I planted tomatoes in a big garden, but also planted 3 tomatoes in (3) five gallon containers on the deck. The patio pots yielded green and healthy plants but few tomatoes. I base that result on lack of pollination. It is still flowering so that is good for what I want to do with these 3 pots indoors. The fruits were also small. But what I have done is take those already established healthy plants, and I've brought them inside the house on weekend of Oct. 2nd. We had very warm weather but I still brought them inside. The purpose? THE PURPOSE OF BRINGING IN A FEW PLANTS IN POTS DURING THE FALL is to clone them. By that I mean clip an off-shoot that you find that grow in the V- shaped joints of branches of tomato plants, and dip the ends into Rootone, a white powdery agent that promotes root growth. Stick the clipping that is coated with Rootone into moist sandy soil in a small pot, cover with a small plastic bag and out of the sun. It will form new roots. As soon as you see root growth, you have a new plant and it is already about 4 - 6 inches tall. Plant it into your enriched tomato soil that you make now. You save a lot of time and money this way. It will be the same exact plant as the one you originally bought or started from seed. Keep it in a sunny window about 6 hours a day. Stake it when necessary if it is an indeterminate plant like heirloom Brandywine tomatoes as they grow tall and bear fruit over 2 - 3 month period. Determinate tomatoes are shorter, bush tomatoes that bear fruit all at once like San Marzano plum tomatoes.
Tomatoes are heavy feeders so make sure they get a good mix of potting soil, well rotted, odorless compost, and fertilizers. Tomatoes need calcium to prevent blossom end rot so I save egg shells that are well-washed in hot soapy water, and then dried and crushed, and sprinkled throughout a big tub of soil mix that I make myself before my fall tomato plantings for indoor usage. I have a large 5 gallon red plastic pot with rope handles on the top. That is my special winter soil mix for indoor plants. In goes 2 gallons potting mix from the store, 1 gallon peat moss, 1 gallon well rotted odorless manure (can be bought in stores) and 1 gallon of well rotted odorless compost that I make in the compost pile. This compost has kitchen scrapes, egg shells, coffee grinds, vegetable peelings, leaves, grass clippings, etc. This gets stirred regularly and should be friable and loose and very dark in color.
When growing tomatoes indoors, also use a good fertilizer and follow the directions for it. I also add organic rock phosphate according to directions about 7 inches deep into the potting soil BEFORE I plant the tomatoes into the indoor pots.
Good luck. Linda McParland
