Posted on Dec 29, 2008 under garden |
Because I have a small garden I prefer to plant my tomatoes in containers and pots and place them in sunny locations. Container growing tomatoes will grow just as well as those grown in the main garden but you need to do a couple of things a bit differently to have good success.
Container growing tomatoes
The first thing to do is grow the right variety. Some varieties have such large fruits that this makes them unsuitable for growing in pots and containers. The reason for this is that tomatoes are very hungry and needy plants when it comes to watering and feeding. The large varieties need a larger root system to sustain the plants long enough and well enough to give you the large tomatoes you would want.
Good types that grow in pots include the small cherry types and the medium ones.Do not grown the very large italian steak tomatoes.
The second thing you must do is to use only your largest containers and pots for tomatoes. Your plants need regular watering and feeding and to get really good plants the roots need plenty of space. Tomato roots that are restricted will reduce the size and quality of your fruits.
The third thing to do with them is to feed them weekly once the first flower set appears. I do this at the same time every week until the harvest season in almost over. Then you just continue with water. I use a dedicated tomato feed. You can use the same types of feed on other vegetables.
Growing tomatoes in pots
The final thing to do is to water at least once a day. It might seem odd to be watering on rainy days but it is needed because the leaves of the plants do not allow the water to get to the pots. The tomatoes in a plot will grow naturally without too much extra help. Container growing tomatoes for small gardens work very well as long as you follow these simple tips.
Posted on Dec 11, 2008 under garden |
I have been growing tomatoes in patio containers and pots this year with some success. My garden plot has always produced a good crop year on year. I have always had success with tomatoes grown on the ground. But growing my tomatoes in containers is anew departure for me.
The comparison between the pot grown tomato and those in the ground.
I grew 2 varieties this year moneymaker and an Italian cherry tomato variety. I’m sure what variety they are – everything seems to grow easily enough to me. I germinated them indoors in march and grew them on under glass in the warm. There were far to many plants for me alone so I gave away the surplus. Once the risk of frost had gone I set them out in the garder and in my containers and within a month I was picking tomatoes. My tomato plant still have plenty of tomatoes on them, it has been a good year. The plants grown in containers have had similar results but I have noticed 2 differences.
Firstly the moneymaker tomatoes were slightly smaller than the ones grown on my plot.
Secondly there were not quite as many cherry tomatoes in the containers.
Other than that the results were very similar. The taste is uniformly excellent and the texture and colour very appetising. For the container grown tomatoes
I did treat them differently and with a bit more care.
Make sure you put tomato plants in a really big pot.
I like the root systems to have plenty of room and not become pot bound. You also need a big container to have enough depth for the support canes. I used standard clay flower pots as I like the look of them but just use any large containers you have.
Water your tomatoes even if it rains.
We have had a dreadful summer in the UK this year and it has rained constantly. I had to check the pot grown plants more regularly as they did appear to be wilting on some days. The plants grown in the ground do not need this. The reason for this is that the leaves of the tomato plants deflect much of the water away from the pot. Not all the water gets through to the plant roots. So I made sure to check them often.
Be ruthless with pinching out side shoots on the tomato plants.
I only pinch out once or twice a season when growing tomatoes in the ground because they seem to do fine. I have learned this through trial and error. The standard moneymaker tomatoes that were grown on containers needed weekly pinching out to make sure the fruit was good and big. I never bother pinching out cherry tomatoes. They do not need such close attention and still give plenty of fruit.
Remove excess foliage once you have the tomato fruits.
I have always done this to tomatoes and do not know where I picked this tip up. Eventually your tomato plant will have all the tomatoes growing on them and you can then remove any leaves that stop direct contact with the sun. Some people pick their tomatoes when green and ripen them under glass but I like them to ripen on the vine. Taking the leaves away will let the tomatoes grow a bit larger.
Growing tomatoes in containers
If you have missed this tomato season then I encourage you to plan ahead for your tomato growing in 2009. Try growing tomatoes in containers this year instead of just in the ground. You will love the sense of acheivement from finding a sunny spot and growing these tomatoes.