tomatoes indoors

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by leaf kotasek, Nov 13, 2009.

  1. leaf kotasek

    leaf kotasek Active Member

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    has anyone planted tomato seeds indoors? i tried and failed this year so any tips you have would be awesome.

    i forgot to add that i experimented on the bigger seedlings (before they died) with eggshells and teabags as fertilizer. was that as bad an idea as i suspect it was? thanks!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 20, 2009
  2. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    Should have been fine in a seed tray Leaf,

    Not sure about the teabags, egg shells I would use only to prevent slugs.
     
  3. 2annbrow

    2annbrow Active Member

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    Hi, Katalina!
    When I grew tomatoes outside, I had a problem with blossom end rot. Was advised to crumble thoroughly-dried eggshells, sprinkle around plant roots, and dig in a little - I did, and no more blossom end rot! Good tomatoes instead. I was told this was a calcium deficiency, and the eggshells would cure it. Apparently they did.
     
  4. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    Hi Ann

    The question was about inside growting tommies.

    Would eggshells help I would'nt know, never used anything like that indoors before.

    Blossom rot was not in the first question. Its a great tip though Ann all the same.

    Leaf, if your raisng from seed to finish (fruiting) inside then just feed with a good all round fertilizer. If you decide on the eggshells at their root then I would leave out the teabags.

    The answer to the first question is yes, I have grown tommies indoors before.
     
  5. 2annbrow

    2annbrow Active Member

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    Sorry -didn't mean to change the subject. I was just wondering if maybe someone passed that along about eggshells, and it got generalized, as "good advice" often does!
     
  6. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    Hello Ann,

    You did'nt change the subject, you gave us an excellent tip, its one I will remember to try with any new plants. It also made me remeber about slugs and grit on top surrounding the plant. Like the upturned orange or grapefruit in the garden -- hidingplaces for alsorts of unwanted guests.

    The question was answered did we grow inside...yes.
     
  7. leaf kotasek

    leaf kotasek Active Member

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    thanks for the tips, guys! the reason i was trying teabags and eggshells is that i don't use chemical fertilizers and i no longer have a compost! i just moved and haven't started one here yet.
     
  8. bob 2

    bob 2 Active Member

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    Tomatoes need cool nights and warm days to produce flowers and set fruit.
    We are generally talking about 10- 12 hours of pretty intense light and temps around 13- 15° C at night.
    They are heavy feeders once fruit has set so need additional NPK 18-18-21 or straight 20-20-20 every 7-10 days.
    You should run a fan on the leaves to strengthen the vines as there is no wind indoors,
    I recommend Tums instead of egg shells as it takes a long time to leach calcium out of the shells and the calcium in Tums is water soluble.

    Cheers
    Bob
     
  9. leaf kotasek

    leaf kotasek Active Member

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    cool! i'll give the tums a try next time.
     
  10. Vancouver Island

    Vancouver Island Active Member

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    I have never had much luck with growing tomatoes indoors. That said, I keep trying! I had a super plant that was productive to mid October. The rest of the plants of the same variety looked rather poor by comparison. This plant seemed to be just a bit more cold tolerant. Since it is a hybrid I decided to cut slips from this plant and now have them indoors rooting.

    I am now looking into an improved lighting system. They need lots of light and heat. I would like to use LED's because of efficiency of power. However, there is much to learn about LED lights, so I will probably learn by trial and error. The LEDs are improving but I am not sure if they will be sufficient.
     
  11. Vancouver Island

    Vancouver Island Active Member

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    leaf kotasek, I have an update on starting tomato plants indoors. There is a new fluorescent light out called T5. These are really skinny little tubes - 24, 36 or 48" long. Mine cost $35 complete (cord, switch, balast) from a local "hydroponics" garden supplier. I mounted it on white 3/4" plastic water pipe stand (homemade). These lights produce the brightest lighting for starting plants I have ever used -- plus they are lightweight. I now have a great crop of lettuce plants, parsley, etc. started less than 3 weeks ago. As well a cloned tomato started about 6 weeks ago now has tiny flowers starting on the plant.

    Hope this helps.
     
  12. leaf kotasek

    leaf kotasek Active Member

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    that sounds like a pretty sweet setup, vancouver island. i used to have a giant grow-light--- i started all sorts of vegetables under it and my african violets were totally stoked on it. i don't have the room anymore, though. one day...

    you should totally post some pics of your plants! i'd be interested in seeing them.
     
  13. Katalina25

    Katalina25 New Member

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    Do these suppliers do small lamps?
     
  14. Vancouver Island

    Vancouver Island Active Member

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    leaf kotasek -- here are some pictures of the T5 lights as requested (If I can figure out how to attach them! ).

    The first picture shows the construction of the stand with 3 T5 lights. I have used 3/4" plastic plumbing and simply pressure fit them (no glue). I wanted the flexibility to make changes and take them apart later for storage. The light fixture comes with two small clamps and screws to hold the fixture in place. Plus all the wiring.

    The second picture shows flats (I am testing the viability of seeds). Some did poorly -- old seed.

    The third picture shows lettuce and kale at 3 weeks.

    The fourth picture shows dill at 2 1/2 weeks.

    These are "SunBlaster" units: the three 36" units are connected together (wiring comes with each unit) including a roll switch to turn them on and off. I plug it into a timer set to come on at 6:00am and off at 10:00pm.

    Upto 8 lights can be linked together. They provide 95 lumens/watt (3' tubes are 39 watts). These are full spectrum lights which are much better than the old growlux tubes.

    I use "Sticky Sticks" for insects. That is the little yellow flag thing you can see at the back of the first picture. I use them outside as well in my cold and hot frames. They seem to take care of such things as carrot fly and other pests. Most garden centres have them.

    Hope this helps! These are fun lights that look like a great investment for indoor gardeners.
     

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  15. leaf kotasek

    leaf kotasek Active Member

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    that's awesome, Vancouver Island! thanks for sharing your pics with us; nice seedlings.

    those t5 lights seem great; i'll have to look into that. ...and i'm gonna try some sticky sticks; i got gnats. :)
     
  16. JanR

    JanR Active Member

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    Your set up looks very nice, but how do you adjust the height of lights from the plants? Do you not adjust the height, as the plants grow??
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2010
  17. Vancouver Island

    Vancouver Island Active Member

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    Good question JanR! I am facing that problem now as the tomatoes are much taller than some of the seedlings.

    Because the legs of the frame are not glued (in fact no glue was used in the setup) I will probably simply cut two longer legs. The other option is to place one of the lights higher with a separate set of legs for tall plants and leave the other two lights at the lower level for the seedlings.

    What is also interesting about these lights is that they can be mounted horizontally or vertically. Three vertical lights on a triangular arrangement could make an interesting light for that special tall indoor tomato plant!

    I now have one under my kitchen cupboard which greatly improves the lighting in the kitchen! ;-)
     
  18. tgplp

    tgplp Active Member

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    Hi Leaf Kotasek!
    I know lots of other people have replied to you, but i thought that maybe i could help a bit.
    I have no idea if the eggshells and tea bags did anything, but if I were you, i wouldn't try them again.
    A few possible reasons of why your seedlings might be dying are: 1), you might be over watering, 2), you might be under watering, 3) they might not be getting enough light 4), they might be getting too much light, 5) finally, they might need to be warmer.
    A good way to tell if your tomatoes need watering is to put a finger on the soil. If it is dry, water them. If it is wet, or just damp, DO NOT WATER THEM! This would over water the seedlings. Water only when the tomatoes are about to wilt!
    Place your seedlings in a south facing window, or put a grow light or fluorescent light over them. This will ensure good light! But if you use a light, only have it on for about 12-16 hours a day. Seedlings need darkness, as much as they need light!
    Keep the temperature to about 65-75 degrees in the day, and a little cooler at night.... i usually keep it about 60 degrees at night, but this doesn't matter very much.
    I always brush my hand over seedlings- sometimes called tickling! This makes the tomatoes grow strong and bushy, instead of tall and thin and weak. This might help a bit! If you don't have to time to tickle your seedlings, you can put a fan on low near your seedlings, as this will help, too.
    It is always fun to grow a couple types of tomatoes, because maybe a certain type will work better for you!
    Good luck! I hope this helps!
    ~tgplp
     
  19. leaf kotasek

    leaf kotasek Active Member

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    thanks for all your help! i think i need to keep my seedlings warmer. tickling also sounds like a good idea.
     

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