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Tomatoes 2008
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If you want fresh, homegrown vegetables over winter or if you don’t have an outdoor space to place containers, indoor container gardening is a possible option. Of course, you cannot have a full garden in the house, but a bright, sunny window can be a site for growing vegetables. Some small-fruited tomatoes and peppers, several types of lettuce, radishes and many herbs are among the plants suitable for indoor gardening. Follow the directions given elsewhere for preparing pots, watering, fertilizing and general care. However, note that plants will dry out less quickly indoors and will also grow more slowly, thus needing less fertilizer. To make watering easy, set the pots in large trays with 1 or 2 inches of decorative stones in them. Not only will this prevent having to move the plants in order to water them, which may discourage you from watering when you should, but it will also provide humidity, which is a major requirement especially during winter when the house is warm and dry. A sunny window, preferably facing south, is a must for indoor vegetable growing. Insufficient light results in tall, spindly plants which fail to flower and set fruit. Fruiting vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers, may need supplemental light such as a combination warm-white/cool-white fluorescent fixture. Herbs are a prime choice for many indoor gardeners. Many herbs are less demanding than vegetable plants, and cooks enjoy snipping off a few sprigs of fresh parsley or chopping chives from the windowsill herb garden. Chives grow like small onions with leaves about 6 inches tall. These plants prefer cool conditions with good light, but will grow quite well on a windowsill in the kitchen. One or two pots of chives will provide leaves for seasoning salads and soups. Plant seeds or small bulbs in a 6-inch pot. The plants should be about 1 inch apart over the entire surface area. It will require about 12 weeks from the time seeds are planted until leaves can be cut. For variety, try garlic or Chinese chives, which grow in a similar fashion and have a mild garlic flavor. Parsley seeds can either be directly planted into 6-inch pots, or young healthy plants can be transplanted from the garden. One vigorous plant per pot is enough. Standard parsley develops attractive green, curly leaves about 6 to 8 inches tall. Italian, or single-leaved parsley, has a slightly stronger flavor and is a favorite for pasta dishes. Leaves can be clipped about 10 to 12 weeks after planting the seeds. Cilantro, the leaves of the young coriander plant, can be grown in the windowsill garden. Cilantro must be used fresh and is found in many Oriental and Mexican dishes. Grow cilantro as you would parsley. Thyme and other herbs will also grow well indoors under the right conditions. Small-fruited tomato varieties, such as ‘Tiny Tim’, ‘Small Fry’ and the paste tomato, ‘Roma’, may be raised quite satisfactorily in the home. They will challenge your gardening ability and supply fruits which can be eaten whole, cooked or served with salad. The ‘Tiny Tim’ tomato grows to a height of about 12 to 15 inches. ‘Small Fry,’ which is about 3-feet tall, and ‘Roma’ will need more space and should be located on an enclosed porch or in a sun room. Several varieties have been developed for hanging baskets which may be worth experimenting with. Some small-fruited peppers may be grown as houseplants. Like tomatoes, they prefer warm, bright conditions in order to grow well indoors. Tomato and pepper fruits will be ready to harvest about 10 weeks after planting. Whiteflies and aphids may be a problem on indoor tomato and pepper plants. Keep a close watch for these pests so that they do not become established in your planting. Yellow sticky traps, either purchased or homemade, are effective in trapping whiteflies. To control aphids, insecticidal soap or another pesticide approved for vegetable plants can be used. With an indoor garden, you are less likely to experience problems with such outdoor pests as tomato hornworms, corn earworm (in peppers) or late blight. For a quick-growing crop, try radishes. They must be grown very rapidly if they are to be crisp and succulent. Scatter radish seeds on moist soil in a 6- or 8-inch pot. Cover with ¼-inch of soil and place a piece of glass or plastic wrap over the pot to conserve moisture until the seeds germinate. Carrots are slower but can be grown in the same way. Use small-rooted carrot varieties, such as ‘Little Finger,’ for best results indoors. Experiment with various types of lettuce. Leaf lettuce and miniature ‘Tom Thumb’ butterhead are suggestions. Space them according to package directions, keep the soil moist and place in a very sunny spot. If light is limited, an old standby for fresh taste and high food value is sprouted seeds. Almost any seeds can be sprouted: corn, barley, alfalfa, lentils, soybeans, rye, peas, radish, mung beans, sunflowers, etc. Use only special seeds for sprouting available from health food or grocery stores to avoid the possibility of getting seeds treated with poison. Any wide-mouthed container, such as a Mason or mayonnaise jar, is suitable. Soak the seeds overnight, drain them and place in the container. Cover with a sprouting lid or a double cheesecloth layer held with rubber bands. Set the container in a consistently warm spot. Rinse and drain the seeds two or three times daily. In less than a week, the sprouts will be 1- to 3-inches tall and ready for harvesting.
02/01/2009 |
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Go to nmmastergardeners.org/ to find these and other articles in a pdf. format that you may use to print out a book with much of this material from that web site. Those articles, however, may not have been modified since they were originally printed in 2001.
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