I need some expert green thumps advice.

[red_Dragon888]

Just a couple of months I've started about seven tomato plants from seeds in hope to have them fruit by summer.  So far they are growing well, but I wonder what I can do to have good size fruit from them.  They are sitting on my window sill where they get plenty of light, warmed by the kitchen heat and I water then daily.  Does any have any good advice?

[mecch]

Just a couple of months I've started about seven tomato plants from seeds in hope to have them fruit by summer.  So far they are growing well, but I wonder what I can do to have good size fruit from them.  They are sitting on my window sill where they get plenty of light, warmed by the kitchen heat and I water then daily.  Does any have any good advice?

Are you planning to grow them outside?  Outside in a pot or outside in the ground?
Or, are you hoping to get fruit from an inside plant?
Is this a south window with sunlight?
Are they leggy?

[red_Dragon888]

Are you planning to grow them outside?  Outside in a pot or outside in the ground?
Or, are you hoping to get fruit from an inside plant?
Is this a south window with sunlight?
Are they leggy?

They are in pots, with the window facing south, so plenty of sunlight in the mornings.  I must grow them inside but if I have to re-pot to bigger pots, that is no problem.  What is leggy?  I did try once to grow tomato plants indoors but they did not get enough sunlight, so luckily I had a backyard at the time to plant them in.  Only two of the plants needed sticks to keep them growing straight, but the others are standing up on their own.

[zach]

don't over water or fertilize, but when you do use a high quality vegetable fertilizer. support your plants with cages, they need it. give good sunlight, fresh air, and high quality well drained soil. when you water, saturate the soil, mist the whole plant, then allow soil to become almost dry to the touch before you water again. watering daily can lead to root rot.

this advice works for most vegetables, herbals need similar care... if that is really what you're asking about.

[mecch]

They are in pots, with the window facing south, so plenty of sunlight in the mornings.  I must grow them inside but if I have to re-pot to bigger pots, that is no problem.  What is leggy?  I did try once to grow tomato plants indoors but they did not get enough sunlight, so luckily I had a backyard at the time to plant them in.  Only two of the plants needed sticks to keep them growing straight, but the others are standing up on their own.

Unless they are growing in a bay window with direct sunlight 6-8 hours a day, your plants wont be very happy.  As is, this can be a fun experiment in growing a fragrant plant inside, but you shouldn't get your hopes up for much if any fruit. 

I hope you wont be disappointed if you put a lot of care into this and it fails.  Tomatoes are outdoor plants. They can be grown under lights indoors, by experienced growers, or in greenhouses, but a kitchen window isn't really their turf.  Why have you decided on tomatoes?  There are herbs you can grow in a kitchen window, for example.

Leggy is when a plant can't support its own weight - rather tall and spindly. 

Anyway, good luck!

[WillyWump]

Unless they are growing in a bay window with direct sunlight 6-8 hours a day,

This^ first and foremost they need at least 6 hours of sun.

And the bigger the pot the better they will do. I actually planted mine in pots (outside)  this year, one is specailly bread for pots the other is not. So we will see.

Good luck to all of our tomatoes 

-W

[klassykitty]

You may want to support the other plants anyway.  Eventually they will fall from the wieght of the tomatoes. 

I don't water my tomatoes everyday, when the leaves start to droop a little is when I water them, it helps to keep from over watering them.

Good luck.

Michelle

[red_Dragon888]

Thanks for the advice.  They do get plenty of sunlight from 7am to 1pm.  I also water them when the leaves start to droop.  In the end, with a friends help, I may have to find a yard for them but for now they seem happy on the kitchen window sill. They also have a very nice tomato like smell.  I did once grow cherry tomatoes and it was a nice treat to have them there ready to pick from the bush, but these are regular tomatoes whose seeds I got from a store brought large tomato. 

So far they are a foot or 30 cm tall.  Next time I would love to try to grow strawberries. 

[zach]

if you are going to repot, or plant in the earth is even better. matoes like to be planted DEEP. if your plants are only a foot high you could plant them with just the first couple pairs of leaves above new soil, they will appreciate the depth (wtf is 30cm anyway?, damn metric system)

[mecch]

Red is growing these as indoor plants. Not to be transplanted outside.

[klassykitty]

I went to a a plant place and got a large black, plastic pot that they would get their trees in and put my tomatoe plant in that.  It seemed to do good in that. 

if you are going to repot, or plant in the earth is even better. matoes like to be planted DEEP. if your plants are only a foot high you could plant them with just the first couple pairs of leaves above new soil, they will appreciate the depth (wtf is 30cm anyway?, damn metric system)

Iagree stupid metric system.
Michelle

[klassykitty]

@Zach
according to my new, stupid, smart phone 30cm is roughly 1 foot.
michelle

[red_Dragon888]

My plants are just a few inches, centimeters, deep and are doing very well.   I think if they were planted 30 cm or 1 foot deep, they would never reach the surface to grow.  Besides those would be large pots indeed.  As they are planted in the cheapest pots I had available, fruits and vegetables cans, they are just fine.  Yes I'd punched holes in the bottoms of the cans, put marbles in the bottom covered with the can's lid, to give better drainage, and then added the soil.  My two major worries is that they will grow very large and need bigger pots.  The last plants I grew out doors were 4 to 5 feet high or 1 to 1.5 meters high.

Is their away to keep the small I wonder?  The cherry tomatoes I grew indoors were short like 1 foot or 30 cm high.

[mecch]

Hard to know about how to trim them since you don't know the variety you planted.  If the main stem keeps growing without side stems shooting out, you will eventually want to pinch the main stem. 

[zach]

i wouldn't stress the pot issue. there are different schools of thought on that one. my father is in the dirt camp, a couple years ago i started an informal experiement. everything in my side of the garden is contrary to his ways. i grow tomatoes in bubba buckets, potatoes right in the compost heap, squash zuchs and cucumbers all tossed randomly in the same bed. i can't quantify any difference in the two gardens. my take away from all this. like anything else, people tend to over analyze. just take good care of your plants. pray for rain and good sun. and thank god/goddess for the fruits of nature.

[mecch]

i wouldn't stress the pot issue. there are different schools of thought on that one. my father is in the dirt camp, a couple years ago i started an informal experiement. everything in my side of the garden is contrary to his ways. i grow tomatoes in bubba buckets, potatoes right in the compost heap, squash zuchs and cucumbers all tossed randomly in the same bed. i can't quantify any difference in the two gardens. my take away from all this. like anything else, people tend to over analyze. just take good care of your plants. pray for rain and good sun. and thank god/goddess for the fruits of nature.

Red is growing indoor plants, zach!  Why are you missing this point?

[zach]

mecch, i didn't miss his point at all. do i remember correct, you live in europe, i'll overlook you not knowing what a bubba bucket is. sorry if you don't feel i'm contributing usefull here.

i've been growing a container garden for about two years. did you miss that?

[mecch]

No problem.  I read that you said to plant in the earth is better than pots, and pray for rain, neither possible inside, so I thought you missed the objective, that's all.

PS we grow container gardens in Europe, too!  I lost two 15 year old palms this winter with the Siberian cold snap.  Very sad .  Probably would have made it if they had been in the ground, but all my gardening is in containers.

[zach]

shameless bragging... eat it... 

http://s1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc367/zach7041/gardening/

[red_Dragon888]

Thanks for the advice and assurance.  I just like ti grow them and see them blossom.  If they bear fruit, all the better.

[RapidRod]

We won't put out tomatoes until the second week of May and they are taken from the flats and placed in the ground up to the last two sets of leaves and will be fertlized with 15-15-15. Sweet corn was planted two weeks ago about 3 acres. Potted plants you can just use miracle grow, it's cheap and you can't over fertlize with it.

[tednlou2]

I have a question, since there is a plant thread going.  I bought some Foxglove.  A few friends began telling me they are extremely poisonous and potentially lethal.  I Googled it, and it seems they are pretty poisonous if chewed or swallowed.  And, potentially lethal.  But, some sites claim severe reactions just from touching them or inhaling the pollen.   

Anyone have experience with this plant?  I can't imagine Home Depot selling something that was so poisonous or lethal.  And, it would seem like you'd hear news stories daily.  And, many plants are poisonous.  Over-reaction?

[RapidRod]

I have a question, since there is a plant thread going.  I bought some Foxglove.  A few friends began telling me they are extremely poisonous and potentially lethal.  I Googled it, and it seems they are pretty poisonous if chewed or swallowed.  And, potentially lethal.  But, some sites claim severe reactions just from touching them or inhaling the pollen.   

Anyone have experience with this plant?  I can't imagine Home Depot selling something that was so poisonous or lethal.  And, it would seem like you'd hear news stories daily.  And, many plants are poisonous.  Over-reaction?

Just don't eat it. They're pretty.

[Ann]

Foxglove grows wild all over the Rock and I have never, ever once heard of anyone being poisoned by it. Just don't eat it - why would you? The flowers are pretty but it's not a very appetising-looking plant and it produces tiny black seeds in papery cups. It's not like it produces pretty fruits or pods.

It's a biennial - which means it won't flower until next year if you're growing it from seed. Plants bought from garden centers tend to be second-year plants, which means they will flower this year. First year plants form a round clump about 6-12 inches wide by around 6-12 inches high, depending on the health of the plant and growing conditions. The flowering stem can reach between 1-4 foot, again depending on the health of the plant and growing conditions.



Foxglove is where digitalis comes from - a widely used heart medicine.

[mecch]

I can't imagine Home Depot selling something that was so poisonous or lethal.  And, it would seem like you'd hear news stories daily.  And, many plants are poisonous.  Over-reaction?

Home Depot is not a supermarket. Garden centers sell lots of poisonous plants!

http://www.blankees.com/house/plants/poisonous.htm
Aloe barbadensis Aloe Vera, Burn plant
Amaryllis sp. Amaryllis
Anthurium andraeanum Flamingo lily
Caladium hortulanum Angels' wings
Chrysanthemum indicum Chrysanthemums, Mums
Clivia miniata Kaffir Lily
Codiaeum variegatum Croton
Cyclamen persicum Cyclamen
Datura innoxia Angel's Trumpet
Dieffenbachia sp. Dumb cane
Euphorbia milii Crown-of-thorns
Euphorbia pulcherrima Poinsettia (yes, it belongs here)
Hedera helix English Ivy
Hydrangea macrophylla Hydrangea
Kalanchoe daigremontiana Devil's Backbone
Monstera deliciosa Ceriman, Swiss-cheese plant
Philodendron sp. Heart leaf philodendron, Philodendron
Rhododendron sp. Azalea
Solanum pseudocapsicum Jerusalem Cherry

[RapidRod]

Foxglove grows wild all over the Rock and I have never, ever once heard of anyone being poisoned by it. Just don't eat it - why would you? The flowers are pretty but it's not a very appetising-looking plant and it produces tiny black seeds in papery cups. It's not like it produces pretty fruits or pods.

It's a biennial - which means it won't flower until next year if you're growing it from seed. Plants bought from garden centers tend to be second-year plants, which means they will flower this year. First year plants form a round clump about 6-12 inches wide by around 6-12 inches high, depending on the health of the plant and growing conditions. The flowering stem can reach between 1-4 foot, again depending on the health of the plant and growing conditions.



Foxglove is where digitalis comes from - a widely used heart medicine.

Foxglove can be very dangerous to humans and animals. Digitalis from the plant is not the same as in medicine. In medicine it is in a very diluted form.

[Ann]

Foxglove can be very dangerous to humans and animals. Digitalis from the plant is not the same as in medicine. In medicine it is in a very diluted form.

Digitalis from foxglove IS the same as digitalis in medicine - although IIRC (can't be bothered to google it), they make a synthetic form these days. I think it was first used medicinally in the 1700s. I never inferred that a person with a heart problem could just go get some foxglove leaves and munch them. Duh. Most plant-based meds are distilled or diluted in some way. I thought it went with out saying - guess I was wrong.

And yes, it can be dangerous - if eaten. I've been living on the Rock for 21 years now, where foxglove grows wild and in abundance (I've had self-seeded foxglove in my garden many times over the years) and I've never once heard of any human or pet animal being poisoned by it. I've never heard of any human or pet getting sick from touching it or getting its pollen on their bodies - or even in their bodies (pollen in the nose). I've seen people and dogs both sniffing the flowers. They all lived to tell (or bark) the tale with nary an ill feeling amongst them.

I really doubt Ted is planning on using it in his salads. Not even Miss P would be that adventurous and we know how adventurous she is when it comes to food.

I've grown nearly every plant in the list that Mecch posted at one time or another. Never had a problem with any of them. However, if I had a young child in the house who liked to taste everything, I either wouldn't have them in the house or would keep them well out of the child's reach. Same thing with a dog or cat that liked to taste houseplants. I've found dogs and cats don't generally try to eat poisonous plants outdoors, only house plants.

[tednlou2]

Thanks for the replies.  No, I have no plans to eat it.  The flowers are so pretty and I hoped they would attract hummingbirds.  But, a few friends acted like I bought uranium, telling me how I would have to be careful with exposure to just the pollen.  And, saying I was putting kids and pets in danger.  I thought I was paranoid..lol.

[tednlou2]

Btw, these stories they told were people handling the plants and not washing their hands, and saying people ended up in the ER with heart failure or very, very ill.  Or, from inhalation.  What I read said this has only happened to folks who ate a lot of the plant or brewed in tea, mistaking it for something else.  Again, if that were the case that casual contact caused this, they would be banned and garden stores wouldn't sell them.

[Ann]

I've walked through big patches of the stuff, in shorts and short sleeves and never suffered any problems. I've used the base of the flower stalks to help pull me up hillsides, with bare hands. (They grow like weeds here, I'm telling you!) I've also pulled unwanted ones out of my flower beds, with bare hands, never washing my hands until I was done with the weeding, and I'm here to tell the tale. What does that tell you? And I've done all those things both before and after I was poz.

Yep Ted, your mates are paranoid. Just tell them to keep the fork away from it and they'll be fine.

[weasel]

Home Depot is not a supermarket. Garden centers sell lots of poisonous plants!

http://www.blankees.com/house/plants/poisonous.htm
Aloe barbadensis Aloe Vera, Burn plant
Amaryllis sp. Amaryllis
Anthurium andraeanum Flamingo lily
Caladium hortulanum Angels' wings
Chrysanthemum indicum Chrysanthemums, Mums
Clivia miniata Kaffir Lily
Codiaeum variegatum Croton
Cyclamen persicum Cyclamen
Datura innoxia Angel's Trumpet
Dieffenbachia sp. Dumb cane
Euphorbia milii Crown-of-thorns
Euphorbia pulcherrima Poinsettia (yes, it belongs here)
Hedera helix English Ivy
Hydrangea macrophylla Hydrangea
Kalanchoe daigremontiana Devil's Backbone
Monstera deliciosa Ceriman, Swiss-cheese plant
Philodendron sp. Heart leaf philodendron, Philodendron
Rhododendron sp. Azalea
Solanum pseudocapsicum Jerusalem Cherry

 Here in America I have most of this stuff or have had it in a garden or the house .
  There is NO  problem with  Foxglove 
  My dogs do not bother with deadly flowers .... Only blooming ones like an Iris bed   
  I planted  Oleander because it was poisonous  Let the little monsters climb my wall  ......LOL's
  No one would eat a  RHODODENDRON       


 Bob a I have   about 50  tomatoes  in the garden  , assorted   squash  ,   12  egg plants      .

  Cukes   ,    Melons  ,   nine million   Sun Flowers 

We use Miracle grow     and    Chicken Poop Tea 

  Our compost pile is large , All kitchen  veggy scraps go in ,   Plants LOVE COFFEE !   

  RED , Not sure where you are BUT  if i put my flowers in a south window they would COOK in one day .
 Mine like   the eastern windows .

   I grew  cherry tomatoes last year on the porch in topsturvy  pots . 
   They did very well .
   I also did an egg plant and got about 5   big purple beauties !

    I have no issue with pruning tomatoes . When you see where the blooms are you can get rid of
    branches that just suck life with no flowers . 

    We have  horrid  clay soil in our part of  Missouri  , so we really have added lots of  mulch ,  straw , wood from the chipper .   And lots of lime .
  Lime here is  brown , looks like sand ?   
   But after  7 years we got   the soil doing just fine !

  I do plant my  Roses in pure river sand ,  nothing else .   My Roses are pretty 
  Most of the plants around the  outside of the house are planted in River silt and rocky sand .

   A nice look  and very rich in nutrition  for the  plants .

                                                                                      Weasel   ,  I got a green thumb ...

 

[red_Dragon888]

Hi again.  Well the plants are doing very well.  One plant has two tiny little flower buds and I wonder if they will bloom at all since they look as if nothing will come of them.  But you never know.   My plants are on a window that faces east, some of the first leaf stems are wilting and falling off, but above them are very healthy leaves.  Not bad for my first effort in a long time. 

I guess I get the growing bug from my mother's side of the family for they were farmers and grew cash crops and had a big back yard for a lemon and a  mango tree. 

The plant I want to try next is Rose Mary.  They grow like weeds here in Brooklyn, but if I could grow one on the window sill, I could have fresh spice for my cooking. 

[Ann]

The plant I want to try next is Rose Mary.  They grow like weeds here in Brooklyn, but if I could grow one on the window sill, I could have fresh spice for my cooking. 

Lots of herbs grow very well on window sills. You can even get little kits with seeds, small pots and window sill sized trays to keep the pots on. Some even come with a small bag of compost.

I've grown basil, chives and mint on my window sills. They stay small and bushy if you're constantly trimming the tips off for cooking.

[Jeff G]

Rosemary is pretty easy to grow although I have never tried it indoors . I have lots of it in the yard . I had to buy Rosemary for a recipe when I was cooking at a friends house and it was $3.99 for about 3 little sprigs of it , my friend commented that at those prices I have about 10,000 dollars worth of in my front yard alone .

[weasel]

Lots of herbs grow very well on window sills. You can even get little kits with seeds, small pots and window sill sized trays to keep the pots on. Some even come with a small bag of compost.

I've grown basil, chives and mint on my window sills. They stay small and bushy if you're constantly trimming the tips off for cooking.

   I have   Stevia   growing in a pot in the kitchen window .
   Tastes just like the little  packets of  splenda 
     No added   glopp 

   We have an aloe too !   it is very useful for making skin pretty   

                                                                                               Weasel

   P.S.   Just found out our local Charcoal Plant    gives away  MULCH !
           They say just bring a pick-up  truck and Park under the chute .
             may do that today 

[zach]

lot of waste treatment/land fill type places give out free or cheap composted mulch... also, keep an eye out for tree trimmers doing utilty line clearance, those guys need to dump often and are usually glad to give you a nice load.

growing herbs indoors or out, i've been using a vertigro system for a couple years with great results... a couple of towers uses a window very well. the brand name is mostly for commercial wholesale, but similar systems can be built off shelf from home depot.

[red_Dragon888]

Actually I venture into Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY to get either munch trees or horse manure.  It is like searching for green thump gold to help plants grow.  Yeah I get queer looks, but it all for my plants.

[red_Dragon888]

Lots of herbs grow very well on window sills. You can even get little kits with seeds, small pots and window sill sized trays to keep the pots on. Some even come with a small bag of compost.

I've grown basil, chives and mint on my window sills. They stay small and bushy if you're constantly trimming the tips off for cooking.

Thanks, I will that, but do they grow in the winter months?

[Ann]

Thanks, I will that, but do they grow in the winter months?

Mine always did provided they get enough sunlight.