Upside Down Tomatoes

Not every tomato enthusiast lives in Oklahoma with perfect tomato growing soil and beautiful sunlight able to grow tomatoes weighing in at seven pounds and twelve ounces (the current world record holder) so it’s important to set yourself for success if you wish to try your hand at in-door growing! Whether you plan on growing enough tomatoes to supply you through the winter months or you are in need of adequate lighting in a mid-sized green house, many urbanites are turning to artificial light sources designed specifically for growing plant life, otherwise known as grow lights.

The days of trying to position your plant racks on a windowsill in a futile attempt to catch light between the twenty-story buildings that have been strategically positioned to block all viable sunlight from your window are gone. With a small investment you’ll be set up to grow tomatoes in any room in your home. And you’ll be successful at it!

Lighting that’s suited for professional results usually comes in several pieces that require a small amount of assembly and it’s done that way so a grower can fit the right pieces together to suit their needs. First you need a lighting fixture. They come in a large array of sizes ranging from 2’ up to and surpassing 5’. Once you find a size that fits your needs you can tackle the ballast, which have an equally large amount of options for that custom growing experience. You can then cap everything off with a nice reflector to direct all that new light where it is needed the most; on your tomatoes.

If you are starting to feel a bit overwhelmed fear not: you can simply order up a grow light kit that fits your needs. These kits are offered mainly for those people who have less demanding needs and you’ll find them to be professionally built and more than adequate for the needs of the average grower. As with the individual parts that can be purchased, the kits have a very wide range of sizes and wattage to fit any application that you could possibly dream up!

With the lighting possibilities that exist today just about any produce or plant that requires large amounts of sunlight to grow can be successfully grown in-doors and with great success. After all, the largest tomato plant in the world currently grows in doors at Epcot Center In Disney World and has produced a record-breaking harvest of over 32,000 tomatoes.

Do you dream of fresh tomatoes from your own garden? Following are some general steps, tools and necessary conditions necessary to establish a thriving tomato garden.

Your Tomato Garden Materials and Tools

If you want a thriving tomato patch, you will need compost to fertilize your soil. You know of course that the top soil has nutrients that were byproducts of natural decay. These nutrients make any plant thrive and your tomatoes are no different. The compost replaces the depleted top soil.

You must also have a garden fork to rake the compost over your garden plot, you must have a tiller to loosen up the soil, you must have some material to support your tomato vines, and you must have some rope or twine to tie or affix your tomato vine to its support.

Specific Conditions

First of all, you should be careful about watering your tomato garden. Your soil must not retain too much water and it must be drained of excess moisture. The soil must also be basic with around 6 to 6.8 pH level.

Next, plant your tomatoes during seasons most conducive to their healthy growth. In countries with cold weather, it is best to plant tomatoes after the season of snow. In hot climates on the other hand, a drop in the location’s temperature after the wet season or fall will be most suitable.

Third, a healthy dose of sunlight is a definite requirement for red, sweet tomatoes. Your tomatoes need from 6 to 8 hours of sun exposure everyday to flourish. It is best to plant your tomatoes in a greenhouse where they are protected from the elements yet receive ample sunlight.

Tomato Planting Procedures

First, you must prepare the tomato vine transplants. You must expose these tomato younglings gradually to outdoor conditions. A little bit of sun everyday should suffice. Do not drown them with water.

When your tomato plants have grown enough to survive on their own, prepare the soil by mixing in the compost. The testing of the soil’s pH must then be accomplished and adjusted if need be.

To transplant, I often remove lower leaves and plant deeper. Tomatoes will root in along the stem. Give the plants some warm water to help ease integration. As the roots develop, protect the stem by improvising a collar, construct your support and firmly attach your tomato vines to their support with some twine.

The tomato fruits will be ready for harvesting six to eight weeks after planting. It is said that tomatoes harvested straight from the vines taste best. If some tomatoes are still green after the 6 to 8-week time period, you can pick them, too, so you can make some pickled or fried green tomatoes.