Growing tomatoes in the house...

[Herbsandveg]

II’ve had a look at the weather forecast for the next couple of weeks, and there doesn’t look to be much hope of temperatures going above 13deg, which I’ve heard is the minimum temperature for the successful growing of tomatoes outside. I don’t have a greenhouse, and am thus thinking that for now at least, I have little option but to grow them inside on my windowsill, and so I wonderd whether you would consider a 12” or 30cm pot be big enough in which to grow a bush tomato?

Could anyone advise me on this one, please?

[MelanieSW]

The 30cm pot size will be fine, though some varieties are more suited to container growing than others.
I had a couple of bush toms in pots in the porch last year, and they did ok. Harvest wasn't massive, but alright.

[Herbsandveg]

Thank you, Melanie,

I think I’ll take them outside during t(e warmer days and only bring them in at night, so there’ll hopefully get the best of both words if I do that...

[nickdub]

Another option would be to keep them in pots outside and rig up some sort of clear cover made out of old polythene sheets of whatever i.e. a mini greenhouse. The main thing if anyone does want to do that, is to cover them from above with some kind of clear roof - this will keep them warmer but also drier which is important when it comes to plant viruses. You can leave a couple of sides open, so that they get fresh air and to make watering easier. Not too hard to do if you have some bamboo canes say, and string or wire.

[ameno]

My experience of growing tomatoes in my conservatory tells me don't bother.
The lack of sufficient light (even if you think its a bright, south-facing window, there is still much less light than outside) leads even normally compact bush varieties to be become long, leggy monsters.
They might be fine on a windowsill for a few weeks, until things warm up a bit more, but I wouldn't consider letting that be their permanent home.

[Herbsandveg]

Another option would be to keep them in pots outside and rig up some sort of clear cover made out of old polythene sheets of whatever i.e. a mini greenhouse. The main thing if anyone does want to do that, is to cover them from above with some kind of clear roof - this will keep them warmer but also drier which is important when it comes to plant viruses. You can leave a couple of sides open, so that they get fresh air and to make watering easier. Not too hard to do if you have some bamboo canes say, and string or wire.

Hello nickdub and ameno

I have a small frame that will almost exactly fit my outside growing bed, so I’ll look online for some poly sheeting tonight.

Also, I’m hoping it will eventually be war enoug( to move t(em outside, so I’m hoping their time on my windowsills won’t be fir any longer than two or three weeks.

[nickdub]

My excess plants have been planted out in the garden for about 2 weeks now. It's a bit of a lottery because the weather needs to be warm in the summer before I can get any sort of crop outside where I live.

Covering overhead is key, otherwise the blight virus will just kill off all your plants. Don't rule out glass or polycarb as other options for clear roofing, if you have any places like conservatory firms near you - I've scrounged loads of offcuts and sometimes double glazing panels in the past that were the wrong size or whatever. If you do use plastic sheet try to make a pitch roof like an old-fashioned tent because any flat area will mean you get puddles on it when it rains.

[Bren In Pots]

One year I grew a spare tom plant on my kitchen window sill in a flower bucket it did fill the window and block out a fair bit of light though.

[Ms-T]

You sure thats not a triffid Bren...

[Jungle Jane]

My tomato plants are outside every year,some on the patio,some planted in the ground,I never make a roof for them & blight doesn’t kill off all my plants. If the plants have enough air around them,they dry off easily after the rain,if they’re next to shrubs & other plants sometimes leaves touch & can stay wet a long time,which isn’t good for the plants in humid weather. It was a bit cold overnight the other day at 7 degrees,I brought some tomato plants indoors but the others were outside & they’re alright but they were hardened off. If it’s ten degrees or more at night,they’re fine outside next to the house wall or next to pots,sheltered. Pollination will be easier if they’re outside.

[Penellype]

I always grow tomatoes on my sitting room windowsill, but specifically Shirley, which are a cordon variety. Bush varieties will grow far too wide for any windowsill really rather quickly.

These are my Shirleys today:



And these are the dwarf Balconi Red (patio bush variety) in my spare bedroom today:



As you can see, even the small bush variety is getting rather wide for the windowsill - these will continue to grow and will be put outside after the first flush of fruit has ripened. Sorry the photo is rather dark - there are actually a few red tomatoes buried in the middle of both plants.

I have tomato plants planted outside (in York) - Sungold, Ferline and Shirley in the growhouse but now so tall that the top won't shut. They should be fine out there now from a temperature point of view, the bigger worry being the damp/wet and humid weather.

[annie8]

I’ve had my plants outside in the beds for 4 weeks. They are doing ok and some tomatoes growing on them. Always find they are less productive than the gh ones though. No way I am having them in the house it would be like a jungle