Veggies in pots??

kwill3104

I am thinking of planting tomatoes for the first time this year and need some advice.  I have decided to do them in pots since I'm a little worried about my soil.  Does anyone know how many plants I can put into each pot and how large the pots should be?  I was thinking of doing cherry tomatoes for sure, but I also might do a larger size for sandwiches, etc.  If anyone has done veggies in pots and had success let me know!

nitaw

I did grape tomatoes last year in a pot with a lot of success. My larger variety (I think I did Better Boy), didn't do as well. Tomatoes will need larger containers. I put my grape tomatoes in an 18 in diameter container; larger varieties will need a larger container. 

Also, the soil in containers will dry out faster. During the heat of summer, you'll need to water them daily. We have hot summers here (90+ weather starts in late May thru late Sept), so I had to water my plants twice a day in the summer heat.  

Lilac022

I would not put more than one plant per pot. Tomatoes are big plants!

uncannycanuck

Only one tomato plant per pot.

Small varieties (grape, tiny tim, yellow pear) might grow in something around 2 gallons. Bigger varieties would do better in even bigger pots.

Water often! Tomatoes use lots of water, and pots dry out fast.

Make sure they're somewhere pollinators can find them, or else pollinate yourself by touching all the flowers with your finger once they bloom. As long as they're outside, it should be fine, but for people on balconies or growing indoors, it can be an issue.

SpceCadet

Like everyone else has said, I agree with one plant per pot and the bigger the pot the better.

 Beware of over watering.  Too much water, especially in pots, will cause root rot.  I'd pick up a moisture/ph sensor to both check the ph and the moisture (I found mine for under $10 at Walmart last summer).  Often I find that my pots have bone dry soil on the top, but just below the surface it's super wet.  As long as the roots are moist, you should be fine.

Also, when planting in pots, it's a good idea to put some rocks in the bottom of the pot (to aid with drainage) and to make sure the holes in the bottom are clear and raised off of the ground. 

mmremshard

I grew a grape tomato plant in a container last year and it did great....until we went on vacation and I forgot ask someone to water it (oops...). It got a lot bigger than I expected and produced enough tomatoes for me to eat all summer (H hates tomatoes, so I got them all to myself).

I agree with the others. One plant per container is probably the limit as far as tomatoes go.

madladybride

To add to PP, when you plant the tomato, I also add either newspaper or dried leaves before putting the plant in. This helps with fertilization. The newspaper/leaves break down and add nutrients to the soil. It also keeps them from drying out.

Lastly, you want to buy determinate tomato plants, which grow to a pre-determined height and are better for containers. Indeterminate can run out of space in pots.

scatterbrainliz

I'll throw my two cents in too.  Do not buy unglazed clay pots as they dry out much faster than plastic pots.  The bigger container is best growing tomatoes as their root system needs room to spread out.  Throw crushed eggshells in the hole where the tomato will be planted.  Once plants get established water with some milk so your tomatoes don't develop blossom end rot.  Water your tomatoes in the AM and early PM but not after dusk as the water will collect and kill your plants.  Don't forget to cage the tomato or offer some type of support structure.  I would advise you to put the container on top of a saucer caddy so you can move the container around.

jinxed8605

We do better boys in 5 gallon buckets. Three plants per bucket.

blue_elle

Check out this site - she's got a rooftop garden so everything is growing in pots. Lots of info on tomatoes as it seems she grows tons of them. We're setting out on our first year of gardening in our courtyard space where everything will be in containers and I've found this site to be a great resource.

 

http://www.yougrowgirl.com/index.php