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. I also have my beloved plot with tomatoes growing in the ground.
Over thirty years I have successfully grown tomatoes in my garden plot. 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.
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I sowed the seeds in March 2008 and grew them on in my conservatory in 6 inch pots. I always have far to many plants and ended up giving most of them away to friends. Once the risk of frost had gone I set them out in the gardener and in my containers and within a month I was picking tomatoes.
As I speak in late august I still have many fruits to pick so it has been a good year. I did notice 2 slight differences between the containers grown tomatoes and those in the ground.
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. You may not know that the taste of home grown tomatoes is far superior to shop ones. For the container grown tomatoes
I did treat them differently and with a bit more care.
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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 use standard clay terracotta pots but any wide and deep container will work fine.
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. The plants grown in the ground do not need this.
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. So I made sure to check them often.
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 learned this through trial and error. The moneymaker tomato plants in the pots were regularly pinched out throughout the season to make sure that I had a good large crop.
With cherry tomatoes there is no need to pinch them out as they provide plenty of fruit naturally. You can leave them alone safe in the knowledge that with regular watering they will give a good harvest.
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. Once you have all the tomatoes set on the plant remove any leaves that are hiding the fruit from the sun. Some people pick their tomatoes when green and ripen them under glass but I like them to ripen on the vine. Removing the leaves also gives you slightly bigger tomatoes.
If you have missed this tomato season then I encourage you to plan ahead for your tomato growing in 2009. Grow some in pots and containers as well as in the ground. They are a lot of fun and be grown on any sunny spot you have.
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