I'm hoping to get some help on my tomatoes. This will be the first time I have ever grown tomatoes. I've got a Lemonboy ( around 12-14" tall ) and a Porterhouse ( around 9" tall ).
I am planting them in pots. Right now their containers are about 3 1/2 by 3 1/2.
Any suggestions on pot size? Also, would morning sun or afternoon sun or all day sun be best?
Thanks
Pot size for tomatoes??
EJ, Hopefully some of our expert container growers will chime in here on this for you.
I don't grow in containers, but if I were to do that, I would go as large as I could for a container. At least one the size of a 5 gallon bucket. In order to have any kind of crop, you will need a large container.
As far as sun goes, if you have all day sun available, use it. Good luck! Cyndie
I hope to get all the info. and advice I can get, so I hope some expert container growers, tomato growers, Texas growers, etc... :):)
I'm thinking about a 10 gallon tub.
Thanks Cyndie
Sounds good. You need at least a five gallon for tomatoes. Just be careful you don't over water if you transplant now.
Using a ten gallon would allow room to plant a couple of basil plants on the outer edges or some some small variety of marigolds. Make sure you put in drainage holes! I usually place a coffee filter over the drainage holes and add a layer of crushed stone. After you plant your tomatoes, you can add a bit of mulch on the top to help keep it from drying out as quickly. I think keeping the proper moisture is the biggest challenge.
Hope this helps,
Sue
Porterhouse is a semi-determinate tomato (3-4 feet tall) which sets with several 1 pound fruits (http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/30724/ PlantFiles entry). I would give it a 7-10 gallon pot at least.
Lemon Boy is a large indeterminate tomato (6-8 feet tall). ( http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/30940/ PlantFiles entry). I would give it a 15 gallon pot.
I'd look for good potting mix/soil at local nurseries. You might get lucky and find Jungle Growth, Pro-Mix, or MetroMix. Miracle Gro Potting Mix (not moisture control!) is also fine. Garden soil, bagged top soil, or the 99 cent bags of "potting soil" at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc. are mostly sand or too heavy and will produce poor results. Tomato roots need loose, fluffy soil to breathe and grow properly.
Shredded pine bark (not super-black or dyed red), peat moss, and no more than 10% compost make good additions to container soil. A 'strip' or scattering of slow release 4-7-10 or 10-10-10 fertilizer on top of the soil is beneficial as every time the plant is watered, it will get some fert. Add more when fruitset is heaviest.
If you have a choice over sunlight, I think morning sun is better as it A) dries off the leaves if there have been overnight rains and B) afternoon sun is hotter and tougher on the plants. As long as you get 6-8 hours of sun per day that is great.
Adding gravel/rocks really has no effect on drainage, but can be useful to weight down the pot so it does not blow over in Central Texas winds. Make sure to drill a hole about 6" up the side of the container in case the bottom holes get blocked.
P.S. There are some good answers in your other thread in the Tomatoes forum as well ( http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/833878/ ).
P.P.S. Hope to see you at the South East Texas Tomato Fest ( http://www.settfest.com/ ).
This message was edited Apr 15, 2008 2:39 PM
Wow!
Thanks for all the info. and advice. Like I said, this is the first time I've ever tried growing tomatoes. I need all the help I can get. Thanks!:)
Somehow I think you'll do just fine. One of the best tomato crops I ever had was planted by the MOTH who knew absolutely NOthing about tomatoes or gardening. Beginner's luck? Or just not overthinking the whole affair? Everybody's climate is different and I'd look for some advice from your County Extension Service.
http://sanangelo.tamu.edu/dist7.htm
tomatofreak- my neighbor who gave me the tomato plants works at the County Extension Office. How funny. Thank you for the link. She offered little help when I told her I'd never grown tomato plants. I never knew that site was there. It looks like it might be helpful. Thank you for the lead.
There are some strange recommendations by county extension services such as high nitrogen fertilizers at planting out time and when plants are setting their heaviest fruit. And I would rather get a few good tomatoes off of each plant that dozens of tomatoes which are similar in flavor to grocery store tomatoes. Most county extension services recommend trouble-free but flavor-light varieties such as Bingo, Carnival, Celebrity, Heatwave, etc.
Good luck. I've found planting calendars, master gardener manuals and all sorts of good stuff on Extension sites. Some people don't communicate well, no matter how much they know! ;o) If I lived close to feldon, I'd be a real pest. There's somebody who knows and knows how to share.
When I first got into gardening, I drove people crazy (and made a few enemies) because I tried to read everything I could, come to a consensus, and draw conclusions -- all in my first year. Apparently this is a big no-no in gardening! It's supposed to take years and years to get good at it.
I come from a technology background where one reads enough information about a subject that they can tinker their way towards workable solutions. There is a lot more black-and-white. It has taken me a long time to shift gears from "this is what works" to "this is what works for me". :)
When I used to post matter-of-fact observations, inevitably someone who had experienced the opposite would always be there to set me straight. ;)
My LemonBoy has a baby tomato!!! I sure hope I can make it grow and become something:)
You might want to stake it so the vine won't break in case of heavy wind or rain.
I grow all my tomatos (heritage and hybrid) in 18-22" containers in the greenhouse. I mix a good potting soil with manure. I do pot them up (re-potting to bury more stem) at least 3 times so they have a large root and deep root structure when they go into their final containers. I feed once every 2 weeks and everything produces well til November when we no longer have enough natural light. I took a course in March and was told the most common mistake with tomatos in containers is over watering. When I first started I used to check with a moisture meter to determine how often to water. It's really dry here so the surface can be dry and cracked but the soil still moist around the deep roots. Hope this helps.
edit: mine are in full sun
This message was edited Apr 17, 2008 4:20 PM
I use 16" pots for patio tomatoes. They turn out great. Home Depot has some 18-20" plastic tubs with rope handles that are perfect for containergrowing. Only $6.00
I appreciate all the help and advice. I think I might need to stake it b/c west Texas winds can be crazy. We had wind gusts up to 25 mph yesterday. All my flowers are on the top of the plant. I don't want it to get top heavy!
My little tomatoe is growing though and I hope to keep it healthy, ALIVE, and growing. :)
I'll use all the knowledge yall passed on to me.
These are in 18" containers. They will probably get about 3'- 4' tall. These are called better bush. The tomatoes are in the far left 2 containers.The others are broccoli planted 4/1/8, and Naga Jolokia grown indoors and plated when 4" tall.
I'm sorry I forgot the pot sizes was 14" for tomatoes and the rest are 18". I am not sure how small you could go for yours.
I'm growing some using the $4 orange home Depot buckets. I drilled some holes in the bottom. Also trying a few Earthboxes this year.
I would also drill a hole or two about 4" up from the ground as an overflow.
Good idea, feldon30. I have a container that's got consistent problems with drainage, in spite of the fact that it does have holes in the bottom. Next time I get the drill out, I'm going at it!
I have grown many tomatoes in 5 gallon containers or grow bags. I also grow peppers in 3 gal pots both in the greenhouse,
agood source for container growing tomatoes is the greenhouse forum..Cricket is especially helpful when reading her posts and looking at her pics.
dahlianut...what do you feed them? I gave mine a manure tea yesterday and I am also guilty of over watering..
I was thinking of placing an upsidedown 2ltr pop bottle(with bottom cut out) near the plant and fill the bottle so I can monitor the amount of water... anybody ever try this??
Gord in BC
Feldon thanks a bunch for that tip!
"If you build it, they will grow..."
This tomato plant is growing like it's on steroids! It's in an eBucket! that I made according to the directions at the link below. No chance of over- or under-watering it. I modified the drill sizes just a tiny bit (mostly 'cause they're the sizes the DH had lying around the garage)
I used the following:
3-3/8? hole drill for the center hole. I used a small plastic, 4" flowerpot for the wick-holder. It drops down in to the center hole PERFECTLY. I also cut 4 vertical slits into the side of the pot after I packed it with potting MIX!!! (NOT SOIL -- NEVER SOIL!!!) . A 12 oz cup was too tall for the reservoir.
1-3/8" hole drill for the fill tube in the bottom of the soil bucket and in the lid for the soil bucket (or whatever makes a hole to fit your 1" PVC pipe snugly. Don't overshoot that hole or your soil will fall through when you put the fill tube in...
5/8" bit to drill the holes in bottom of the soil bucket
5/8" bit to drill the overflow hole in the reservoir (bottom) bucket (1/4" below the bottom of the top bucket when it sits inside the bottom bucket).
Also, I cut my PVC pipe longer cause I found 18" a bit short. I think I went with 20". Next time I'm going with 24". Once the leaves start growing around the tube, it gets hard to reach if it's short!
Don't forget to mix 2 cups of Dolomitic lime into your potting MIX!!! ( NOT SOIL -- NEVER SOIL!!!)
Don't forget to pour 2 cups of fertilizer (slow release, and all numbers below 15) in a 2" trench ring around the edge of the soil bucket, away from the stem of the tomato (which would be in the very center).
I truly just LOVE to promote these eBuckets!!! They're easy-to-make, great, practical, economical, space-savers, and can be FREE (I picked up my last set from the shoulder of the freeway one morning on the way to work).
Hopes this helps, guys.
P.S. Ladies, I made 3 of these in 30 minutes one evening after work, with NO help from the DH...If I can do this, you can too!
Linda
P.S. Let me know how it turns out for you, if you decide to build some!
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