Tomato Container Gardening

Growing tomato in containers

Many gardeners do not envision tomato container gardening but a tidy, well-tended patch of ground that covers acres and acres with row after row of fruits, vegetables, and herbs that produce something to harvest every single day of the year.

Still other gardeners don't have such grand illusions. Instead, the big garden seems too much work or there just isn't the space to indulge in such a project.

It's possible to do an excellent job of tomato plant gardening on a much smaller scale that even includes an ample supply of the much sought-after vine-ripened, homegrown tomato, that legendary earmark of a prosperous gardener.

Smaller scale gardening often means a container tomato garden, especially when the only sunny spot is a balcony, back porch, or unsuitable plot of land.

If you're plagued by thin, rocky soil or an uneven slope that makes the ground too dry on top and too wet below, a tomato container gardening may be just the trick you're looking for.

Tomatoes like a rich, highly organic growing medium, which is quite easy to achieve in a container tomato garden. Just purchase commercial compost or composted manure from a nearby garden supply center and don't worry about the limitations of the ground itself.

Make sure each plant in your tomato container gardening has about a gallon of growing medium in which it can establish some nice, strong roots. When growing tomatoes in pots or buckets they should have at least one drainage hole so water won't accumulate, turn sour, and damage your all-important root system.

Water is important to tomato container gardening, perhaps even more so than for tomatoes planted directly in the ground. There is no hidden underground water supply for these water-loving plants to tap into so you'll need to make sure the water stays evenly moist in the container, never too dry or too wet, so do not worry about how much gallons of water it takes to grow a tomato.

One way to ensure success in your tomato container gardening is to provide a saucer below each pot to catch some of the water after you've watered. Some of it will drain through and run off but you'll want some to stay behind, to seep slowly and deeply into the soil.

The saucers below the pots are so important to some people who enjoy impressive success with container tomato gardening that they always water the plant from below, directly into the saucer, instead of pouring water from above, on the surface of the soil. The theory is that water below will draw the root system deeper and more firmly down into the pot to reach the water so that the root system will become strong and hardy in container grow tomato plants.

And the best way to ripening your tomatoes in the house is using a paper bag; if you want put an apple with your green tomatoes. Just make sure the room is warm enough

Tomato plants, even those tomatoes growing in a container, love an acidic environment and evenly moist soil. To ensure both conditions are maintained effectively, mulch your container tops with a mulch that has a high acid content, such as pine needles, dried grass clippings, or straw.

There's no reason for the harvest of your tomato container garden to be any less tasty than that gleaned from a large, expansive plot of ground. And your back will thank you, too, especially when the containers are placed in easy reach.

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