Tomato Container Gardening
13 basic Tomato Growing Tips for containers with photos
Don’t start the plants too early before the season, unless you live in a warm climate otherwise; your tomato plants will be exposed to unexpected late frost and cold temperatures. The best planting time is when the temperature starts to stay above 50 F (10 C).
Unlike all other plants, tomatoes must be planted deeply. Deep planting encourages healthy and strong root system. At the time of planting, cover bottom 2/3 part of your tomato seedling with potting soil. For example, if your plant is 10 inches high leave only 3 inches of its height from the top.
Grow determinate varieties of tomatoes if you’re short of space or growing tomatoes in containers. Determinate tomatoes don’t grow too tall or wide (generally, 3-4 feet). Both hybrid and heirloom cultivars are available in it. Choosing the right tomato variety is essential, which is why we are posting our list of some of the best tomato varieties for containers that you can try! The best determinate tomatoes to grow in containers are listed here: https://balconygardenweb.com/best-tomato-varieties-for-containers/
Growing indeterminate tomatoes in a small space is a mistake, they easily grow above 6 feet tall normally and spread a lot, thus require strong support by caging or staking. On the other hand, the determinate type of tomatoes requires slight support.
Space your tomato plants 18 inches apart (determinate one). Ideally, you should leave the space of 24 inches if possible. Tomato plants grown too close are prone to fungal diseases and are less productive.
On a small balcony, you can even grow smaller varieties more closely. Consider cherry tomatoes. But remember, tomatoes growing too tightly require more attention: More fertilizer, water, and pruning.
To improve the productivity of the plant remove the suckers – baby secondary branches that grow in the joints of main stem and existing branches. Suckers take energy away from your tomato plants. No tomatoes form on sucker branches. Other pruning is not necessary unless plants are growing too close. Prune tangling branches that are blocking the airflow and penetration of sun. Also, remove emerging new stems up to 6-8 inches from the bottom of each plant.
Use large pots to grow tomatoes. You can use a 5-gallon pot that is 10 to 12 inches deep for a single plant of determinate variety, for an indeterminate type choose a bigger container.
The container should be deep, at least, 12 inches is necessary.
Caging needs more space so instead of it, support tomatoes by stacking. If you are growing tomatoes on a balcony, consider tying them up to the railing.
Don’t grow tomatoes upside down. It is a fancy idea but not a practical one. However, you can grow tomatoes (cherry tomatoes) in hanging baskets.
Provide the sun, as much sun as possible. The more your tomato plant will soak the sunlight, the more they will fruit.
Use soilless potting mix for the better result. You can buy it or make your own. We recommend you make your own by substituting our charged biochar for the vermiculite, perlite, and/or shredded wood. Biochar holds water better than these ingredients normally used in potting mix. Using biochar in potting soil is a very new innovation and most gardeners don’t know about it.
Soil pH matters. Ideal pH for tomatoes is around 6 – 6.8. Slightly acidic to neutral.
Add worm castings or vermicompost to the soil. You can also put worms in the soil.
When growing tomatoes in a container, regular watering is essential. Watering must be done in the morning. Almost every day in summer. In tropics, you may need to water twice a day. Both too frequent or too infrequent watering is detrimental to the plant – regardless of the requirements of water. The plants better tolerate slight dryness, than too frequent watering and waterlogged soil. Always water in a way that it’ll reach the lowermost roots of plants and excess water will drain out from the holes in the bottom of the pot. This type of deep watering prevent shallow roots and plant becomes healthy and thick. Do not water the plants routinely, instead water only when they need it – to say it must be observed, check soil moisture by poking finger an inch deep into the surface of soil. Dried up leaves and slender stems are all too obvious signal that plants need water.
Avoid overhead watering. Wetting the foliage is a bad practice as wet leaves and stems are more prone to diseases.
Use tomato feed to fertilize your plants. Apply less dose than the instruction given on the packet but more often. Consider half of the recommended dose, but twice.
At the time of planting, place 2-3 crushed chicken eggshells in the bottom. This will provide a constant supply of minerals and calcium to the plant. Deficiency of calcium promotes blossom end rot in tomatoes. It is an essential element in the uptake of nutrients. Calcium also saves the plant from heat stress and affects fruit quality.
Sprinkle some bonemeal at the time of planting, especially if your soil lacks calcium. Bonemeal will also provide a slow and steady supply of phosphorus to the plant. It is an organic product that consists of a higher amount of phosphorus and calcium.
Use Epsom salt for tomatoes. To know why and how to do this check out our article.
Once in a month, fertilize the plant with compost or manure tea.
Mulch your tomato plants, it is essential. For mulching, use organic matter, crushed eggshell, and coffee ground or tea.
Growing tomatoes in hanging baskets
If you have a small garden, growing tomatoes in a hanging basket is a way to create vertical space.
Choosing Right Tomato Variety: The best ones for baskets are ‘hundreds and thousands’ (UK variety), Tumbling Tom (both red and yellow) and Maskotka.
Choosing a Basket: Use a 12 inches deep hanging basket and line it plastic. Make some drainage holes in the plastic and place it inside the basket. Hanging baskets dry out quickly and lining them helps keep moisture in the soil.
Soil: Use potting mix instead of garden soil and add slow-release fertilizer before planting. we like Dr. Earth Tomato, vegetable and Herb Fertilizer. Add a 1-inch layer of composted cow manure on top. Over the season feed occasionally with potassium-rich liquid fertilizer for optimum growth.
Sun: Hang your basket in your sunniest spot. Tomatoes need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily to form fruits.
Planting: One plant per pot is ample. Cover it with mulch to stop evaporation. If your basket is big enough, you can also plant herbs like basil, chive, and mint with tomatoes. Vinca, marigold, and nasturtium are good companion plants, too. Don’t hang your basket at a windy spot and find a stable structure to hang it.
Watering: Carefully water because hanging baskets dry out quickly. Water your tomato plants daily, if you live in the hot climate, water twice in a day in summer.
Secret of great container tomatoes
The Secret of Great Container Tomatoes
by Jeff Bernhard, Executive Gardener YouTube channel
Videos of the same tomato plants starting of season and a few months later
(EDITOR”S NOTE from Deep Roots: Below is Jeff’s simple formula for producing maximum, beautiful determinate (small) tomatoes in containers. Deep Roots will test Jeff’s method this season. If you try his method on a couple of your plants contact Estelle for small amounts of Jeff’s favorite fertilizers. Remember that his growing season starts earlier than ours since he is in Texas.)
Fill a grow bag or pot with good potting soil. Jeff uses gallon bags because he uses drip irritation. We suggest you use larger grow bags or pots if you water by hand as Lissa suggests above.
He prefers a tomato variety called F1 Patio tomato. Other determinate tomatoes can work as well. Some of the determinate tomatoes sold at Good Earth Greenhouse are above.
Tomatoes are heavy feeders. They will soak up all the nutrients to get the roots and leaves growing. Then add more fertilizer to nourish the fruit. Don’t believe the label on the potting soil if it says no need to fertilize for 3 months.
4 key organic nutrients for all tomato container gardens which also works in raised beds and ground level beds. The results will speak for themselves.
(1) Epsom Salt (magnesium Sulfate) is cheap at any drugstore. It helps plants with the photosynthesis process. Keeps your leaves green and pulls the energy from the sun which create the great tomatoes. Mix some epsom Salt in the soil when you fill the pot. Magnesium Sulfate will leach out of the soil in a 1-2 months, depending on heavy rains. Every few weeks feed your plant a liquid solution of epsom salt (one teaspoon per gallon of water.)
(2) Fish Bone Meal (Phosphorus) is relatively cheap online organic ingredient. Mix a few tablespoons into your soil. The phosphorus with help the plant make yellow flowers which will become tomatoes. This also can leach out from heavy rains or heavy watering. After 1-2 months mix more bone meal into top layer of soil about every 3 weeks.
(3) Kelp (Calcium Nitrate). Mix a few tablespoons into the soil when you first fill the pot. Buy online a very cheap brand that works well at Kelp4Less.com. Tomatoes get “blossom end rot” (a large brown spot) from a deficiency in calcium. Every 4-5 weeks add more calcium as a water solution (add a teaspoon to a gallon of water and let it dissolve over night.
(4) LiquaFeed by Miracle Grow for tomatoes, fruits and vegetables formula 9-4-9 (NPK). After 6 -8 weeks start weekly feedings (mix a teaspoon per gallon of water)His favorite large tomato is Black Seaman. He also grows beefsteak tomatoes.
How to Water Container Plants
Growing plants in container might be tricky if you don’t know ‘how to water container plants’ your success as a container gardener depends on it.
What is the right way to water and how frequently you should do that? Everything answered in this short article.
How to water container plants? Too much or Too little?
Both too frequent or too infrequent watering is detrimental to the plant – regardless of the requirements of water. The plants better tolerate slight dryness, than too frequent watering and waterlogged soil. Always water in a way that it’ll reach the lowermost roots of plants and excess water will drain out from the holes in the bottom of the pot. This type of deep watering prevent shallow roots and plant becomes healthy and thick.
Do not water the plants routinely, instead water only when they need it – to say it must be observed, check soil moisture by poking finger an inch deep into the surface of soil. Dried up leaves and slender stems are all too obvious signal that plants need water.
Best Time to Water Plants
It is best to do balcony watering in the morning. Avoid watering in evening because soil wont dry till morning as there will be no sun and this can lead to root rot and other pests and diseases. However, you can water plants in evening during hot weather in summer. Never water your plants during the noon, as this can scorch the plants’ leaves.
How to water?
Water plants until it starts to flow from bottom of container. This encourages deep root system.
Hydrogel and Zeolite
To reduce watering needs, hydrogel should be used. It enhances the ability of soil to collect and absorb excess water, and make it available for the plants. Mineral zeolite also do the same, it gathers excess water and provide later to the plants, when soil remains dry.
Also Read: Balcony Gardeners To Stop Water Dripping
