Winter Indoor tomato growing

[biscuitridge]

Well I just picked a 2.2 lb. Tomato that I grew in my basement this winter, yah hoo😊 And I still have 2 more that are bigger size wise anyway, don't know if they will weigh more or not, still totally green, they have quite a ways to go to be ripe.

[PureHarvest]

What is your lighting?

[biscuitridge]

I use hps lighting, here's a picture of the tomato,it was 18 1/2 inches circ.

[PureHarvest]

Very nice!

What size HPS?
How many plants under it?
How many days from seed to harvest?
Did you go from seed to harvest exclusively using no sun?
And, of course, the most important question, WHAT VARIETY?

I could go on

I am growing under a 430 HPS right now to get a BIG head-start on plants that will go outside, but I will definitely be doing an all-indoor grow this winter.
I want vine-ripened of my own for Christmas this year!

[biscuitridge]

Hps wattage varies with plant growth, 2 plants, don't know how many days to harvest I didn't keep track, no sun whatsoever, seeds were from some I grew this past summer. Your going to have to start really early to get something ripe by Christmas, they take forever to mature.

[PureHarvest]

Originally Posted by biscuitridge

Hps wattage varies with plant growth, 2 plants, don't know how many days to harvest I didn't keep track, no sun whatsoever, seeds were from some I grew this past summer. Your going to have to start really early to get something ripe by Christmas, they take forever to mature.

Yeah I'm thinking of starting seeds in July or rooting suckers from one of my outdoor plants this summer

[biscuitridge]

That should work

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by PureHarvest

Very nice!

What size HPS?
How many plants under it?
How many days from seed to harvest?
Did you go from seed to harvest exclusively using no sun?
And, of course, the most important question, WHAT VARIETY?

I could go on

I am growing under a 430 HPS right now to get a BIG head-start on plants that will go outside, but I will definitely be doing an all-indoor grow this winter.
I want vine-ripened of my own for Christmas this year!

We use 300W (140W) LED panels. HPS is nice simply because it adds additional heat to a cold area (such as a basement) if you have heat problems (northern climates). But at the same time, it sometimes puts too a little more stress on the tops of the plants. I know someone that specifically switched to a different rootstock to improve performance in one of their greenhouses because they were still using HPS.

DTM relative to outdoors varies depending on where you are and how much you are willing to put into an indoor setup. Sometimes it can be faster given you can control a lot of the limiting factors for growing. Other times, it can be slower, especially since it's hard to replicate or even exceed the strength of real sunlight indoors without spending a lot.

[ramapojoe]

have any of you guys used an aerogarden with the miracle grow pods and fertilizer? was just regifted one from my brother. pods look too small to produce much especially any decent vegetables

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by ramapojoe

have any of you guys used an aerogarden with the miracle grow pods and fertilizer? was just regifted one from my brother. pods look too small to produce much especially any decent vegetables

We gifted an ultra led version to a family member, who does a lot of dwarf cherries with it. But it really depends on what you're growing. Lettuce/spinach/leafy greens will grow fast in hydro. Fruiting vegs will still be somewhat slow, and with regards to tomato, there isn't enough vertical clearance to leave heirlooms plants in and expect fruit, unless you plan some modifications. On the other hand, you could use it as a seed starter, but that seems like overkill (imo).

[ramapojoe]

yes I have the multi colored led version. really can't see using it for anything besides maybe leafy greens like you suggested in the dead of winter

[Ricky Shaw]

Nice tomato!

In the winter spooning deep for large mouth or spotted bass, they're that light green color when you pull them up, almost a glow to them.

Somebody around here calls big tomatoes slabs, big fish are slabs also. Just in case your wondering how this all ties in.

[Jonnyhat]

i screwed up and burned my first try under a 1000w hps, topped it and now i finally have fruit set.

[FredB]

How well does high pressure sodium (HPS) work when no other light is present? The Growers Supply catalog says it should be used as a supplemental source, and metal halide should be used if little or no natural light is available.

[biscuitridge]

Seems as though hps works fine, I didn't have any natural light at all, and I have another tomato that is 20in. in circ. and still no where near ripe, will be interesting to see what it will weigh.