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. Over thirty years I have succesfully 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. I'm sure what variety they are - everything seems to grow easily enough to me. I germinated them indoors in march and grew them on under glass in the warm. There were far to many plants for me alone so I gave away the surplus. They went into the garden after the frosts had finished and I was picking Tomatoes in July. My tomato plant still have plenty of tomatoes on them, it has been a good year. There were a few differences with the pot grown tomatoes that are worth mentioning.

 

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.

 

1. 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. You also need a big container to have enough depth for the support canes. I used standard clay flower pots as I like the look of them but just use any large containers you have.

 

1. Water your tomatoes even if it rains.

 

We have had a dreadful summer in the UK this year and it has rained constantly. I checked the pots grown tomatoes more regularly as they sometimes seem to be underwatered. The plants in the veg plot did not need this. I think what happens is that the leaves do not let the water get to the pot. They almost protect the pot from getting wet. Not all the water gets through to the plant roots. I always checked them morning and evening.

 

1. 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. They do not need such close attention and still give plenty of fruit.

 

1. 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. Some people pick their tomatoes when green and ripen them under glass but I like them to ripen on the vine. By taking the leaves off you can get bigger tomatoes.

 

If you have missed this tomato season then I encourage you to plan ahead for your tomato growing in 2009. Pots and containers are excellent for growing tomatoes so give it a try. They are a lot of fun and be grown on any sunny spot you have.