I'm in Northern Ohio. First time grower of pretty much anything.
Received a modern sprout kit as a gift from work with, what I'm told is, "Juliet Cherry Tomatoes". Thought it would be a fun little hobby and that it would be some dwarf plant. Boy was I wrong! It has been fun, and putting aside the money I've put into equipment and materials, I'm running out of space.
I don't have a house or yard, and only a north facing window that's reasonably usable in my office. My current setup is two 10 gallon fabric pots with miracle grow and a 5 foot dual-head grow light. All situated in a space inside my master bathroom. My supports are just two 3 foot bamboo poles taped together to make about 5 feet of bamboo pole.
I noticed what looked like sun scald on John (the left one), but I suspect it may actually be salt buildup. I don't really have a way to easily flush the soil. But otherwise they seem healthy? Lawrence (the right one) is definitely sprawling.
Where do I go from here (other than buying a house lol)? What kind of new equipment or techniques would help me keep my boys alive and thriving?
Thanks!
by SirH3nry
3 Comments
These look to me as though they need a whole lot more light. They are becoming excessively tall and spindly. They also need a fan for air circulation. Juliet is a tall, vining tomato that often exceeds 6 feet. Given your environmental constraints, you might want to look into growing a dwarf variety or a mini variety. For example, have a look at Orange Hat, which is a micro-dwarf.
[https://victoryseeds.com/products/tomato-orange-hat](https://victoryseeds.com/products/tomato-orange-hat)
Oh boy, Juliets get REALLY big! If they are going to live in a tiny space like that you’ll need to keep them heavily pruned. I have had a single Juliet plant weave its way through my whole garden one year and its babies still pop up all the time!
They need more light, a fan, heat, lots of water. If you do get flowers eventually, you will need to hand pollinate. Do you have any outdoor space at all? A fire escape or even a driveway? Tomatoes really do need to be outside to thrive. Otherwise they won’t thrive and you will spend endless time on a lackluster plant. If you truly don’t have any of those options for outside, you could pivot and try to grow some flowers inside. Calendula, marigolds, maybe even mini roses! Hang in there, but don’t blame yourself if you don’t end up with tomatoes. Gardening is ultimately one big experiment, so have fun with it!