Many people prefer growing tomatoes in containers to
growing them in a garden outside. The method works great and is especially
suited for those with little space. It is the perfect solution for those
that can't have gardens because they live in apartments. The pots can be
placed on windowsills, patios, in the yard or anywhere there will be enough
sunlight for sustained tomato growth. This can be as little as 6 hours of
direct sunlight a day, and the pots can be moved around during the day to
accomplish this. Because you can move them around, you do not need to have
one spot that has sun all day long. It also cuts down on the time you would
need to weed an outdoor garden.
While just about any kind of tomato can be grown this
way, some will do better than others. Pick one of the smaller varieties.
Tomatoes grown in pots tend to ripen all at the once. This makes having
smaller sizes a plus because you're not as likely to have more than you can
use at one time. Tomato plants require roughly an inch of water a week to
keep the soil moist. Because it is hard to keep the pots moist, it is a good
idea to choose tomatoes that require less water than others. Choosing the
right kind of pot can also help with this. A good choice is a terra cotta
pot that gives the roots enough room to grow. You want to make sure it has
holes in the bottom for drainage. Put a layer of rock in the bottom to help
with drainage and keep the roots from rotting. Using the right kind of soils
also helps keep the pots moist. Potted tomato plants do well in a mixture of
sphagnum peat, perlite and vermiculite. Mix a scoop of organic fertilizer to
this. Use a slow acting fertilizer because tomato plants are heavy feeders.
Every two to four weeks you want to add more fertilizer.
Tomato plants are easy to grow, and successfully
growing them in pots is just as easy as growing them in an outdoor garden.
There is nothing like being able to pick your self-grown tomatoes, and of
course if you have guest for dinner it is always nice to be able to say the
vegetables came from your own garden. Fresh organic tomatoes that you grow
yourself also taste much better than those you buy from a grocery store.
