Conditions For Growing Tomatoes In Pots
If you want to grow tomatoes indoors it's the sun facing window that really matters. They definitely need a lot of sun!
If you have an area that gets
plenty of sunshine, whether it is in a greenhouse, a conservatory, that
famous south facing windowsill, then you can certainly grow
your own tomatoes indoors.
If you decide to grow your container tomatoes outside on a patio or
balcony choose a spot that gets a lot of sun as well. The spot should be
sheltered from wind
otherwise the plants can fall over when they are big and top-heavy.
Growing Tomato Plants in Pots or Growbags?
Tomato grow bags have become very popular in countries where they are
available and are ideal for growing tomato plants in a
against a sunny wall. The plastic keeps the soil moist with very little
attention from you.
But they are not, of course, really suitable for that windowsill!
Growing tomatoes in pots is a much better alternative for growing
tomatoes indoors, on
a patio, or for tomatoes that will need to be moved to catch the sun.
A tomato planter does not need to be deep. Tomatoes are shallow rooted
plants and a wide shallow pot is better suited to their needs. It
should be filled
with a good general purpose compost before planting.
Fabric Grow Bags - Better Than Plastic Containers!
the special Aeration Fabric of these pots allow roots to breathe and grow healthier
- helps to improve yields and overall health of the plant
- better root structure improves drought tolerance
Keeps the roots cool in the summer and insulates them in the winter
no circling and pot bound root balls
- less risk of transplant shock.
Should You Grow Tomato Plants From Seed Or Buying Plants?
Tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow from seed as
anyone with a compost heap knows! One tomato on the compost heap will
give dozens of
little tomato plants.
Growing tomato plants from seed: So, if you live in an area
with short winters, it is well worth growing your own seed by pressing
half a dozen seeds
into compost in a five inch pot and , once they have germinated, leaving
the strongest plant and weeding out the others (If you are like me,
transplant the others to other pots!) Once the little tomato is six
inches high, it should be transplanted to its permanent pot.
Buying tomato plants: If however, you live in the frozen north
and the growing season is short, you may well be better advised to buy
strong tomato plants that have been started in a heated commercial
greenhouse. Also, if you have never grown tomatoes before, it may be
buy plants in your first year.
Types Of Tomatoes
Tomatoes can be either bush tomatoes, which require very little staking or pruning or vine tomatoes, which are grown on a single stem up a stake
and need to have extra growth cut off.
Growing tomatoes in containers is probably easier with bush tomatoes since vine tomatoes really need a strong
stake pushed deep into the ground to support the plant.
Grow Your Own Organic Garden with SeedsNow
✓ Pure NON-Genetically Modified seeds
✓ 100% NON-Hybridized seeds
✓ 100% Heirloom/Open-Pollinated seeds
✓ 100% Raw & Un-treated
Care Of Tomato Plants
Growing tomatoes in pots means that you have to look after all their
requirements. The soil has to be kept moist. Tomatoes HATE being
and getting their leaves wet so just water the soil, not the plant.
Once the tomatoes are flowering, the flowers need to be fertilised by
insects before the tomatoes can produce fruit - so, if they are on that
or in the conservatory, make sure you open all the windows to let those
useful insects in!
As soon as the fruit starts to form, give the tomato plants a liquid
feed - you can buy tomato fertilizer from garden centers. This is a
food which encourages the fruit growth.
When the plant has between 6 and 8 trusses of fruit - little bunches -
pinch out the top of all the growing stems so that the plant stops
and concentrates on its fruit.
Check out this page for more tomato growing tips.
What would you like to see next?