SQWIB
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Is this cheating!

First red tomatoes of the season. This plant was from the indoor garden I transplanted a few weeks ago.

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applestar
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No way! This is your REWARD for persisting and growing them through the winter months :clap:

So what do you think? Will you repeat the experiment next winter?

SQWIB
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Absolutely.
I have a lot of mistakes that I can correct next year.
Also I will never bring plants, especially pepper plants, indoors ever again!

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Gary350
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No that is not cheating. Growing tomatoes in winter is something I have been thinking about for many years.

PaulF
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So what do they taste like? I had a friend who did indoor/winter tomatoes that tasted more like store bought cardboardy than like fresh tomatoes. Maybe it was the variety...I didn't ask him that question.

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applestar
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In my experience, it’s harder to push the sweetness without the heat and sun, and there’s a tendency to tartness. So if the variety has a lingering acid flavor, that flavor profile might get accentuated, unbalancing the full flavor experience due to less front-end sweet.

But if the variety already tends to be one of the sweetest, and has just the right amount of tanginess, not mouthburning acid, and high level of umami in the middle, you can end up with a nicely rounded flavor profile that is superior to the plastic/cardboard grocery store tomatoes, even if not quite up to the bar set by the best of the summer garden tomatoes.

Worst varieties to choose for winter growing are the ones that are “mild” flavored under best summer conditions.

Since SQWIB planted this one out after overwintering it, I suppose it must have had the chance to soak up some sun. 8)

One of the advantages whether still indoors or when ripening in the still coolish spring, is that they hang on the plant longer without spoiling, and with less pest and disease pressure, you can afford to let the fruit ripen thoroughly, or if necessary, you can ripen blushed and near ripe fruit indoors in protected and warmer environment without the rapid spoilage that tends to happen in the summer.

SQWIB
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I would have to say that the first few tomatoes from the indoor garden were a bit Pithy and closer to store bought.
All the subsequent harvest were awesome, I was actually a bit surprised.
I'm not sure if it had to do with the feedings improving the quality or just that the plants needed to get better established.
Either way, I can say that I will definitely be found this again next winter.
I may be pulling the plug on the indoor garden this weekend.

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Gary350
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applestar wrote:In my experience, it’s harder to push the sweetness without the heat and sun, and there’s a tendency to tartness. So if the variety has a lingering acid flavor, that flavor profile might get accentuated, unbalancing the full flavor experience due to less front-end sweet.
I noticed that when I lived in Arizona when winter days were short, day temperatures were 65 to 70 degrees & 35 to 40 degrees at night. Winter tomatoes were better than grocery store tomatoes but not as good as summer tomatoes.

1980 in TN I grew Rudger & Beef Steak tomatoes in a tiny green house Nov to mid Jan with electric space heater to keep plants 50 degrees at night. Sun during day often heated green house to 100 degrees for 5 hours tomatoes were small but good.



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