When summer ends, then there’s no reason why you can’t prolong enjoyment of homegrown tomatoes throughout the wintertime. Propagated from cuttings taken out of last season’s plants or opened from seed, determinate or dwarf cherry tomatoes can be grown successfully indoors as long as they’re subjected to as much sunlight as you can. In circumstances where natural light is inadequate, supplementing with artificial light helps supply the 10 to 12 hours per day which all kinds, including cherry tomatoes, must develop correctly and produce a fantastic crop.
Place a table or alternative flat-surfaced rack on your sunniest south or southeast-facing window and then install a grow light over the rack. Wash seed-starting magnets using a way of a few drops of mild soap, such as dish soap, at a gallon of hot water. Allow to air dry.
Fill the bolts with potting medium to 1 inch from the top and smooth the top with your own hand. Water the medium extensively but don’t saturate it; this helps the soil settle more evenly in the trays.
Poke holes with a pen tip about 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch apart in the planting medium and then drop one cherry tomato seed in each. Bring the soil lightly over the seeds. Cover the trays with clear plastic film, leaving you end slightly open to permit for air flow.
Place magnets in a dark, warm place with a constant temperature of at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit until the seeds germinate and appear through the ground’s surface.
Remove the plastic film from the magnets, and set them on the rack under the grow lights and then turn them around as the pure daylight diminishes.
Position the trays about 6 inches under the lights, correcting this distance by several inches to prevent plant burn should you use high-wattage light bulbs.
Rotate magnets twice daily so the seedlings don’t bend toward the origin of light, and abandon the grow light on long enough so the plants are subjected to a total of at least 12 hours of uninterrupted light each day. Assess the planting medium from your trays for humidity, and water lightly to keep the soil moist but not soggy.
Transplant the seedlings when they’re about 4 to 5 inches tall into their permanent growing containers. Fill the containers almost to the top with good quality potting soil that has been reinforced with an all-purpose vegetable fluid or one intended especially for tomatoes. Follow package directions to ascertain how much fertilizer to use for container-grown tomatoes and rates of use.
Place the permanent containers in the sunniest window and then adjust the grow light distance to permit for the height of the bigger pots. Turn grow lights on as soon as the natural light fades, and reveal plants to at least 12 hours of light in the combined sources daily.
Harness the tomatoes’ flowers once they open to help soften the plants, a step accomplished outdoors by mammals and end. Stake plants up to keep them upright so their stems don’t bend and break under the weight of the strawberries. Harvest the tomatoes as they ripen to support the plants to keep producing.
Continue to expose the plants to at least 12 hours of artificial and natural light until harvest is over and the plants start to wilt and die back.