skip to main content

Container Gardening

Best tomato for a container ?

Iris ( ranegrow ) z7 Maryland

14 years ago

Hi everyone ! I need some advice ! I am going to start a tomato plant from seed for a friend of mine who will keep it in a container on her deck so I would like to ask your opinion on which varieties of tomatoes do you think are best for a container ? Thanks !

~Iris

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (17)

briergardener_gw
14 years ago
I liked Taxi (they are yellow), determ.
colokid
14 years ago
New big dwarf did good for me. 2 to 3 foot tall and the rugose leaves made a very nice plant to look at.
Related Discussions
Best soil for Container tomatoes?
Q
Comments (10)
Irishtwinsmommy's suggestion of using "compost tea" was spot-on advise. I'm a hydro grower and I stumbled upon the most perfect hydroponic nutrient ever: compost tea manufactured from composted chicken manure. pH changes in hydroponics can be devastating. As it turns out, nutrient concentrate manufactured from organic composted chicken manure is self-buffering and holds the pH at or near 6.3, which is perfect for tomatoes (and strawberries -- we grow both). After much consideration, I posted the recipe for my hydro nutrient in my online store along with several other cool goodies. The link is my recipe. Relax, everything in my online store is FREE! By the way, after posting the recipe, several folks emailed me not being able to find EZ Green brand composted chicken manure and it turns out it's marketed only on the west coast. It's my guess that any brand of composted chicken manure will do the trick. Here is a link that might be useful: Build Your Own Self-Buffering Nutrient
...See More
Best tasting tomato for containers?
Q
Comments (12)
I too grow any kind of tom in containers; I use 15 or 20 g rubbermaid containers, many of which have two tomato plants in them. I have some determinates in 10 g round pots that I inherited. I absolutely loved Matt's Wild Cherry tomato; huge plant with great tasting, teeny tiny tomatoes. Right now I have fruit set on Beefsteak Marmanda, Cherokee Purple (Yay! first time growing it), MWC, and Stupice. Lots of flowers on the others. So far my plants are doing really well; I've got a basic potting soil (compost/sand/loam) amended with coir fiber, perlite, some slow release granular fert, bone meal, and greensand. I also fertilize 1x a week with ALgoflash. My plants look great. It might be a touch overkill but that's usually how it goes with container plants. I'm also using the water retaining polymers to help them through the dry spots (esp. when I'm on vacation and my housesitters water 1x a day in 100 degree heat...) Go for it! just have a big container and give them the goodies that they need (esp. staking). One more thing - I raised my containers up using some scrap wood, just to give them space to breathe underneath and allow water to more freely drain. My deck gets pretty hot.
...See More
Best variety of tomato & tips to grow in a container?
Q
Comments (28)
There's a lot of good stuff in this thread. I'd like to point out that I did not like the MG Moisture Control the one year I used it for my tomatoes. Strange things happened, including BER. I'm using a mix of 2/3 old potting soil and 1/3 new this year, which is normal for me, and feeding them every two weeks. I'm only growing three in pots this season, two Sungolds and one Black Cherry each in a 10 gallon container. I also have four pepper plants in a 7 gallon container, and I'm trying to grow cucumbers in a pot. (Damn squash vine borer killed everything last year, so nothing squash like in the garden this year.) Between the 10 gallon size, close attention to watering needs, and frequent feeding, those three cherry tomato plants will easily grow to 8 feet tall and produce WAY more cherry tomatoes than I need. If you've never grown plants in pots, but think you might have a reason to do so, I highly recommend it. I grow cherries in pots, because I find it easier to stay on top of the harvesting when they are on the front porch. When they are in the garden, they always seem to get away from me. It also lets me start them a couple weeks ahead of the main garden without fear of a deadly late frost.
...See More
Best soil for Container tomatoes?
Q
Comments (8)
Make sure before your purchase that you get soiless mix, i.e. potting mix not soil based potting soil. The reason is that the "soil base" potting soil holds too much water and will not be conducive to the growth of your tomato plants. If you choose potting soil please amend with Turface, composted pinebark fines and perilite. raise Your yeilds will be less than if you chose a soiless base. Raybo uses Standard MG Potting Mix 2 Cu Ft. bags in his Earthtainers if I'm not mistaken. I use amended Sta-Green Potting mix with composted pinebark fines and perilite and Turface. Then added to this mix Dolimite Lime, Boron, Sustane Fertilizer. George
...See More
sprtsguy76
14 years ago
Whats the size of the container?
colokid
14 years ago
Oh, OH, I just saw "on her desk" ????
Iris ( ranegrow ) z7 Maryland
Original Author
14 years ago
I don't think she has the container yet, I told her to get the biggest container she can find ... at least a 5 gallon size, the bigger the better ... I probably have at least 50 different varieties of tomato seeds in my seed stash but so far none of the varieties mentioned so far ... oh boy ...

~Iris
greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
14 years ago
Very good!
I grow a cherry tomat-o on my deck every summer. Last summer, it was Sweet 100 and Sungold.
I don't recommend growing two plants in one container, however. This year, back to one plant per pot.
I think I'm using a 15 gallon container, set in a durable, black plastic concrete-mixing tray.

I prefer a low acid tomato, personally.

Josh
tn_veggie_gardner
14 years ago
I just bought an 18 gallon Rubermaid tote thing. I want to put a few of my Sungold maters in it. Y'all think 3 is too many or can I maybe even put 4 in it?
wordwiz
14 years ago
Iris,

Why not ask what you should buy your friend for lunch? It would give about as much info as your question (no, I am not being sarcastic, just realistic). How big is her desk? How much space does she want to donate to the plant? What kind of light will it get and for how many hours a day?

Mike
dickiefickle
14 years ago
wordwiz

What does desk have to do with it ? OP said deck
woodyguthriefan
14 years ago
I planted Containers Choice Red from Livingston Seed Co. this winter and grew them under fluorescent lights in containers. The tomatoes are very tasty and the plants grow well in a 5 gallon pot. The mature fruits are about as big as a baseball and bright red. The plants have very thick stalks and thick stems and they grow to about 24" tall. The tomatoes are very good flavored. Well worth the effort whereas the Tiny Tim tomatoes were horrible tasting and not worth the effort in my opinion.
Iris ( ranegrow ) z7 Maryland
Original Author
14 years ago
My gf told me she would really like a red beefsteak type of heirloom tomato ... so is this doable in a container ? She is thinking about having a HUGE wooden planter box built on her deck ... Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and feedback so far ;-) I appreciate it .

~Iris
enestvmel
14 years ago
I would think as long as it's a big enough planter you can do pretty much anything as long as it's in a sunny enough spot. Needs lots of sun.
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
14 years ago
As long as she gets plenty of sun, any non-determinate of her choice will do well. Al
ykerzner
14 years ago
Try 'Patio' tomato - it grows well in a five-gallon container. For good taste and growth, try 'Terrific'.
marcos_2010
14 years ago
This is my second year with Tomatoes in 15 gal pots. I live in Hemet which is really hot in the summer. But the best beefsteak varieties for me have been Brandywine OTV and Beefsteak. These are indeterminate. I have had good success with Siletz and Manitoba of the determinant varieties.
marys1521
14 years ago
Last year I fell for the upside down tomato grower. I was not successful. This year I have fallen for The Earthbox. I'm going to use miracle grow potting mix. A friend has told me to add lime to the soil so I won't have end blossom rot. In the past in addition to blossom rot, last year some of my tomatoes turned very hard and developed a disease somewhat in the in the middle of the tomato. Please help!
obrionusa
14 years ago
Anyone try celebrity in a container? I bought some for my garden and was going to put one in a container for my girlfriend.

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Tomatoes

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant tomato seedlings in spring for one of the best tastes of summer, fresh from your backyard

ARCHITECTURE Houzz Tour: Fresh Ideas in a Former Tomato Packing Shed

A formerly metal-clad structure is now a beautiful wood home designed to capture the light and preserve open space

LIFE Kitchen Traditions: Tomato Season Meets a Family Legacy

By Tiffany Carboni

Somewhere a Sicilian great-great-grandmother is smiling at a bowl of American-made sauce

FARM YOUR YARD How to Grow Vegetables in Containers

By Annie Thornton

Get glorious vegetables and fruits on your patio with a pro’s guidance — including his personal recipe for potting mix

FARM YOUR YARD 10 Easy Edibles to Grow in Containers

By Marianne Lipanovich

These herbs, vegetables and fruits are just as happy in a pot as they are in the ground

CONTAINER GARDENS 10 Ways to Take Containers Beyond the Patio

By Olander Garden Design

Enliven your landscape with pots and containers

URBAN GARDENS Containers Make Growing Edibles a Cinch

If life hands you a lack of land, grow lemons — with a few basics, you can proudly reap the fruits, veggies and herbs of your labor

CONTAINER GARDENS 7 Deer-Resistant Flowers for Your Summer Containers

Grow these as protection for edibles or just for their colorful beauty — deer might not like them, but everyone else will

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING DIY Project: Mobile Container Garden

Get your garden going anywhere with a planter on wheels

FARM YOUR YARD Houzz Call: Home Farmers, Show Us Your Edible Gardens

By Stacy Briscoe

We want to see where your tomatoes, summer squashes and beautiful berries are growing this summer

Sponsored

More Discussions

How I Turned a Galvanized Stock Tank into a Stylish Planter

6

How to prune dracaena

0

Water plants exposed to the sun

1

Planting in small concrete planters

2

Needed plant for sun/shade deck

6