This past gardening season, 2022, our vegetable garden did so well that we actually felt a bit spoiled by all the produce, especially by the quantity of tomatoes we grew. It was a shock to my system when I bit into the first store-bought tomatoes once again. Yucky and bland. So spoiled by quality and taste.
It’s a little embarrassing, but I dropped the tray with the Tiny Tim tomatoes just after they sprouted from seed, and I destroyed them. So we didn’t have any Tiny Tim’s all summer long.
We decided to try growing Tiny Tim’s indoors this winter because they are a small plant, just 18 inches tall, and will fit perfectly in our south-facing kitchen window. Hopefully, the mini greenhouse won’t be in the way all winter.
Growing Indoor Tiny Tim Tomatoes This Winter
I kept the plastic fruit containers as they look like they’ll make excellent pots for starting tomato seeds. By recycling containers, they can be useful once again.
I can use the yogurt containers to start seeds and then transplant them into the juice containers we keep for recycling.
Mixing Indoor Potting Soil
This time around, I am using a better mix for starter soil by sifting the dirt and compost to avoid un-composted pieces as the containers are so small.
I am adding some peat moss, which I soak a head of time, as well as perlite to hold moisture and aerate the soil for better root systems.
Take A Minute To Read The Instruction
Hello, I’m a guy, and I don’t always read instructions, but I’m learning to. Good thing I have a wife to help me read.
Seriously, I did check the back of the seed pack to be sure I placed the seed at the right depth, which is a quarter inch deep.
The starter soil I mixed is too fine to pour water over at the beginning, so I’m just going to use my spray bottle to moisten the soil without disturbing the seeds. To keep moisture from evaporating and leaving the seeds dry, I put clear plastic wrap over the top, which also allows me to check on the progress of our seeds.
The seed pack also specified a temperature of 75F/24C or higher to help germination of the seeds. Suppose you need to use a lamp to keep the temperature high enough until they sprout. It’s not about the light at this point, just maintaining temperature.
Give Your Tomatoes The Most Light You Can
As I mentioned, I will use the south-facing window in our kitchen and have our mini greenhouse so that we have multiple racks that get direct sunlight for 6 hours a day.
Six hours of winter sun may not be enough, so I am keeping a lamp handy to give them a couple of extra hours of light each day.
It’s Important To Keep Roots Moist Not Soaked
As your seeds are germinating, be sure you don’t allow them to dry out and don’t keep them soaked. It’s a balance. Then, once you have them transplanted into bigger containers, you should stick your finger into the soil to see if it’s dry down in the soil.
Keeping Your Tomatoes Well-Fed
I have a package of Miracle-Gro I’m using to feed my indoor plants. The pots aren’t very big, meaning there isn’t a lot of soil for the roots to feed on, so a little help goes a long way.
How I Pollinate Tomatoes Indoors
It’s great having insects helping to pollinate our outdoor plants, but I’m not going to let them in my house, so I am pollinating by hand. All I have to do is wait until the blossoms are fully open and then just lightly shake the plant. Even using a fan on the light setting will help them pollinate.