I am filling in for Luan, whom is on assignment and will be back soon :). In the meantime, since it is the time of year that us gardeners sadly give up on growing tomatoes outside, I wanted to shed a glimmer of hope in “Red Robin” tomatoes! These cherry-sized tomatoes will grow happily in pots inside on a sunny window all winter! ‘Red Robins’ are bred to stay stocky and compact–just a little over 12 to 15″–and are perfect for containers. And, while you won’t be able to supply the neighborhood in tomatoes, you can get a handful or two of these sweet little gems each week for your salads, and you’ll have the bragging rights for Freshest Tomatoes amongst your friends and co-workers this winter.
With some food, adequate water and at least 5 hours of sun, ‘Red Robins’ will be content to produce fruit for you all year, even when the snow flies.
For food– once every couple weeks with a “blooming” type fertilizer (high middle number in the formulation). We like Age Old Organic ‘Bloom’. For water–check every few days–when the top 1″ or so feels dry to the touch, water well (so water flows out of the bottom of the pot, then drain the saucer). For sun– a sunny windowsill or garden window, with at least 5 hours a day.
Tammi, from Desert Canyon Farms–an organic farm and greenhouse in Canon City that is our supplier of Certified Organically Grown herbs and vegetables, and grower of the ‘Red Robins’ that we carry–tested them in her own kitchen window and they produced for nearly two years! Ok– so she has a greener thumb than you and I combined, but even if we can get them to produce throughout the winter, how fun is that?
Tagawa Gardens just received a fresh shipment of Red Robins from Tammi, so now would be a great time to try some! And, they might help soften the blow when you are saying good-bye to your outdoor tomato plants this week when the colder temperatures finally will do them in…
thanks for reading!
Beth Z.
