Tomatoes Love Growing in a Container – Learn The Benefits
Tomato plants are quite capable of being grown in a container, often indoors, avoiding the need for an outdoor garden.
Growing a tomato plants in a container has many benefits. This technique of growing is well suited to those without a garden or who are short on space. Locations that receive plenty of sunlight are ideal for the placement of the pots, as this will help sustain the growth of the plant. Patios, backyards and window sills are suitable.
The containers or pots can be moved around between the sun spots, thus ensuring the plants receive sufficient sunlight, which is about 6 hours per day. Growing your plants in pots or containers has the added benefit of reducing or eliminating the need to weed!
Although some varieties do better than others, most tomato varieties can be grown in container pots. You should consider growing tomatoes that do not become too large. Tomatoes that grow to a smaller size are known as determinate varieties. You would expect these to achieve a height of between 30-60 cm (1 to 2 ft).
Tomatoes grown in a container tend to all ripen at once so to prevent being left with too many surplus tomatoes, growing small varieties reduces that risk.
To ensure success, it is also often better to choose a tomato variety that has a lower water demand. The keep the soil from drying out, a tomato plant needs about 2-3cm (one inch) of water per week. Keeping the soil moist in a pot can often be a challenge. Picking the correct kind of container for the tomato plants is the key to maintaining moist soil.
Growing tomato plants in a terracotta pot, with sufficient room for the roots to grow, is ideal. Selecting a pot with drainage holes at the bottom is important to ensure adequate drainage. To avoid root rot by assisting with drainage, it is a good idea to place a layer of rock or stones at the bottom of the pot.
Using the right kind of soil in the pot helps keep the soil moist. Tomato plants grown in a pot do well in a soil-less mix of sphagnum peat, perlite and vermiculite. Be sure to add some organic fertilizer to the soil mix an mix well in the pot. Because tomato plants are usually heavy feeders, a slow release fertilizer should be used. You should add this fertilizer about every two to four weeks.
Growing your own tomatoes is truly enjoyable. Fresh organic tomatoes that taste better than those you can buy in the shops is your reward. Having a small or no garden at all, is not a hindrance to growing tomatoes, given the ability to grow tomato plants in a container.
