I used to grow commercial greenhouse tomatoes if it gets to humid you are asking for bight or moldI still grow in small houses 20x24 and start in Feb here in maine I lug them back and forth to the house to save on heat I start out with vey small containers and then to half dollar sized and finally to 4 inch by that time you usually can leave them in the greenhouse with maybe a little heat Daconil is a great spray for fungusI found out Wipe your feet before going in and keep traffic at a minumin

First, I wouldn't pay any attention to anyone who says they "couldn't use all the tomatoes they got off their 2 or 3 plants". Either they must not like to eat tomatoes or they were growing one of the huge cherry tomato-type plants and only like to eat a few tomatoes. It is simply impossible to get so many tomatoes off 2 or 3 plants that you can't use them all. Second, I live in Minneapolis, MN and I have seeded my tomatoes a little over a month ago but how do the green houses get their plants to grow so big? Do they plant their seeds in January? No they don't start them extra early as a rule. Some commercial growers use growth stimulating chemicals on their transplants - something most of us would prefer to NOT use. Expensive and usually not available to the average grower anyway. But the main factors are all the light that is available in a GH that you simply cannot duplicate with the average indoor set-up for growing seedlings and the seed starting mixes they use. Not to mention that they don't over-water like most home gardeners do. But for best results when it comes to transplanting, you don't really want really large transplants anyway - 6-8" is ideal. Granted you have a short growing season but that doesn't mean you can't work with that limitation. Lots of methods for extending that growing season work much better than just trying to transplant big plants. Have you researched methods for extending the season? Using varieties with shorter DTM? Pre-warming soil, cold frame, using low tunnels, covering with a cloche or WOW for earlier planting in the spring? And in Fall row covers or temporary tent covers. All can add 6 weeks to your season and get you more ripe tomatoes. I have always had trouble getting my tomatoes to bear fruit as well. Excessive nitrogen and over-watering are primary contributing factors to that issue. Variety selection and its DTM can also contribute. So give us more details on the varieties you use, exactly how you are growing them from seed, your light set-up and potting mix used, how you are watering your plants once transplanted to the garden, what fertilizer you use and how often, etc. Dave

Nick, the average tomato plant won't set fruit below fifty or so degrees F, so to get much production you'd have to keep the temps around them higher than that (not sure if that can be done without a greenhouse, or a rather extensive structure of some type). There are some types that are more likely to produce in cooler temps ~ Siberian types, one called "Oregon Spring", etc. ~ so I'd grow those for sure. If you put them against the south side of a large building (preferably your house), that will help as well. And I don't know if daylength has anything to do with it, but I surely wouldn't be surprised to find out it did. You may want to try some supplemental lighting on a few to test it out if you can't get a straight answer anywhere else. Since tomato blooms are self-fertile you won't have to uncover them to let insects pollinate, but you will need to move the blooms to do it. The natural action of the wind or an insect landing on the bloom is what triggers pollen to drop inside each flower onto the pistil (female part) and pollinate it. So either brush them with your hand repeatedly or install a small fan to move them around. Overall, and you probably already know this, but don't expect the same production as we get in summer. In cooler temps, growth of everything slows down, so it'll take longer for those tomatoes to form and ripen.

I am going to check the link out now. Honestly I'm just beginning to research. Marketing strategy? Honestly I dont know. I dont know if it'd be better to go the organic route, I'm sure you have to get FDA crap to be able to actually claim it so that might be a pain, I also dont know the difficulty of getting rid of the tomatoes. Is it hard to get local grocery stores to take them in the off months? I'm just vocalizing my initial "no clue" thoughts. This is just a bubble of a hope of an idea right now. Based on what I've read on In ground beds or containers...Again, I dont know yet. I have experience growing in coco and I dont know the quality of my soil. I'd prefer in the ground if going with organics, and probably pots if not I'm just sort of wanting to play with it for a few harvests feeling it out really...If I'd be able to pull it off...if I can find buyers for the product etc If it looks like I can make it work advance from there. Again, thanks for the informative posts--checking out that link