Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Troubleshooting- Opinions needed-Overwintering tomatoes in a greenhouse

alamo5000 · January 8, 2011

This is my first year using a greenhouse. As an experiment I have tried to completely over winter some tomatoes and to grow a bunch from seed.

So far here are the results. I have more than 40 great looking tomato plants. My plants are looking good and are all around chest high. No major problems.

So far the plants have been flowering and many have so far set fruit. The plants are big and green and lush. However the fruit is developing so slowly.

I am kind of stumped as to why its taking so long for the fruit to develop.

It can only be a few factors...1) temperature--At nights on the absolute coldest nights of winter my inside temps were mid 40's. Average though is much higher by at least 10 degrees.

2. Light. I used an online calculator to show exactly how much longer the days are in summer vs winter.

http://sunposition.info/sunposition/spc/locations.php#1

Now in the dead middle of winter my plants are getting a good 6 to 7 hours per day (on a good day). In the summer this is much more by several hours.

I personally think its almost equivalent to growing sort of in the shade when you truly over winter a plant (with the shortened days).

If this is the case though, why are the plants big and green?

3. Before I had the plants pretty crowded in the greenhouse. I only had one heater wired up so I sectioned off the greenhouse. Now, as of today I spread the plants out a lot more and have installed another plug so I can run a second heater.

Could that make the whole fruit development thing slow down?

I am trying to troubleshoot here...what's your opinion?

I have 5 plants that I started in August that have consistently been producing fruit. Even those have a lot of tomatoes hanging all over them... but they are growing at a snail's pace...

Its all a learning experience... but obviously December and January are not 'prime' growing season... Like I said, the plants themselves have grown like mad, but it seems as though the pace for the fruit has just all but stopped. I have tons of pollenated flowers (shrivelled up yellow) still attached, hanging on and definately making a tomato... but just staying stagnant...

Any comments? Hypothesis? Anyone?

January 8, 2011	#1
alamo5000 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: near Houston Texas, zone 8b/9a Posts: 114	Troubleshooting- Opinions needed-Overwintering tomatoes in a greenhouse This is my first year using a greenhouse. As an experiment I have tried to completely over winter some tomatoes and to grow a bunch from seed. So far here are the results. I have more than 40 great looking tomato plants. My plants are looking good and are all around chest high. No major problems. So far the plants have been flowering and many have so far set fruit. The plants are big and green and lush. However the fruit is developing so slowly. I am kind of stumped as to why its taking so long for the fruit to develop. It can only be a few factors...1) temperature--At nights on the absolute coldest nights of winter my inside temps were mid 40's. Average though is much higher by at least 10 degrees. 2. Light. I used an online calculator to show exactly how much longer the days are in summer vs winter. http://sunposition.info/sunposition/spc/locations.php#1 Now in the dead middle of winter my plants are getting a good 6 to 7 hours per day (on a good day). In the summer this is much more by several hours. I personally think its almost equivalent to growing sort of in the shade when you truly over winter a plant (with the shortened days). If this is the case though, why are the plants big and green? 3. Before I had the plants pretty crowded in the greenhouse. I only had one heater wired up so I sectioned off the greenhouse. Now, as of today I spread the plants out a lot more and have installed another plug so I can run a second heater. Could that make the whole fruit development thing slow down? I am trying to troubleshoot here...what's your opinion? I have 5 plants that I started in August that have consistently been producing fruit. Even those have a lot of tomatoes hanging all over them... but they are growing at a snail's pace... Its all a learning experience... but obviously December and January are not 'prime' growing season... Like I said, the plants themselves have grown like mad, but it seems as though the pace for the fruit has just all but stopped. I have tons of pollenated flowers (shrivelled up yellow) still attached, hanging on and definately making a tomato... but just staying stagnant... Any comments? Hypothesis? Anyone?