Have you ever grew tomatoes in a pot

**Palooka** · 03-23-2009, 12:40 AM

Years ago I did this but can't remember how. lol. Our backyard has really no place for a garden and I was thinking about trying to grow tomatoes like in a clay pot. It would sit on my deck outside of the screened in porch.

I was just talking to dh about this last night. I want a garden of some kind this year!

Also tomatoes don't come up to around July here. Any tips on the right time to plant them or tips for a pot?

TIA

**Must-Stash** · 03-23-2009, 11:50 PM

I've grown them. The pots need to be pretty deep and wide so that the plant can be staked if it needs to be. The soil composition should be fairly heavy in order to tolerate the weight of the plant as it's growing. Good drainage is required. If the pot has a saucer to sit in you can fill it with extra water after watering the soil. That gives you a little more leeway between watering. I have to water every single day because my deck gets very hot. Full sun and heat bouncing off the house, windows and sliders will fry the plant if not watered daily.

Don't fertilize the way you would an inground plant. The plant will get too strong and the weight of the fruit will leave it vulnerable to wind damage, even with a cage or staking.

I mulch mine to keep the soil most. I'd avoid beefsteak type of plants. The cheery ones or roma's do very well.

Good luck.

**Palooka** · 03-24-2009, 03:19 AM

Thank you so much for the great tips. I think I would love to do Roma ones so that would work out good.

Our backyard faces south so I would have to water daily.

**pinetree** · 03-24-2009, 11:44 AM

We grew some tomatoes in containers last year.
We just mixed potting mix, some dirt, or top soil and put it in a home depot bucket. We have straw in the bottom for drainage, you could put in a few rocks, or I have a friend who uses crushed pop cans. Make sure you drill or cut some holes in the bottom for drainage. Plant your tomato, and then we just put in a tomato cage.

We grew sweet 100's and Tumbling Toms, they were both alot of fun, and we had alot of salad tomatoes. Make sure you water them, we had to water twice a day, in the heat.

We picked these up on the clearance table at walmart last year, I think in july, we paid .25 each. You don't need to spend alot of money on pots either, look around the house, you might have something there you can plant in.

The kids want to grow carrots and radishes in pots this year, so your not just stuck with tomatoes either.

**rsbs** · 03-24-2009, 11:48 AM

yep. And ditto the advice above. I would also go with a bush variety... like a roma to keep the size under control!

**suki** · 03-24-2009, 11:48 AM

Five gallon buckets work great!

**kellieetter** · 03-24-2009, 02:29 PM

Great ideas! I will try to plant a variety of things in pots as well!

**Grainlady** · 03-24-2009, 10:01 PM

I like "patio tomatoes" over other varieties for pots/planters/buckets because they yield a nice size tomato without having a large plant to contend with. I'm using the planters that grows tomatoes upside-down this year.

http://www.gardeners.com/Gardeners-R...efault,cp.html

**RetiredVeryEarly** · 03-25-2009, 12:37 AM

5 gallon buckets are indeed a great size for tomato plants. Having holes in the bottom is essential. Putting something special (rocks, straw, etc.) in the bottom to improve drainage is pointless. Whatever you put, roots will grow around them, so it is wiser to just put in more of the nutritious soil mix. I have grown tomatoes in pots with a mix of about 60% compost, 25% garden soil, and 15% crumbled aged horse manure. In a big pot the holes for drainage are essential, but it is okay of the soil is heavy and includes clay soil. You just won't be able to pick up the pot. :-) Pots that are outside dry out quickly if you are in a location with much sun or heat, which is most parts of the U.S. in the summer.

**Must-Stash** · 03-25-2009, 04:04 AM

Every color of pepper grows super well in pots. I find them easier to grow. They need just as much watering and everything else the tomatoes need, they just don't get as tall or as burdened with the weight of the peppers. If I had too many peppers weighing the plant down, I'd just pick them while they were still green and leave others to get red, yellow, etc. If you do it like that you don't need to even plant the green ones because they all start out green.

**YankeeMom** · 03-25-2009, 07:41 AM

I grow tomatoes in big empty cat litter buckets (the big 35lb containers). I've had really good luck with them. I buy organic potting soil (at the dollar store no less) and put them where they will get LOTS of sunshine.

**ncarr** · 03-25-2009, 07:50 PM

i am going to grow cherry tomatoes on my patio in containers this year

**hazystargazer** · 03-27-2009, 09:19 AM

I plan on growing tomatoes in a container this summer too. I have the seeds and the 5-gal pot...anyone know when/if I should start the seeds indoors? Fairly soon, maybe? I'm in northern Indiana, so I definitely can't put them outside yet...