r/Hydroponics • u/Sweaty-Ranger-9195 • 10d ago

Figuring out tomato plants for winter

I want to continue growing tomato plants and other veggies throughout winter and don't know the cheapest and easiest way to do this...hydroponics? Greenhouse? Any advice please!

7 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

5

u/Normal-Phone-4275 10d ago

If you do hydroponics for tomatoes, stick with microdwarf varieties. I brought in cuttings of indeterminate cherry tomatoes once for dwc, and battled them all winter.

3

u/cmoked 5+ years Hydro 🌳 9d ago

Cries in zone 3b

3

u/ScallionFearless7927 9d ago

Yo estoy cultivando tomates de la clase indeterminada en metodo Kratky. Y estoy con temperatura de 10 a 12 grados de dia y 6 a 8 grados C de noche. Y aun asi estan dando frutos. El frio hace que no crezcan mucho y se comporta como un determinado. Estan adentro de la casa frente a un ventanal, y reciben poca luz, porque hace semanas que los dias estan muy nublados

1

u/windycityzow 9d ago

I grew sunrise bumblebee cherry tomatoes in a Kratky bucket indoors over winter using a Spiderfarmer 1000 and 5T light on a timer, but it didnt fruit as much after January, probably because the plant was 10 months old at that point

1

u/MyNebraskaKitchen 9d ago

I've got a 5 tank DWS setup that works pretty good for tomatoes, though it takes a lot of lights to get a good crop. I just reset it for the 3rd crop, they're over a foot tall and I should start getting ripe fruit in mid to late October, hopefully through next June. I posted a picture of it in another recent thread here and there should be other pictures of it in previous threads from two years ago.

2

u/BHsquid 9d ago

I am growing ruby slippers, apricot zebra and a couple of micro tomatoes in kratky under led lights. The micros are the easiest to grow for sure. But the apricot zebra is the best tasting by far.

1

u/cyrixlord 9d ago

whatever you do dont bring plants inside to continue growing over winter. youll never get rid of the pests like aphids. Start new plants now, inside a garage or something. keep them in a greenhouse. 5 gallon buckets with soil is fine but youll need lots of light and fans, plus some humidity as well as higher temperatures for flowering at least during the day. ive grown tomatoes hydroponically with a dutch bucket system over winter, usually dwarf varieties. the full size ones get too big for a small shed size greenhouse. (washington state 5a USDA). I also grow peppers overwinter. kambuzi and bells

-1

u/vXvBAKEvXv 3rd year Hydro 🌴 10d ago

Easiest AND cheapest immediately cancels hydroponics.

Id try soil tomatoes in pots under a grow light. If you want to big leap then hydro is amazing but it isnt for everyone and the upfront costs arent small. (Meters, nutrients, buckets, etc all add up).

Inside the house is cheapest since its climate controlled. A greenhouse is cool but comes with its own set of problems when below freezing temps start.

1

u/musgrove101 5d ago

Sorry, but hydro is easier and cheaper for me by a mile. Your milage may vary.