Nothing reminds you of summer quite like tasty homemade tomatoes! Easy to grow, tomatoes produce tons of fruit, making them the perfect plant for beginners.
But what if you’re short on space or don’t want to commit to raised beds? Can you still grow tomatoes? The answer is yes!
Read on to learn how to grow tomatoes in pots:
Tomato growing tips for beginners
Tomatoes are great candidates for pot gardening. However, you need to choose the right type. Let’s start with the basics.
They exist two types of tomatoes What you can grow: indeterminate It is determined. Indeterminate tomatoes are the most common type of tomato plant.
On vines, they continue to grow and produce fruit throughout the season until the first frost. Indeterminate varieties can grow from 0.9m to 1.5m high or more and require stakes, cages or trellises to grow upright. They also require pruning.
Already determined tomatoes are the best choice for vases. They are compact and bushy and stop growing sooner than vine tomatoes.
They produce a set amount of fruit that ripens over a period of four to six weeks, which is ideal for canning. Determinate varieties grow only 0.6m 0.9m high and do not require staking or pruning. Here are some of the best determined tomatoes for pots:
patio tomatoes: Perfect for patios.
Bush Early Girl: Good for slicing.
Tiny Tim and Little Bing: Dwarf cherry tomatoes that are good for snacking.
There are many other types available, just look for plants or seeds labeled “patio”, “compact”, “dwarf” or “bush” to ensure you choose a particular type that does well in pots.
Choosing pots for tomatoes
There are many types of containers you can use to grow tomatoes at home. A popular choice is a 5 gallon bucket with holes in the bottom. Wooden pots or metal pots are another good alternative because they are wider and tomato roots need a lot of room to spread out.
You can also try growing tomatoes in straw bales. When the season is over, just throw the used straw into the compost pile. The easiest option, however, is to grow tomatoes in pots.
Choose pots that are at least 30 to 25 cm in diameter – the bigger the better. Each tomato plant needs at least 30 cm to grow and produce fruit. Any smaller vase will dry out quickly.
You will have to water the plants more often, causing nutrients and minerals to be washed out of the soil. This will starve your tomatoes of the food they need to grow.
Choosing small containers to grow tomatoes in can also lead to inconsistent humidity levels. Inadequate moisture control can cause flower tip rot, fruit cracking and reduced yields.
How to plant tomatoes in a pot
Now that you’ve chosen your tomato variety and the right pot, it’s time to cultivate!
There are two ways to plant tomatoes. The first method is to grow tomatoes from seeds. Introduce seeds indoors 5 to 6 weeks before the end date of frost. When the seedlings are a few inches tall, set aside the strongest ones to plant in containers for the rest of the summer.
If you are looking for a faster and easier way to grow tomatoes, the second method is buy plants in the store. pick tomatoes compact and green with leaves free of stains or discoloration.
Whether you started your own seedlings or bought transplants, planting tomatoes in pots and caring for them is the same. All you need to grow your tomatoes is a good-sized container with drainage holes, potting soil, fertilizer made for tomatoes or vegetables, and your plants.
Fill a pot with the potting mix, leaving 2 inches of space between the top of the pot and the soil line. The best potting soil for potted tomatoes is one designed specifically for containers. Using a good potting medium will ensure that your tomatoes retain their adequate levels of humidity.
Remove the tomato plant from the container and gently untangle the clod to give the roots a head start and prevent them from becoming trapped in the pot. A good tip for planting anything, whether vegetables or flowers, is to water the plants well before transplanting. This eases the transition and gets them started right away in their new home.
Make a hole for the tomato and make sure all the roots are in the ground. Refill with potting mix, adding more as needed. Tap the soil to remove any large air pockets, but don’t tamp it down too hard.
Fertilizing potted tomato plants
A fertilization of tomatoes is very important for growing healthy and productive plants in pots. Since you need to water pots more often than beds, nutrients are flushed out of the soil faster. Therefore, apply a timed release fertilizer when planting your tomatoes to give it a boost.
After two weeks, start using a high-phosphorus water-soluble fertilizer weekly. Mix the fertilizer into the top few inches of soil and water well.
How to water tomato plants
Place the tomatoes in full sun and water daily, or more often as needed. Plants need a lot of water to produce juicy fruits.
Poke your finger into the top two inches of soil to check that the plants are dry and in need of a drink. A good trick to keep potted tomatoes from drying out is to use mulch or mulch to retain moisture. Whether you have a big backyard or just a porch, you can grow delicious tomatoes all summer long!
* Via Gardening Know How