Growing Tomatoes In Containers Or Pots
Container tomato gardening is probably one of the most popular types of container gardening. Tomatoes are a favorite of home gardeners, because the tomatoes that are found in grocery stores are almost always very poor quality, lacking flavor and color. Growing your own tomatoes is the best way to ensure a good supply of beautiful, flavorful tomatoes.
There are two main categories of tomatoes that you need to know. Tomatoes are either determinate, or indeterminate. It is very, very important that you know the difference between these two types.
Determinate tomatoes grow to a certain size, and then they will grow no larger. They tend to reach approximately two to three feet in height, and do not require staking, although they will do better if they have it. The flowers and tomatoes will only form at the tips of the stems. These tomato plants will yield their entire crop within a very small time span.
Indeterminate tomatoes will contine to grow until frost kills them, so they can grow quite large in size. They form their flowers and tomatoes on short branches all along their stems. They also tend to produce their fruit over a longer period of time, allowing you to harvest for a longer time frame than determinate vines. Indeterminate tomatoes can be grown in containers, but they require more care and attention, as well as some careful planing.
Tomatoes love heat. They need a lot of sun, and warm weather. This means they cannot be planted to early or they might be killed by frost or seriously stunted.
Tomato seeds must be started indoors. You should never sow tomato seeds directly into the soil. You can either start your own tomato plants from seed, or you can buy tomato seedlings from your local garden center or order them from a catalog or online.
To start tomato seeds indoors, you need to find the warmest possible spot in your house or greenhouse. Seeds should be planted in a special starter-mix about six to eight weeks before the date of last frost in your area. Once your seedlings have two or three sets of leaves, you can move them into a larger temporary pot. When you transplant these seedlings into the larger pot, you should bury them up to just below the highest set of leaves. (Yes, you should cover the other sets of leaves with soil.) The seedlings need to be kept very warm, and in as much light as possible.
When night time temperatures reach a consistant 55 degrees F, you can transplant the seedlings into containers outdoors. Your main container should probably be at least a five gallon container if it is an indeterminate variety. Smaller varieties may need only a 12 inch diameter pot. Tomatoes are very heavy drinkers with large root systems, thus they need very large containers.
Fill the pot with a good, high-quality potting mix. Dig a hole in the center and plant the transplant deeper than it was in the original pot. You should cover up the lowest set over leaves with soil. Then you should add a weak solution of fertilizer or some fish emulsion fertilizer.
Whether you are growing determinate or indeterminate tomatoes, you should still provide support. All varieties of tomatoes benefit from support, even if they don't actually require it. You can choose to use cages or stakes, or whatever you feel comfortable with. But you should place these cages in the pots at the same time that you transplant the plant into the pot so that you don't damage the roots later. Stakes and trellises should be buried at least a foot deep and very close to the plant.
Tomatoes require a very substantial amount of water. Because you have to water so often, the nutrients in the soil will be washed away quickly, so you will need to use a liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
You may also wish to prine your tomatoes if they are indeterminate varieties. Determinate tomatoes should never be pruned, but for indeterminate tomatoes, you can increase your yield by pinching away excess foliage. If a plant has too many leaves, it will require too much energy to take care of the foliage that it won't be able to produce as much fruit. If you pinch away new growths (called suckers), then your plant will produce more tomatoes. To prune a tomato plant, look for new leaves growing in the area where the branches meet the main stem, then simply pinch off the new growth.
If you are using stakes or trellises instead of cage, you will need to tie the main stem of the plants to the support as they grow. You should use something soft and gentle like strips of sheets or towels, or pantyhose. Using twine or rope could damage your plants.
Tomatoes are a target for several diseases and pests. Uneven watering can lead to blossom-end rot and cracking of the fruits. Blight is a fungal disease that causes leaves to turn brown and rot, but should not be much of a problem for container gardeners. Cutworms and tomato hornworms may infest your plants, but you can simply pick them off and dump them into a bucket full of soapy water to kill them.
Tomatoes should be harvested before the first weather under 40 degress F. If your weather forecast calls for a temperature under 40, you should go ahead and pick any fruits that show even the slightest hint of color. They will usually finish ripening indoors. Green tomatoes can also be picked, then they can be fried or pickled.
Almost any tomato variety will do well in containers, but the general rule is that determinate tomatoes do better in containers than indeterminate tomatoes. And smaller tomatoes tend to do better than very large ones. Cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, plum tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and smaller salad tomatoes are all very easy to grow in containers. Larger tomatoes can be grown successfully in containers, but will require large, heavy containers and plenty of support. |