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Most people would love to have fresh tomatoes all season long. Unfortunately, this is not often possible. A potential way around this that I am often asked about includes growing them in a greenhouse. This is done commercially, but to reduce heating costs, these operations are located in areas with a warmer climate than ours. Additionally, these operations often have access to naturally heated ground water that reduces their costs.
Unfortunately, on a hobby basis, this is much less practical for a few reasons. The first, already mentioned, includes heat. Because a greenhouse is constructed of materials that maximize sunlight penetration, they are not usually insulated. So, to maintain a proper temperature during the winter, they must be heated. This is expensive, even in small greenhouses. After paying the heating bill for the tomatoes for a few months, many find that it may be cheaper to fly to Mexico to pick fresh tomatoes instead.
Another consideration is the amount of sunlight available during the winter months. The sun is less intense and only shines for around 10 hours. Further, it does not shine on a daily basis due to storms and inversions, making the situation worse. Without supplemental lighting most varieties will survive but not produce fruit until February or March when day lengths again increase. Supplemental lighting can offset this but is often expensive to purchase and operate.
A final consideration is pest and disease control. During the winter, humidity in a greenhouse is often higher and temperatures cooler. This creates a situation where many fungal diseases thrive. Additionally, if other plants are grown in the same greenhouse, there is a good chance that any pests on them will infest the tomatoes. Common pests include whiteflies, aphids, spider mites and scale.
Even though these limiting factors are discouraging, there are a few options for hobbyists to have winter tomatoes. One for those who do maintain a greenhouse during the winter is to raise less vigorous, indeterminate types. One of the most common is the heirloom variety yellow pear. Other cherry or grape types may also do well. When growing these, make sure the container is large enough to accommodate the root system. Generally, the container should have a volume that would hold between 3 and 5 gallons of water. Some seed companies also sell tomatoes bred for greenhouse production. A quick Internet search will reveal several vendors.
A less expensive possibility is growing super dwarf tomatoes in bright locations indoors such as a south or west facing window. These super dwarf varieties usually only grow 1 to 2 feet high and wide. A few that are popular include Tiny Tim, Micro Tom, Terenzo and Lizzano. These varieties are not often found as starter plants in local greenhouses. However, seeds are available online. These plants, though not abundant producers, are fun and offer enough fruit for to be used in an occasional salad or similar.
Below are some hyperlinks to super dwarf tomato seed:
http://www.victoryseeds.com/tomato\_tiny-tim.html
https://utah.agclassroom.org/cart/Details.cfm?ProdID=357
http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?pID=00468&c=51&p=Micro+Tom+Hybrid+Tomato
