How to Grow One Tomato Plant Inside
Growing a tomato plant inside requires the right seeds, potting soil, fertilizer and the desire to have tomatoes handy whenever you want them. Growing varieties that keep producing tomatoes is both practical and economical. You will be able to enjoy fresh, organic tomatoes anytime you want, whether you live in an apartment, college dorm room or house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Starter mix
- Small starter pot
- Egg carton
- Tomato seeds
- Plastic wrap
- Florescent lights
- Plant grow light bulb
- Potting soil
- 6-inch pot
- Fertilizer
- Catch pan
- South-facing window
- Wooden or plastic stake, 3 to 4 feet tall
- String
- Pruners
- Homemade mulch
- Yellow sticky traps
Instructions
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1
Add the starter mix to the small starter pot or egg carton section, with a hole poked in the bottom, and plant more than one of the tomato seeds a quarter-inch deep. Although you are growing one tomato plant, you want to make sure a seed germinates. Cover the pot with the plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
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2
Keep the tomato plant four to six inches away from the florescent lights or the grow light bulb when it is germinating. Leave the florescent lights on for 18 to 24 hours.
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3
Water the starter mix daily, keeping it moist rather than soggy. The tomato plant will germinate in five to 10 days. Remove the plastic wrap as soon as you see the seedling, to prevent mold.
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4
Transplant the tomato plant into the potting soil and the 6-inch pot when it has grown about 3 inches tall. Fertilize the plant two weeks later and keep fertilizing it lightly on a regular basis.
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5
Water the tomato plant well but only when it needs watering. Stick your finger into the soil; if it is just a little bit damp, the plant needs watering. Use a catch pan under the tomato plant to catch water drainage, if you are growing it in a South-facing window.
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6
Make a stake out of a piece of wood or plastic, 3 to 4 feet tall, or purchase a stake at a home and garden store. Place the stake in the soil about three inches from the tomato plant and tie the plant with string to the stake every six inches that it grows, to support it.
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7
As the tomato plant grows, prune the "suckers" from the plant for the largest tomatoes. Suckers, or side shoots that grow where the leaf stems join the main stem, use up most of the nutrients. If you don't prune them, you will have more tomatoes but smaller ones.
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8
Add the homemade mulch to the tomato plant to keep the soil moist. You can use vegetable peelings, used coffee grounds and broken egg shells for the mulch. The tomatoes will be ready to eat in about 60 to 80 days.
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Tips & Warnings
Purchase tomato seeds online or from a garden store. Look for seeds such as Tiny Tim, Dixie and "patio" to start the tomato plant. These will continue growing and producing tomatoes.
Use an electric toothbrush on each tomato branch to simulate bees buzzing and vibrate the tomato plant after it has flowered. Or tap the branches with your finger. Tomato plant pollen is produced internally and vibrating the plant releases the pollen, to increase the seed count in the tomato, producing a meatier tomato.
Buy an indoor plant grow bulb if you cannot get at least 12 hours of sunlight for the tomato plant.
Avoid over-watering; the plant can easily mold or rot.
Avoid pests such as spider mites, whiteflies and aphids, which can destroy the tomato plant. Purchase yellow sticky tape online or in some garden stores to trap these pests or buy lady bugs, which eat aphids. Keep the plant away from other houseplants.
