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  Geefrank is growing tomatoes in pots.

Growing Tomatoes In Pots

It's Easier Than You Think

No space? Growing tomatoes in pots is an easy way to extend your gardening space, and they will produce well if you follow a few tips – cross me little gnome heart. The first thing to remember when growing your fruit in a pot, is that it will need space. You can start small [especially if you're starting with seedlings] but over time you will need at least a five-gallon container (10 or 15 gallons is even better) to grow the plant to full size and get a good harvest. Why?

  • Tomato plants need a big root system to produce good fruit.
  • They use a lot of water when the fruit is on the vine, and less than 5 gallons is an insufficient retention reservoir.
  • The plant needs room to spread out and grow, at least the width of a 5 gallon pot. This may seem huge, but anything smaller would be like trying to put a watermelon in a teacup.

When growing tomatoes in pots, you can use pots made of plastic, ceramic, or wood. Choose one that best fits with the surroundings on your patio or terrace. Some plastics now are made to resemble stone or ceramic, and plastic actually harbors fewer plant diseases and retains water better.

Another option is a cherry tomato plant, which can thrive in a hanging basket if kept in a sunny spot.

Next, let's talk soil. I'm fond of one that's as natural as can be, with a homemade compost to boot. Soil can make, or break your plant so don't treat this lightly. Here are some of my favorite homemade soil recipes. Tomato plants also require drainage holes, so they don't get water logged and drown! Make sure your pot has plenty of drainage holes.

When growing tomatoes in containers, remember that the plant cannot put down deep roots to bring up water or nutrients. Start by incorporating a good organic fertilizer into the soil at planting time, and thereafter give your plant a good feeding every few weeks all season long.

Never let the soil dry out completely. That will likely mean daily watering when the plant is full size and producing fruit. On very warm days, you may even have to water morning and evening. Most plants like to be transplanted no deeper than they were previously growing. Not so with ‘maters. When setting your plant into your grow pot, make sure you dig a deep enough hole so that most of the stem is covered. You should strip off some of the lower leaves to facilitate this deep planting.

This will enable your plant to stake its claim, putting out new roots along the portion of the stem just submerged. In about three weeks, due to the new root growth, top growth will explode.

If you find that your pot is wider, but not as deep, plant the stem at an angle or even vertically, allowing only the top to stick up out of the soil. This may look silly, but take it from me it will straighten out over time!

After you plant, water deeply so that the dirt settles in. Water your plant daily, and make sure to prune as you would other tomatoes. Potted tomato plants require a bit more TLC in terms of removing suckers, because it's easy for them to get top heavy and break off. You'll be able to manage the size of your tomato plant, and for each sucker you pull you'll be encouraging fruit to bear!

Growing tomatoes in pots, or hanging baskets is an excellent way to get your little ones involved in gardening as well. Most tomato varieties will grow well in pots, particularly cherry tomatoes and smaller types. But some of the bigger tomatoes also can thrive in pots. Here is a list that will do well in containers:

Smaller Salad Tomatoes

  • Container Choice
  • Patio
  • Patio Princess
  • Patio Prize
  • Pixie
  • Sweet 100 Patio
  • Saladette
  • Stokesalaska
  • Tiny Tim
  • Tumbling Tom
  • Toy Boy
Medium To Large Slicers
  • Better Boy
  • Big Beef
  • Celebrity
  • Early Girl
  • Jetstar

No matter which variety you choose, tomatoes grow well in pots if they are fed and watered regularly. Even if you don’t have a large garden area, you can still enjoy the taste of homegrown vine ripened tomatoes.

Happy gardening,

Geefrank

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