I can't tell you what to expect with your SFT since it is a determinate, but i have no problem growing tomatoes indoors in containers. Of course, I have them in rooms with lots of natural light and I give them about 4 hours of supplemental lighting each day, from CFC lightbulbs in clamp-on shop lights affixed to stakes in the plants, and placed just a few inches over the highest leaves. I have three of these that I move around over my indoor veggie garden, in the course of the day. Each bulb uses about 25 watts of electricity, and puts out the equivalent of about 100 watts of incandesent lighting. One reason I do this, is because I can add light on the warm side of the spectrum, since that (the red spectrum)is what encourages flowering and fruiting. I am also getting peppers and cucumbers (Cool Breeze hybrid, which are self-fertile and don't need pollinators) from this method. The Italian long purple eggplants are flowering,too. so if they hold onto their blossoms, I'll get a harvest from them, too. So give it a shot. Half the fun of gardening is trying things out and seeing if they work. Jan

You can add me to the list of folks that tries every year to overwinter herbs indoors. I have a nice perennial herb bed, but to give up fresh herbs for five months of the year is depressing to me, so I bring in as many as I can with mixed results. My rosemary is on its third winter, and though it looks a little disgruntled by springtime, it recoups nicely over the summer months. Parsley does very well for me in the kitchen window, and I've had some success with oregano. Each year I try basil and marjoram, and each year they die a slow and painful death. You'd think I'd learn. Oh, and that invasive weed known as mint ... I can't keep it alive, LOL. I've tried letting it overwinter on the porch, in the garage, in the house. Doesn't matter, it never comes back for me, but I don't dare plant it in the ground for fear it will take over. Ken, I agree about the dryness indoors in winter, but where I live, the plants should be used to it. Our humidity levels are extremely low all year round. I've thought about starting some herb seeds indoors in the fall, to see if I have any luck that way. Bonnie

So sorry to hear about the loss of your father. And I understand about wanting to keep his little tree going. Some things to help: First, if you're seeing teeny black flies crawling on the soil, and flying around, they most likely are fungus gnats, as Dave has mentioned. Fungus gnats thrive in too moist soil. So, the very first thing I would recommend is to re-pot your little tree in better draining soil. If you search this forum for "511" or "gritty mix", you'll come up with some good potting soil recipes. Or, if you can find bagged Farfard Professional Potting soils in your area, they also will work. Again, search this forum for "farfard" for the best choices. Citrus do not tolerate soggy soils well at all, and will suffer from root rot, besides promoting pests such as fungus gnats, which can damage tender feeder roots. Next, moisture meters (of this caliber) can be pretty inaccurate. You can try using one, but you're better off just using a stick inserted down to the bottom of your pot. Checking the soil moisture down to the bottom, to make sure you're not retaining a puddle of water at the bottom of the pot. As far as fertilizers, most folks on this list use DynaGro Foliage Pro, and you can supplement with Osmocote Plus, which is a time release fertilizer with a good NPK ratio plus all the micros. The Dynamite Select All Purpose will also work. Use the Foliage Pro with every watering. Skip the Tanglewood - your tree is much too small for that, and really, this product is used in citrus culture to keep ants off of outdoor trees. This will not prevent the types of indoor pests that plaque indoor citrus, including fungus gnats. Put your tree outside as much as you can during the year. Most folks will acclimate their trees to the outside slowly, over a couple of weeks as soon as temps allow. Don't do it too early, as you don't want to end up with the tree exposed to temps below freezing, but citrus are outdoor plants, so as much total outdoor time, the better for the tree. Lastly, to treat the fungus gnats. Use Gnatrol. Works extremely well. You might need a few applications as a soil soak, but that will take care of them. Be sure to treat all your indoor plants, as they will spread from plant to plant. Patty S.

I recommend window film for plant lovers instead of closing the drapes. It will block heat and UV. You can get film with very little tinting so it blocks little useful visible light. You can either DIY with film from the hardware store or get a pro to do it. It is a lot easier for a homeowner to do than ot was 30 years ago, but a pro will be faster and cleaner. I installed some on our house and the amount of heat gain from the sun has been drastically reduced while at the same time the amount of available light has been greatly increased because of open curtains.