7 Tips for Growing Tasty Tomatoes Indoors

The following s a guest post by garden blog owner, Richard Clayton. His
website, My Greenery Life discuss everything about lawn care, DIY gardening
and critter control topics.
If you have a short summer growing season or no place to garden outdoors,
you can still grow tomatoes as houseplants. It’s easier than you might think to
harvest tasty tomatoes indoors. Read on to find out how.
There are some basic techniques that you need to use to get juicy and yummy
indoor tomatoes throughout the year, but first and foremost, choose the right
varieties that perform well indoors.
1 Grow the best varieties of indoor tomatoes
Avoid buying just any tomato for indoor growing. Grow the wrong tomato
indoors, and you aren’t likely to have much success.
In my experience, upright and small varieties are the best choices. The best
tomato varieties for growing indoors are in pots are:
Florida Petite
Toy Boy
Tiny Tim
Red Robin
If you want to grow tomatoes in hanging baskets indoors, choose these
cultivars:

Yellow Pear
Basket King
2 Plant tomato seeds indoors
If you’re unable to the best tomatoes for indoor growing, plant from seed. To
have the best luck with this, try the following steps:
Fill a seed starting tray with moistened light-weight seed-starting mix.
Place one tomato seed in each cell
Cover the tomato seed with a 1/8 th -inch layer of additional seed-starting mix
Spray the tray with a thin mist of water until seed-stating mix is wet
Cover the seeds with a plastic wrap, or use a seed-starting tray with lid
Keep the soil and seedlings when they come up moist
Place in a warm location, such as on top the refrigerator, while seeds
germinate
Once plants appear, place the seedlings under artificial lights or in an eastern
or southern window
When the seedling gets two sets of true leaves and is at least two inches high,
transplant in a larger pot
For a continuous supply of tomatoes, plant seeds monthly
3 Hand-pollinate Indoor Grown Tomtoes
Indoor grown tomatoes don’t have the benefit of pollination from bees and
other insects. For that reason, you must hand-pollinate. Stick a Q-tip into each
flower when in bloom. This will spread the pollen around and lead to
tomatoes.
4 Fertilize Indoor Grown Tomatoes Regularly
Tomatoes, particularly indoor tomatoes, need a steady supply of nutrients.
Fertilizing is especially important in containerized tomatoes. Nutrients tend to
run out the bottom of the pot whenyou water.

I recommend using on organic fertilizer, since you are growing edible crops.
Organically grown indoor tomatoes also tend to be healthier plants, and the
taste is incredible.
5 Provide Adequate Light and Heat to Tomato Houseplants
As a summer, heat-loving crop, tomatoes require at least eight hours of light
each day and sufficient warmth.
For lighting, place the plants under full-spectrum lights for 12 hours a day. If
you have access to eastern or southern unobstructed windows, put the plants
in front of the windows for 6 to 8 hours of sun a day. For the remaining hours,
place the plants under artificial lighting.
For heat, tomatoes grow best in 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 30 celcius).
The minimum temperature should be 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees
Celsius).
6 Grow Tomatoes Indoors in Terra-cotta Pots
Grow in terra-cotta pots, as they are porous and breathe. This will help ensure
that the plants don’t become waterlogged, which can lead to fungal disease
and root rot. Place pots on drainage dishes. Make sure to empty the dishes
after watering. You don’t ever want the plant roots sitting in water.
7 Manage Pests on Indoor Tomato Plants

Although tomato pests aren’t as common indoors as out, it’s still a good idea
to keep an eye open for any intruders. Potential pests include mealybugs and
whiteflies.
Manage indoor tomato pests by hand removing them or washing off with
water. If you still have trouble with pests, spray with isopropy alcohol.

Prevent tomato diseases, such as fusarium wilt, by not overwatering. Water
when the soil has started to dry out. Also maintain good air circulation. If the
air in your home is stuffy, run a fan on the tomato plants at least 6 hours a day.
Good luck with your indoor tomato garden! Leave a comment if you have a
question or want to share a story about growing tomatoes as houseplants.