How to Grow Large Red Cherry Tomatoes Indoors
You can grow large red cherry tomatoes indoors throughout the year. Growing cherry tomatoes indoors requires dedicating some time, care and attention to the plant as well as taking a hand in nature's role of pollinating the plant since bees and butterflies are not present indoors to handle the task in the usual manner. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Stud-finder
- Measuring tape
- Electric drill
- Drill bit, 3/4-inch
- Plant hook, 3/4-inch diameter
- Plant pot, self-watering, 14-inch
- Spanish moss
- Drip tray
- Tomato seedlings
- Plastic bag
- Cotton swab
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Electric razor
- Fertilizer, water soluble
Instructions
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Suspending a Planter Pot from the Ceiling
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Begin the process of growing large red cherry tomatoes by choosing a bright sunlit window with a southern exposure and use a stud finder to locate a beam in the ceiling above the window.
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Drill a 3/4-inch hole through the ceiling into the center of the beam that is located 6 inches out from the window into the room.
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Screw a 3/4-inch diameter plant hook with a threaded stem of at least 2.5 inches securely through the ceiling into the beam.
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If there is not a beam present in the ceiling, use an expandable wall anchor. A wall anchor is made of either plastic or metal and it expands when a screw is threaded into it, anchoring it by friction to the wall or ceiling. It is available at hardware stores; install it according to package directions. Screw the plant hook into the anchor after the anchor is installed.
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Suspend a self-watering, 14-inch hanging plant pot, lined with Spanish moss and filled with potting soil, from the plant hook. Attach a drip tray to the plant pot.
Planting and Pollinating the Tomato Plants
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Plant three tomato seedlings 1/4-inch deep and evenly spaced around the outside of the pot. Cover the pot with a plastic bag and allow the plants to germinate until sprouts begin to appear, generally seven to 10 days.
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Pollinate the tomato plants manually when they begin to bud out by removing the shaver head from an electric razor that has been sanitized by wiping it with a cotton swab dipped into isopropyl alcohol.
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Hold the electric razor very close to and under the newly opened buds, turn it on and wait for yellow particles to collect in the head of the razor. The vibrations from the razor motor will stimulate the flowers into releasing their pollen by replicating the beating of insect wings.
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Rub a cotton swab around the head of the razor to collect the yellow particles and gently rub them all over the stigma, or the protruding part of the flower, paying special attention to the end of the stigma. Repeat until all stigmas of the plant have been pollinated.
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Water the plant every other day until the soil is moist throughout the planter pot. Feed the plant with a water-soluble fertilizer once every two weeks, mix the fertilizer for application according to the package directions. Some fertilizers are mixed into the soil and then water is applied and some fertilizers are dissolved in water for application to the plant.
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Tips & Warnings
An electric toothbrush or any other appliance that generates vibrations will also work if you don't have an electric razor. Hold a saucer underneath the plant to collect the pollen.
Sanitize previously used planter pots by washing in detergent and water, rinsing and air-drying.
Always wash hands carefully before handling or working with the plants since viruses can be transferred to the plants. Also, do not use antibacterial soap when washing hands since beneficial bacteria on the plant can be destroyed.
References
- Photo Credit Cherry Tomatoes image by Kolja from Fotolia.com
