Growing tomatoes is very easy. You can grow them in containers like pots, hanging baskets, window boxes and planters etc. You can place containers on rooftops, near windows and even indoors to add alluring look for your home.
The container should have enough space for plant growth. So that, the roots grows well and absorbs all the nutrients and water to provide better yield.
You can grow smaller varieties like cherry tomatoes in window boxes or hanging baskets. Larger tomato varieties requires a minimum of 20 liter container for its growth.
Selected pot with dimensions 12 inch width and 12 inch depth is suitable to grow all varieties of tomato. Selected pot should have drain holes to remove excess water.
There Are Two Types Of Tomatoes:
Determinate Or Bushy Tomatoes:
Determinate tomato varieties are meant for growing in pots. They grow upto 2-3 feet in height and will not lose the balance like indeterminate varieties.
Prefer staking method for bushy varieties because it prevents the plant to lose the balance due to overweight of tomatoes.
When plant grows completely then you observe the growth of tomatoes.
Some Of The Determinate Tomato Varieties Are:
- Scarlet Champion
- Oregon Spring
- New Big Dwarf
- Patio Princess
Indeterminate or Vining Tomatoes:
They grows up to 8-10 feet height and always requires support to grow.
Pruning shoots halts the growth of unnecessary foliage and results in increase in the size of fruit.
Some Of The Indeterminate Tomato Varieties Are:
- Mortgage Lifter
- Big Rainbow
- Giant Pink Belgium
- Goliath
Indeterminate varieties are not suggested to grow in window boxes because they obstruct with view of your balcony or windows.
Most Gardeners Grow These Varieties Of Tomatoes To Grow In Containers:
- Pixie
- Big Boy
- Toy Boy
- Tiny Tim (Even Suitable for Hanging Baskets)
- Flora Gold
- Micro Tom
- Stakeless
- Early Girl
- Patio
- Tumbler (Even Suitable for Hanging Baskets)
- Garden Pearl (Even Suitable for Hanging Baskets)
Requirements Of Tomato Plant For Growing In Containers
Potting Soil:
Grow tomatoes in potting soil because it holds the moisture. Potting soil is well drained and aerated.
Mix the potting soil with compost to grow plant healthily. Tomato plant grows extra hairs at the base of stem, cover them with soil.
After covering with the soil these hairs grows into roots and absorbs the nutrients and water.
Growing from Seeds Or Young plant:
You can grow tomatoes either from seeds or from young plants bought from nurseries.
For beginners its better to choose young plants for growing tomatoes. Growing tomatoes from seed requires lot of preparation and time.
Staking:
Practice staking for growing plant healthily.
Sunlight:
Tomato plant requires 6-8 hours of direct sunlight. So, place your container in the area which is having proper access to sun light.
Watering:
Water the tomato plants regularly. During hot and dry seasons, plants requires lot of water when compared to normal seasons.
Tomato plants growing in hanging baskets dry out very quickly when compared to pots. So, water the hanging baskets based on its requirements.
Adding water storing crystals helps in absorbing excess water during watering and slowly releases the moisture in accordance with the plant requirement.
Fertilizer:
When your plant starts flowering then use water soluble fertilizer by which you can supply fertilizer is in the time of watering. You can use organic fertilizers like seaweed, bone meal and fish meal etc.
How to make your own organic fertilizers
How Many Plants For Pot?
If you are growing tomatoes in pots, grow only one plant for each pot.