4 Top tips to Grow tomatoes in containers and pots
I decided to have a go at growing tomatoes in pots this year and have been very pleased with them. My garden plot has always produced a good crop year on year. I have always had success with tomatoes grown on the ground. But growing my tomatoes in containers is anew departure for me.
The comparison between the pot grown tomato and those in the ground.
I grew 2 varieties this year moneymaker and an Italian cherry tomato variety. These seeds came with a vegetable magazine. I started off the seeds indoors in march and let them grow on in my conservatory. I always have far to many plants and ended up giving most of them away to friends. They went into the garden after the frosts had finished and I was picking Tomatoes in July. As I speak in late august I still have many fruits to pick so it has been a good year. The plants grown in containers have had similar results but I have noticed 2 differences.
Firstly the moneymaker tomatoes were slightly smaller than the ones grown on my plot.
Secondly there were not quite as many cherry tomatoes in the containers.
Other than that the results were very similar. The taste of your own tomatoes is fantastic and you will never eat better. For the container grown tomatoes
I did treat them differently and with a bit more care.
Make sure you put tomato plants in a really big pot.
I like the root systems to have plenty of room and not become pot bound. Your tomatoes need a big pot of at least 10 inches in diameter to have enough room for the roots. I used what I had to hand which was red terracotta pots but you can use anything as long as it is big enough.
Water your tomatoes even if it rains.
We have had a dreadful summer in the UK this year and it has rained constantly. I still found that the pot grown tomato plants were wilting a bit if I didn’t check them for watering. This is not needed for tomato plants grown on the ground. The pot is protected by the leaves of the tomato plant and the water cannot get through to it. Very little water gets to the root of the plants. I always checked them morning and evening.
Be ruthless with pinching out side shoots on the tomato plants.
I only pinch out once or twice a season when growing tomatoes in the ground because they seem to do fine. I have done quite a bit of trial and error over the years. The moneymaker tomato plants in the pots were regularly pinched out throughout the season to make sure that I had a good large crop. I never bother pinching out cherry tomatoes. They do not need such close attention and still give plenty of fruit.
Remove excess foliage once you have the tomato fruits.
I have always done this to tomatoes and do not know where I picked this tip up. I take away all the excess leaves to allow the sun to ripen the fruits better. I prefer the tomatoes to ripen on the plant and this helps speed up the ripening process. Removing the leaves also gives you slightly bigger tomatoes.
Growing tomatoes in containers
If you have missed this tomato season then I encourage you to plan ahead for your tomato growing in 2009. Try growing tomatoes in containers this year instead of just in the ground. You will love the sense of acheivement from finding a sunny spot and growing these tomatoes.
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