Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Growing in Greenhouses & Polytunnels => Topic started by: JayG on February 13, 2011, 13:39

Title: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: JayG on February 13, 2011, 13:39
With the "Outdoor tomato" thread now running I thought I'd ask the question that's been on my mind since planning what to grow in my new greenhouse.

Tomatoes don't appreciate humid conditions which can increase the risk of blight even indoors, but cucumbers and melons both like humid conditions.

On the other hand dry conditions encourage red spider mite!

How do people growing these plants together square the circle (or do they just cross their fingers and hope for the best?!)

Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: DD. on February 13, 2011, 13:48
I grow the cucumbers in the corners of my greenhouses, with a bit of bubble wrap draped over them to create a micro-climate.
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: Kristen on February 13, 2011, 14:07
I grow my Cucumbers furthest from the door, and don't open the vent at that end. I put some gravel trays near the plants with an inch of water in them to increase humidity.

Melons and Toms I worry less about - because I only need a couple of Cucumber plants, but I grow 15 each of Toms and Melons, and I have the Melons on the glass and the Toms down the Aisle so they have more height.
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: DD. on February 13, 2011, 14:14
Sadly my greenhouse isn't large enough to have more than one vent to worry about. I have to open that so as not to get pre-cooked tomatoes.
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: Aunt Sally on February 13, 2011, 15:34
When I have two cucumber plants in my greenhouse - it's FULL  ;) :lol:
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: JayG on February 13, 2011, 15:56
When I have two cucumber plants in my greenhouse - it's FULL  ;) :lol:

Sounds like you left it outside in the rain and it's shrunk!  ::)

Mine's only 8X6 and only one vent (plus a door, of course!) - I'm pretty certain I've got room for 3 growbags on the floor, another one on the high part of the staging, and a couple of large pots on the lower staging. Will try the bubble-wrap/furthest from the door idea for the cukes, fitting the melons in might be a question of using lots of imagination and string!

Certainly won't be growing anything in the "aisles" as Kristen does (what's he got a bloomin' converted church?!)  :lol:
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: Aunt Sally on February 13, 2011, 16:02

Mine's only 8X6 and only one vent (plus a door, of course!) -
  That's bigger than mine JG  >:(
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: mumofstig on February 13, 2011, 17:36
Quote
Certainly won't be growing anything in the "aisles" as Kristen does (what's he got a bloomin' converted church?!)  

Kristen is very lucky, as according to his blog, he has a big one  :lol: ::) :lol:



Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: DD. on February 13, 2011, 17:47
 :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: VirginVegGrower on February 13, 2011, 18:37
My greenhouse is roughly 7 x 11' and I had peppers, melons, cukes, gherkins and toms in there last year, but you had to eat lettuce to get in there :lol:

Only two growbags of 3 tom plants each this year. Also one growbag of cukes in furthest corner on staging, one of melon and gherkin, one of peppers. As figs and lemon and orange go out...
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: JayG on February 14, 2011, 11:25
I'll be using my automatic vent opener (and the manual door opener!) to try and regulate the temperature in my greenhouse.

I'm assuming that around 10C is about the minimum temperature I should be aiming for in summer but what about the maximum? (I realise this is far from being an exact science!)  ;)
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: mumofstig on February 14, 2011, 11:51
They don't set fruit above 30C .....not much chance of that being a problem :(
Title: Re: Indoor tomatoes
Post by: mumofstig on February 15, 2011, 13:41
I just won 75m of bubble wrap on flea-bay (£8.95 + £1p&p).... so I'll be able to insulate both g/houses and drape some over the cukes  :D

Thanks for the tip, the leaves on the cukes went crispy last year ::)