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Thought my buddy was nuts for growing tomatoes in his basement

My friend Jim set up a whole grow tent with fancy LED lights in his basement last winter, and I kept telling him he was wasting electricity for nothing. Then he brought me a jar of home-canned salsa in March that tasted better than anything I've bought at the store in Denver. Has anyone else tried indoor gardening and actually got good results, or was this just a lucky fluke?
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felix414
felix4141d ago
Got a dozen patio tomatoes under a cheap LED last winter and they turned out great.
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juliarodriguez
juliarodriguez1d agoMost Upvoted
Have you seen that episode of "Gardeners' World" where Monty Don grew corn indoors? I read about it in a gardening magazine once. But seriously, I think your friend's success probably isn't a fluke. I've heard from people on other forums who swear by those LED grow lights for tomatoes, especially if you choose the right variety like a compact determinate type. Plus, controlling the environment means no bugs or bad weather, so the plants can really focus on making fruit.
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aaronsullivan
Right on, totally agree with you about the LED lights. I tried a similar setup last winter with a cheap Amazon light and some cherry tomato seeds, and it was honestly my best indoor crop ever. Pests were zero, and the weird thing is my plants got way bushier than my outdoor ones because I could keep the light on a perfect schedule. The determinate thing is key though, I grew a regular Beefsteak variety and it got way too tall for my shelf. Have you ever tried any of those compact patio varieties under lights?
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