When growing winter tomatoes, choosing those varieties that have smaller vines are preferable. The shorter hours of sunlight in the winter months limits the potential for vine growth... so why not plant a shorter vine and use all that sunlight for growing bigger tomatoes? Good choices of varieties include: Cherry Gold, Red Robin, Pixie Hybrid, Toy Boy and Small Fry.
The ideal system for growing winter tomatoes is to schedule your planting in phases. That is, about every two weeks or so a new batch of seeds are germinated. If you begin your process in mid autumn you will have tomatoes right into the spring time outdoor planting season. Germination of the tomato seedlings usually takes 10 days. Once the initial seedlings sprout and develop small leaves they should be moved from the starting mix to a container which is slightly bigger.
Plant 2-3 seedlings per container. Some may have to be thinned later. The new container should have a soil depth of about 4-6 inches. Place the containers near a window or patio door to insure that the seedlings receive as much sunlight as possible. Turn the container regularly to insure the entire plant receives its ration of sunlight. Because of the short daylight hours in the winter months, a florescent lamp on a timer should be placed about 6 inches or so above the plants. They should receive about 16-18 hours of "light" each day, with at least 6 hours of dark.
Tomatoes like a lot of light and water, but insure that the sun intensity through glass windows is not too severe that it burns the tender shoots. Watering should be done on a schedule. Moist but not wet. About 2-3 times per week. Make sure that when you use containers that there is always a hole in the bottom for the water to drain through. Stagnant water will rot a tomato plant.
Soon your plants will be about 4-6 inches tall. Now is the time to once again replant to a larger container. If you have good lighting, and don't have to continually move your pots around, you can transplant your tomatoes into their permanent containers. Otherwise just up-size your pot to about a 3 gallon size. Now is the time to thin your seedlings. As you see the blossoms appearing, you can help the pollination process by carefully shaking the branches to scatter the pollen, or use a cotton ball and just blot each blossom, one after another to spread the pollen. Allowing a fan to blow on the veins periodically will assist, and helps to strengthen them as they move in the breeze.
A cage or a trellis should be used to let the tomato vine grow up and through for support. As you see the tomatoes forming carefully direct the branches for support. One should ensure sufficient nutrient strength for the winter tomato plants at all times. Giving tomato plants plenty of fertilizers is good in the growing season. High phosphorus content is good for the tomatoes. Similarly calcium content in the soil will help tomato plants grow well. Once every two weeks is good enough as far as adding fertilizer to the soil is concerned.
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, commonly known as N-P-K are very good for fertilizers, which should be added until the tomato plants mature. Using fish emulsion and liquid fertilizer are very good for the soil. This can be done around 2- 3 times during the entire period at regular intervals. At the same time, lightly till the top one inch or so of the soil in the container. The constant watering of the plants washes the nutrients out of the top soil. By aerating, removing and replacing some of this soil you will allow much better growth from the roots closest to the surface.
As Spring draws closer you may be temped to move your plants outside. Be sure to prepare for protecting your plants from intense sun or frost. Using a sun filter or cloth for the tomato plants keeps them safe from both hot sun and cold weather. Growing winter tomatoes is a good pastime and allows you to enjoy fresh and juicy tomatoes with a flavor one misses in commercial tomatoes. Tomatoes are a very hearty plant and will grow almost anywhere. Protect your plants from severe weather changes, plenty of water and sunlight, and an occasional application of nutrients and you will enjoy many juicy tomatoes in your Winter salads. Good Gardening.
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