Most gardeners know that tomatoes are greatest while you develop them at residence as a result of there’s nothing like consuming a just-plucked tomato that’s nonetheless heat from the solar. However, what when you reside in an condo or apartment and don’t have the area to develop tomatoes within the floor, or you’ve gotten a shady yard that makes it unattainable to present them the six to eight hours of solar they crave?

Don’t fear, you’ll be able to nonetheless develop scrumptious tomatoes in containers in your patio or porch.  Tomatoes can develop nicely in these conditions, however it helps to know a number of easy methods about the way to take care of tomato vegetation in pots so you’ll be able to set them up for fulfillment and your self up for a protracted summer time of recent tomatoes.

Selecting Tomato Varieties for Containers

As a result of tomatoes vegetation develop so massive, I don’t suggest attempting to develop simply any tomato selection in a pot. Even determinate tomatoes can develop as much as 5 ft tall.

Should you’re selecting to develop tomatoes in pots, it’s greatest to choose a range that’s particularly bred for rising in containers. These is usually a little tougher to search out, so you could have to hunt round your native farmers market or nursery to find an appropriate selection. Don’t be afraid to ask s for tomato varieties to develop in pots.

Should you begin your personal seeds, Renee’s Backyard often carries some patio tomatoes like Tasmanian Chocolate, Tremendous Bush, and Litt’l Bites Cherry. (I’m not affliliated with them, I identical to their firm and recognize how they carry seeds for small areas.)

Littl’ Bites Tomato, courtesy of Renee’s Backyard

Pot Dimension for Tomatoes

The very first thing to find out about the way to take care of tomatoes in pots is how to decide on the fitting pot measurement for the number of tomato vegetation you need to develop.  Once you’re interested by measurement, do not forget that tomatoes want their area, so greater is healthier! You must also solely plant one seedling per pot to permit the plant enough room to develop.

Use a container that’s no less than 14″ in diameter and as much as 20″ or extra. A lot of individuals develop tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets. Smaller pots dry out extra shortly and in addition maintain much less vitamins, which you’ll study extra about under.

Ensure your tomato pots have drain holes. Should you’re planning to develop tomatoes in a container with out holes, you have to drill no less than one massive or a handful of small drain holes. Tomatoes don’t like sitting in water.

It’s also possible to develop tomatoes in material pots, that are porous, so don’t require drain holes.

Tasmanian Chocolate tomato, picture courtesy of Renee’s Backyard

Watering Tomatoes in Pots

Tomatoes, like all vegetation which are grown in pots, often want each day watering all through the rising season.  Watering incessantly and nicely is likely one of the most necessary elements in the way to take care of tomato vegetation in pots. The perfect time to water is within the early morning in order that the plant can have the moisture that it must get it by way of the warmth of the day.

If it’s extraordinarily scorching or windy, you may have to water twice each day.  Should you do determine that you just want a second watering, water as late as potential within the day to keep away from evaporation from the solar.

Whereas tomatoes are thirsty, in addition they require good drainage.  Select the soil rigorously to ensure that it’s wealthy, mild and well-drained.  

The way you water can also be essential.  I do know that it’s generally not plenty of enjoyable, however you have to carry the hose round from container to container and water deeply till the water is popping out of the underside of the container.

Keep away from the temptation to face in a single spot and spray overhead.  First, you’ll  lose a lot of your water to evaporation, and, secondly, plenty of the remaining will fall on the plant’s leaves, not the roots, which is the a part of the plant that really wants the water. 

Issues with Tomato Crops in Pots

Have you ever tried rising tomatoes in pots earlier than and have been disenchanted when the vegetation didn’t thrive? Listed here are some fast and simple ideas for rising wholesome, productive tomatoes.

The most important issues with tomato vegetation in pots are:

1. Inadequate pot measurement.  Tomatoes love their area, so be sure to select a big pot.  Whereas some miniature and bush varieties can thrive in an 18 inch container, it’s greatest for many varieties to decide on one that’s no less than 24 inches, or 5 gallons.

2. Underneath or overwatering.  Be sure you plant your tomatoes in a well-drained pot, and water no less than each day through the scorching season until there’s a major rainfall that day. Preserve the soil within the pots persistently moist, however not soaking moist for lengthy intervals of time. It’s okay if the soil start to dry out a bit, however don’t permit the soil to turn out to be bone dry or your plant will turn out to be harassed. 

3, Not sufficient solar. Tomatoes want six to eight hours of solar per day. The benefit of rising tomatoes in pots is you could find the containers within the sunniest potential place in your property. If the vegetation don’t obtain this quantity of solar they might produce much less tomatoes.

4. Underneath fertilizing or incorrect fertilizing. Rising greens in containers could be difficult as a result of the soil in pots doesn’t maintain vitamins just like the soil in an in floor backyard. That is partly as a result of how a lot you’re watering. Because the water flows by way of the container it flushes out the vitamins over time.

About each two weeks you have to apply an organic backyard fertilizer to your whole vegetable containers to maintain them provided with the assorted vitamins they should develop, flower and produce fruit. Don’t use a strictly nitrogen based mostly fertilizer, like MiracleGro or chances are you’ll find yourself with vigorous vegetation that produce few or no fruit.

Fox Farm, Dr. Earth, and Neptune’s Harvest are all respected corporations with top quality merchandise.

5. Blossom finish rot. Too little calcium within the soil can result in blossom finish rot, which is when the underside of the tomato fruit has a comfortable spot that begins to rot. This lack of calcium is commonly aggravated by inconsistent watering. Be sure you’re not letting your containers utterly dry out in between waterings. Making use of a balanced natural fertilizer must also assist forestall Blossom finish rot. I’ve seen it occurring to my tomatoes throughout very dry summers once I wasn’t on high of watering.

The way to Help Tomato Crops in Pots

First, learn the way massive the tomato plant you’ve picked is prone to get.  Should you’ve planted container or patio tomatoes, they shouldn’t want an extreme quantity of help. Though I don’t suggest your common run of the mill spherical metallic tomato cages for many tomatoes, they need to work completely for small varieties in pots. They’re straightforward to search out in native nurseries, {hardware} shops, and even on the curb!

There are additionally extra ornamental cages like obelisks, cute pink cages, and triangular trellises. Many can be found in varied heights, so be sure that the fashion you’re selecting matches the total grown top of your tomato selection.

I desire to put in my helps on the similar time I plant my tomatoes. This ensures that they don’t develop too massive earlier than I get round to it.

As your vegetation develop you should utilize tomato clips or backyard twine to safe the stems to the cage or trellis.

The way to Develop Cherry Tomatoes in Pots

They’re as cute as they’re scrumptious, and cherry tomatoes can develop nicely in pots.

Cherry tomatoes have the identical wants as different tomato vegetation.  Simply because the fruit is tiny doesn’t imply that the vine isn’t heavy, so that they nonetheless want help.  Trellis or stake as you’ll different tomatoes. In addition they want their area, so ensure that your pot measurement is massive sufficient to help the range.

The entire ideas and methods we mentioned above apply to cherry tomatoes – they want full solar, loads of diet, each day watering by way of the rising season, and glorious drainage.

You’ll additionally need to know when to choose cherry tomatoes so that you just get probably the most pleasure out of your efforts. 

Now that you know the way to take care of tomato vegetation in pots, I hope that you’ve got a summer time crammed with with bowls full of colourful tomatoes!

SHARE IT ON PINTEREST