2.10.2012

Winter Tomatoes? At Home?


Being a horticulture student, I have taken any number of oddly shaped, oversized plants on transit, in my car, on an aeroplane, even in bicycle baskets.  But this.. this has to be a first.  Yesterday I brought home a full size greenhouse production tomato plant in the front seat of a car, and three more in the back of a pickup truck in February.  Why did I do this?  Because I'm a little bit nuts?  You should have seen the faces of the people we pulled up beside at spotlights... I had no other choice, I don't have access to sophisticated insulated trucking!  And yes that's yesterday's floral arrangement tucked in my lap



We had too many tomato plants in our trial at the school's greenhouse, and I want to try my hand at home/urban agriculture so I brought four of them home!  I've situated them in front of a huge south facing window, to take advantage of what winter sun I can glean.  I do know I'll need supplemental lighting, but I'm trying to limit having to turn it on.  Its like a spaceship has landed in my office when I turn it on!

Overhead I have an externally ballasted 250W HID fixture/reflector with alternate bulbs: metal halide & high pressure sodium, then lighting the side of the plants I have a bank of 4 T5HO 6400k self ballasting lamps.

I have absolutely no idea how this home grown indoor winter tomatoes thing is going to go, but I'll keep you posted! :)

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