How To Grow Your Tomatoes In Pots
Since we all don’t have enough room to set-up a traditional tomato garden, either because our backyard is too small or that most of us live on an apartment where there is no yard at all. Growing tomato plants on a pot is a wonderful way for you to have a small garden of tomato.
Just prepare a spot with enough space for the pot, and where enough sunlight can peek through. Here are some helpful tips on how to start planting a pot-grown tomato plant.
First, you have to look for a spot that has at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight in one day, or if possible, more than that. Then consider these important things that you need to watch for in order to grow a healthy container-grown tomato plant.
Choosing the Right Pot – A typical terra cotta pot with diameter of 12 inches or more is strongly suggested for tomatoes. This is needed in order to make that sure your tomato roots have enough room to grow.
You also need to ensure good drainage so to avoid its roots to rot. Therefore, pick a container that has drainage holes at the bottom part. You may also add a layer of rock right beneath so to keep the holes from draining. Many alternatives for a standard clay pot are available now, but one common example is a barrel.
Deciding Tomato Varieties – Choosing which variety of tomatoes to grow is as important as choosing the right pot. The biggest challenge in a pot – grown tomato plant is the ability to keep the plant adequately watered.
Therefore, choosing a variety of tomatoes that has a lower need of water is very important in keeping them stronger for over the hot dry summer months. A number of varieties sold as a patio tomato are determinate, which means that these plants may grow to a certain size and then stop, but they only bear fruits for just a few weeks.
Similar in size are the “dwarf indeterminate” types of tomatoes that are smaller, stockier growth pattern, but will bear fruits for a much longer time. Some good varieties are the Patio, Pixie, Tiny Tim, Tumbling Tom and Small Fry. These types of tomatoes have the added advantage of not needing enough support or staking.
Soil – The key is to put lots of organic matter in order to help retain soil moisture. Another common alternative is by the use of a soil-less mix of sphagnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite so to avoid any concerns brought about by soil borne diseases.
This is also a better option to retain the moisture in your soil. Plant the tomato plants relatively deep, up to the very first set of leaves. This is to help develop the strong root system that these container-grown plants need.
Fertilizing Tomatoes – Tomatoes are one of those types of vegetables that are “heavy feeders”, so you need to mix it in a slow acting fertilizer during planting time, and then add a side dressing of fertilizer in every 2 to 4 weeks.
Just follow all these tips, and you will surely have a healthy pot-grown tomato plant in your apartment.