy another light or take a shelf out of mine.

Still temped by the other light though

Oh the pressure :-\

XX Jeannine

[Jayb]

 ;D I've been super lucky to have been sent some fantastic varieties, which makes it even harder to choose  :o

Grown this summer;

Tiny Tim, love the name, been easy to grow, good crop and is a little top heavy with fruit (as are most of the others ), had my first few ripe toms with loads more to come, just for me, not that tasty.

Vilma very compact, similar in growth and habit to Red Robin, again very easy to grow and looks very cute, for its size lots of lovely toms, but RR has the edge on flavour.

I'm just waiting on a few dwarfs to ripen and have a taste, for me Polish dwarf will be out due to it being too tall. I think some of the other 'dwarfs' are over 18'' Are you counting from soil up or including the pot height?

Soon as I can I'll check some more heights and growth habits and report back, it may help rule in or out.

LIGHTS I will decide soooooooooooooooon

[Jeannine]

Height including pots, which I know really cuts down on my chances, I might have to re think things XX Jeannine

[Sholls]

I thimk I will pop down and see Tatiana, I am curious if her UK sales have gone up recently LO XX Jeannine

She's certainly efficient.  8) The seeds have arrived, that's a four day turn around.

[Jeannine]

Actually she is probably the best person to ask which types are better for our purpose, maybe I will check with her. I would be curious to see what sort of light set up she has.

XX Jeannine

[GodfreyRob]

I have to question why you are doing this.

If you need artificial lighting to grow a crop (although a handlefull of tomatoes hardly qualifies as a crop) it must be very special or valuable in some way?

In environmental terms it makes no sense whatsoever.  A light powered by electricity generated by fossil fuels in the middle of winter is fine when???

Don't do it! Eat swede, sprouts, leeks, etc. and look forward to the summer! Don't add to global warming.

[Jeannine]

Not everything can be explained in environmental terms so it  doesn't always need to make sense  to everybody.

I can only answer for myself. Why am I doing this..because I am interested is growing out of season in order to be able to enjoy something more than a few weeks of the year.

A crop to me is obviously different to a crop to you, if it is big enough for my needs it is a crop.

Lights powered by electricity generated by fossil fuels in the middle of winter are fine when they are capable of producing edible food for a family, especially  when one member of that family is not able to eat swede,sprouts, or leeks, or are you suggesting my husband should eat what he cannot  just to save the power.

We  do not smoke, do not drink, do not gamble, we are   pacifists and we are very careful with the environment.We  recycle every single thing we can, my husband walks wherever he can , we abhor  waste,we give 10% of our income to charity, and support two foster children in Kenya,surely we can eat a few salad veggies out of season without  being made to feel guilty .We  don't even leave the TV or pooter on stand by. We recycle everything  from potato peelings to aluminum foil, we even wash and reuses zippies,and we  return excess packaging back to the supermarket.I think we do more than our bit to preserve the earth and it's resources we are also  helping  care for humanity.

The lights that grow the food also light the room they are in which is our study it is in constant use, they also heat that room, the heat then  flows into the hall and through our living room. We have chosen to keep our apartment a bit cooler than most so we do not  use  our central heating.It has never been turned on in the 15 months we have lived here.

I realise that the environment is very important but picking veggies up from a supermarket out of season, one that has hundreds of lights blazing surely cannot be much less than using a few low energy fluorescents to light  a room ,heat a home and grow food that is safe to eat and healthy wether  out of season or not..

I am sure it was not your intention but I am a little offended to answer someone who starts by saying... I have to question you, then tells me I make no sense. then tells me to stop doing something and eat other things that are not liked because I shouldn't add to global warming.

Yes, my tomatoes and fresh picked salad in winter are very important to me, as is cooking a meal, and yes I use an electric oven. Should I stop making my own bread and buy it at the supermarket so I don't use so much electricity at home.

I think we have to be sensible here, certainly save where possible but I don't think that we have to give up everything in order to feel justified to live on this planet. I would not be so impertinent as to tell  you what you were doing wrong, at least not without being very sure I was aware of what you were doing right.

We do everything we can to conserve electricity, fuel etc, we even drive a small car for that reason, but sometimes we really do have to be able to make a decision as to what best suits our needs without a guilt trip. I wonder truly how many folk you know who do not heat their house in the winter.

To be able to judge, you really do need to have all the facts.

With respect

XX Jeannine

[Jayb]

For me I try and be as self-sufficient in fruit and veggies as I can, Fuel costs are something very real to me,  I don’t live close to any shops so any shopping entails a journey, the nearest large supermarket is a good  ½ hours drive away.  This certainly makes me consider how and what I shop for. 

Much of what I produce is grown  little and often, I try and extend seasons as far as possible growing year round in a polytunnel. I also try and get some things started off early inside and transplant outside when weather is more favourable.

I very rarely buy vegetables and my eating is seasonal. Although most veggies are eaten fresh I do make use of a chest freezer for some fruit and veg.  I also make and freeze soups, passata, sauces for pasta and the like, for the cupboard I make jams, chutneys, pickles etc.

But I find it a long time to be without fresh toms, I usually eat the last ones in December and then wait until June/july for my next fix. This year I’m also growing several storage type toms which I hope will support fresh eating a little further.

Last year I gave in and bought some toms during the winter from a supermarket  and it got me thinking how I might extend my season.

The lights I’m hoping to get are 45 watts. Although I haven’t worked it out, the running cost seems a reasonable enough compromise to me, although I can understand it may seem daft to others. We all have to make our own evaluation on how we use the worlds precious resources.

What I am hoping to achieve is a modest return of tomatoes grown at home. Not only for the delight of having them to eat fresh during winter but also the fun and excitement that growing them will give me. This will also be an added interest for me during the winter, which I hate, all that dark, cold, wet and wind.

[plot51A]

Do we have a starting date yet?

[Jeannine]

No, I don't think so. I was thinking in terms of my birthday, 1st week in August, but if growing the real tinies it may be better to stagger the sowing as they don't have huge amounts of fruit.

I am still trying to figure out which ones, has anyone else made up their mind yet ?

I think that might be a good start.. Which are you starting and why!!


I could make a decision more easily with my single light rather than my 3 tier fitting as it only takes one plant, so a Tumbler, Anmore Treasure or something else that grows wide rather than high might be the right thing.

The bigger light I have to take a shelf and light ftting out  to give me two tiers then I can have a bit more height, easier said than done..I will natter John later today.

The little one shows an African violet but it can take a much bigger plant, the height can go low and then rise up to about 20 inches, it is computer controlled so it turns the light on and off. It can be programmed to seasons. Bit gimmicky but it was a housewarming gift so I must try to use it.

XX Jeannine

[plot51A]

I shall be growing Red Robin and Minibel - thanks to Jayb's kindness  :)

[Jeannine]

John has taken my lowest light out now so I have only two tiers bit it does give me about 3 foot height on the bottom shelf and my upper one would take a few about  12 inches.My single light will take 1 pot with 1 plant up to 18 inches , so I feel as if I am getting somewhere.

I have been all night working on myn mini plants list.

I could get 6 plants on the top I think so possibly go with the little ones at max 12 inches

Halms Gelbe Topftomate 6 "
Micro Gemma 8"
Mohammed less than 12"
Chibikko 6-12"
Yellow Canary 6-12"
Minibel 6-12"
Red Robin 6-10"
Totem 10-12"

Have to cut back a bit more yet on those but that is a start.

My single lightplant  is gong to be something that would normally go in a hanging basket I think

Still  working on the taller ones.

Anyone else decided yet.

The four foot  light fixture he took out, he is now  talking about putting it on the balcony over my salad boxes that are struggling for light.

XX Jeannine

[markfield rover]

Balconi red- from seed and side shoot, no lights(or hope) still it is one way to learn!

[Jeannine]

Just discovered I don't seem to have any minibel. does anyone want to swap a few Xx Jeannine