Have a greenhouse or south-facing window where you could have a tomato plant in a large pot? Try your luck at winter tomatoes. You can grow seedlings from a hothouse variety like Tropic or try taking cuttings from your favorite cherry or pear tomatoes. To start cuttings now for winter production, you will need a cutting about 8 inches long to include two leaves at the bottom end which you will remove, leaving about 3 leaves at the top to nourish the cutting. Fill a 4" pot with potting medium and make sure it is damp throughout and insert the cutting to a depth above the two leaf scars where you removed the leaves. Put this in a warm, shaded area with bright light and keep the soil moist. Within 7-10 days, you will have roots and see new growth at the tip. Once it is well rooted, pinch the tip back, plant the cutting in a three to five gallon pot filled with good potting soil and a time-release fertilizer. If you place this on a plant stand with wheels, you can rotat e it to keep the plant growing straight. Do plan to nip it back and use a wire tomato cage to keep it within reasonable bounds. You don't need a six-foot tomato vine taking over the sunroom by Christmas. But, fresh tomatoes with Christmas dinner are possible.
Joyce Gay, Smith County Master Gardener
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