When snow is on the ground, the sun is hiding, and the days are dreary, ponder this. Many people can grow a couple of tomato plants all winter long inside their homes. Of course the key is size and variety.

Most tomato varieties I've ever grown will tower over a human, and will climb up tall trellises, if they are tied securely enough. But sometimes (in the winter) we might not want a behemoth of a plant inside our house. Last year we grew, by accident somewhat, a tomato variety that is absolutely PERFECT for the south window in wintertime.

Even if all you have is a windowsill, you can grow this variety. It is called UTYONOK, and grows to about 1 1/2' tall and at full size can fit in a small pot you can hold in one hand. I had ordered several cabbage seed varieties (Zimovaya and Yubileynaya) from a guy in Belarus, and as a bonus he sent some other seeds, including this UTYONOK tomato. I already had plenty of tomato plants to deal with and procrastinated, but finally planted some Utyonok. What a pleasant surprise to see a beautiful smallish, orange tomato with great flavor. Immediately I recognized it as greenhouse-ready. So, around September or so I planted one more seed for the greenhouse experiment.

The results of the experiment are in the attached photos. There are 15-20 tomatoes on it right now, and we have eaten about four already. Next year we plan to have 4-6 of these in the south window all winter long.

Enjoy the pictures, especially of the mouth-watering closeup. Also included is a third shot of celery I dug last fall for the winter greenhouse as well.