Tomatoes

[hamster]

I'm a student living in halls, so my options for growing veg are extremely limited, but I've heard people talking about growing cherry tomatoes on a windowsill. Is this actually possible? How would I go about doing it?

All help extremely welcome, this is my first foray beyond herbs!

Hamster.

[the.fee.fairy]

Get a decent sized box, or a window box and sow the seeds!!

That's about it. They do like potash, but i dont know where you'd be likely to get it.

If you know anyone who has barbecues (or indeed you do yourself) then use the ash from that mixed with some compost asa top dressing.

I'm thinking on my arse here, but...I reckon you could start the tomatoes off in small pots/cell trays, then get a window box/type thingy for the windowsill, fill it with a potting mixture and some ash (if you can get some, its not essential, just helps with fruit production). Then, when the tomatoes have grown to plant size (say 6" - got proper tomato leaves basically) then plant 75% of the plant in the window box. Tomatoes are good at growing roots along the whole stem if its buried - this also gives it more stability when the fruits grow.

Or...you could convince maintenance to put a hook in the bathroom (providing it has a window) and grow a tomato plant in a hanging basket/upside down! Maybe it depends how plant-friendly your housemates are.

[red]

do you mean indoors or out?

can be done eitherway. I don't bother with the ash thing.. and seem to get good crop anyway.
there are varieties of tomatoes meant for hanging baskets.. ehh tom thumb and balconi are two i can think of off the top of my head.. this sprawl - would work in a large pot.
or you could go for something like gardeners delight and plant in a big pot, when its as tall as you can cope with (consider training it sideways if you have the space) pinch out the top.

[Millymollymandy]

Just buy some liquid tomato fertiliser - save the ash for outdoor tomatoes!

[Christopher]

We have just had an enormous amount of rain dumped here - more in the north of the country which recieved their 1-in-125 year dumping! But all that water has made some of my tomatoes split their skin

I guess growing tomatoes for the first time having something like this happen reminds you that growing is not without its trials and tribulations... something that never comes to light in the supermarket!

ka kite,
Christopher.

[flower]

I would nip 'em off quick and use them now.
green for chutneys and ripe for sauces.

mine split last summer and were then quickly infested with beasties...followed by the dreaded blight!

split toms are fine to use and super juicy (which is why they split) so it's a shame if they get wasted.

[hamster]

Hello all!
Thanks for your help. The plants would be indoors, but I've got a huge windowsill which is very warm and light. (Sadly, my bathroom has no window, so the hanging basket on the shower rail idea is out.) I've asked my dad, and he said you can often get tomato seedlings in late spring, so I'm going to ask at the plant stall in the market if they're getting any in, and if not I'll grow some from seed. I know that seems like the soft option, but it seems rather difficult to buy compost and fertiliser and the like in small enough quantities (and I haven't really got anywhere to keep them, and I'm moving into a real house in the summer when I can start doing things properly).
Wish me luck!

[Millymollymandy]

If you can get to a garden centre, they will have loads of little tomato plants for sale.

I always buy tomatoes like that because unless you have a heated propagator and a greenhouse it is quite difficult to grow decent healthy non-leggy young tomato plants.

[mattachinelee]

Hamster, the local Freecycle.com groups and oxford freecycle cafe are pretty active and seem to come up with some results - you could put a request out to local bods who will be looking to plant up. Given the quantity of compost you'd be looking at, I would figure it worth asking if anyone has any left over when they're done. If you're still stuck in a week or so, pm me - when I go back to work after Easter I'd be able to send you a portion of compost over with a colleague who lives in Littlemore area and could probably drop it off to you. Good luck!

[Wormella]

yes, you can definatly grow cherry tomatos and chilli plants indoors in pots / window boxes.

[digiveg]

Hamster - if you're going to use BBQ ash as a source of potash, DON'T unless it was a charcoal fire. Coke ash will poison the plants. And for a source of nitrogen, pee on them. I'm not kidding. Well, yes I am - but it's a GREAT source of N. But maybe water it down a little, first...?

(but don't pee on the actual tomatoes...makes yer salad taste funny)