There are millions of gardeners who love growing tomatoes, some try growing big tomatoes, in search of that elusive record breaker, whilst others have more modest ambitions, just happy to provide extra home-grown food for their dinner table. Nowadays, organically grown food has become increasingly popular and there has been a surge of people, often without outdoor growing space, who would like to grow their own organic fruit and vegetables. Organic foods are fresher, juicier and tastier than their grocery store counterparts which are often grown to last longer, to be firmer, withstand the rigours of transportation and, in some cases, to enrich the colour of the tomato, all of which are to the detriment of flavour and this is why so many people have started growing their own organic tomatoes.
Growing indoor organic tomatoes couldn't be easier, especially since your local nursery will be able to provide you with young tomato plants which eliminate the germination process for you. There are a few things that you will need in order to grow indoor organic tomatoes successfully, a good organic soil mix, nutrients, light, water, the right container, and of course a tomato plant.
Organic Fruit
There are thousands of different varieties of tomatoes, some small, some large and some absolutely huge! Growing big tomatoes indoors is not that easy as they are much better suited to garden growing due to the fact that they are indeterminate plants (an indeterminate plant has no limit to how big it can grow). This is why, for planting indoors, you should stick to using determinate tomatoes which are much easier to grow in containers (determinate plants grow to a specific size and will not grow any bigger), so when you purchase your plant from the nursery make sure you tell them that it is for container gardening and they'll make sure you get a determinate variety and whilst you are asking this also ask for their advice on a suitable container which should be large enough to contain the root system for your plant and sturdy enough to cope with a top-heavy, fully grown, tomato-ladened plant.
Your soil mix should consist of 50% organic potting soil and 50% natural compost which is high in nutrients, both can be purchased at your local nursery. Once you have your plant, container, compost and potting soil at home don't transplant your plant into its new container straight away...leave it in front of a sunny window for a day or two so it becomes acclimatized to its new environment. When these two days have passed you can then transplant your tomato plant into its new container. You should plant your plant so only the top quarter is showing above the soil line and also insert a support stake about an inch and a half away from your new plant at this time as it will avoid damaging any roots by doing so later.
Your plant will require as much sunshine as possible, so place it in front of a south-facing window if possible, if not possible then the use of fluorescent lighting or grow lights will be required. The soil should always be kept moist, but never wet, so check this regularly. For extra boost of nutrients, you can always mix a good organic liquid fertilizer with your water once a week and feed this to your plant.
As your plant grows use the stake for extra support but ensure you do not tie tightly and do so with fabric rather than something that will cut into the stem. If you follow these guidelines you will benefit from some beautifully tasting organic tomatoes in anything from 50 to 70 days...it's not quite the same as growing big tomatoes but growing indoor organic tomatoes, allows those without outdoor growing areas to enjoy an equal measure of fulfillment.
Growing Indoor Organic Tomatoes
Growing healthy organic fruit and veg throughout the year is the goal for many gardeners, professional and amateur alike but although many people would love to do so they haven't got the time! What if there was a way of growing an abundance of organic food without the hours of work required in fact, what if YOU could do this spending just eight hours a year tending to your plants?
This is POSSIBLE...check out this radical new approach to organic gardening at http://growingbigtomatoes.net where you will also learn all about growing big tomatoes as well by the way!