Growing Tomatoes In Containers

Tomatoes are the best vegetables to plant in containers. There are three types of tomato plants: determinates: which grow to about three feet and stop; semi-determinates, which can reach five feet before they stop growing, and indeterminates, which are really vines that grow until disease or frost kills them. All fruit from determinate and semi-determinate plants is harvested within a thirty day period. The harvest goes on all season with indeterminates. Plant the type that suits your needs. Any Tomato will flourish in a container. The ideal size pot is a fourteen inch diameter tub that holds ten gallons of soil, but vining varieties bearing small cherry tomatoes can be grown in ten inch wide hanging baskets. Add a half cup of time-release fertilizer to the soil in each container. Push support stakes or tomato cages into tubs before planting. Indeterminate tomatoes may outgrow cages in warm climates, so position their containers next to a trellis or fence for later support.

Start Tomato seeds indoors about six weeks before the last spring frost, or purchase transplants from garden stores. Strip off all leaves on transplants except the top four leaves, and plant them deep in containers so that only the remaining leaves are above the soil line. Roots will form along the buried stems. Place containers outdoors in full sun after the last frost. Tomatoes cannot tolerate cold or frost for they are tropical plants. Keep soil constantly moist, but avoid wetting the leaves. Dry foliage deters fungal diseases. Fertilize every two weeks. After the first fruits form, scratch two or three tablespoons of blood meal or two teaspoons of ammonium sulfate into soil. The nitrogen boost makes for bigger fruit. Don't forget to check out our tomato gardening tips to help make your container garden even more fruitful.