You can't beat picking fresh ripe tomatoes in the depths of winter that have far more flavour than those imported ones in the supermarkets, plus they are more satisfying to grow than any old pot plant.
Some "old timers" will remember that I have grown winter toms for several years, but I have never provided details of the way I grow them at a suitable time to encourage others to try. As it's only the price of a few seeds and a handful of compost it must be worth a go.
I have to admit that I have a bit of a head start as I sowed mine back in September, but looking through my gardening diary I see that they take about 4 months from sowing to the first ripe fruit, so starting now should produce results by the end of February.
To grow them successfully you need to have 3 things, a south(ish) facing windowsill, in a heated room and a well behaved tomato variety.
The room I grow mine in has an electric storage radiator, which doubles as my computer room/play room/study, but any form of heating will do as long as the daytime temperature is around 17c - 20c and night time no lower than 12c, and the windowsill must get as much sunshine as possible. If you draw the curtains at night in your chosen room, it may be wise to move the pots into the room on cold nights.
I have grown several varieties over the years and the best I have come across so far is Totem. It's well behaved in that it doesn't flop all over the place, it's quite dwarf so doesn't take over and the reasonably sized fruits are very tasty. But as tomato taste is very subjective you can of course try other varieties for yourself, just look for varieties recommended for container growing but I would steer away from the "basket" varieties that cascade over the container edge.
Other than the above there is no "secret" to growing winter tomatoes, if you can grow them in the summer and you can provide the indoor space and the above conditions, then you stand a very good chance of being a successful winter tomato grower.
Sow seed as you normally would, probably best in a heated propagator by now. I like to sow in 2" pots and pot on progressively when I see roots growing through the drain holes, until they are finally in 7" or 8" pots.
Don't over water, wait until the compost is almost totally dry, even to the stage that the lower leaves start showing signs of wilting. Then give a good soak, watering from the bottom saucer, being sure not to leave excess in the saucer as they don't appreciate being waterlogged.
When the first fruits are visible start feeding with tomato fertiliser every watering, and that's it, no secret concoctions, no incantations, no magic, just a bit of (un)conventional indoor gardening.
I'm growing 5 plants this year and they are now at the 4" pot stage with tiny flower trusses just showing and I will post photos now and again to show the plants at different stages, but more importantly to goad you on the have a go yourself.
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