Question about container size for tomatoes
Kristen Mott
3 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years agoHU-484845831
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
Beginner questions about tomatoes in containers
Comments (4)A quik tip, as others on here will help you quite a bit. Check out the 5-1-1, and read the container medium post in the forum. If you cant find pine fines and you are not up to making a mix, go ahead and use miracle gro soil if you must. Make sure plants are almost wilting from being underwatered before watering. I have plants that are in large pots with mulch, the only way to be sure they need water is to simply wait until they show slight wilting. Letting those potting mixes dry before watering is key. And it is ok to get miracle gro the leaves when watering. Try to water in the morning. Use miracle gro 1/2 strength or even 1/3 like a tsp per gal rather then the one table spoon it says to use. That way you never burn plants. Never add any more fertilizer thinking you will increase results, stay half strength. Next, I would not use shells for a calcium source. You may not need to add Ca if you use tap containing a good amount anyway. The use of both gypsum and epsom salts in the right ratios can give you the needed secondary macronutrients Ca,Mg,and S. You need to use them in the right ratio though. You can use a fertilizer that has everything in it like foliage pro from dyna gro-a 3-part from generial hydroponics, ect......See MoreQuestion about Container Tomatoes
Comments (10)For Bush Early Girl a 5-gallon bucket would be sufficient since the plant itself is very compact. For Celebrity, though, 7-10 would be better due to its larger size. For any plant larger than Celebrity, 15-20 gallons is much preferred. With any tomato plant that is grown in a container, it needs to have a high-quality soil-less mix and you have to be prepared to water often....up to twice a day in the hot summer months, and maybe 3 times a day if the temps are exceeding 105-110, which is rare but which does occur. Because all that watering leaches nutrients from the soil continually, you have to feed regularly with a good balanced fertilizer, avoiding those with excess nitrogen. You also cannot let the soilless mix dry out completely one day and then soak it with water that night or the next day to overcompensate, because those kinds of wide variation in available moisture can cause problems with the tomatoes themselves. Tomatoes grow great in containers as long as you pay careful attention to meeting their needs for food, oxygen and water. Otherwise, they will stall or die, will not produce many tomatoes and the ones they do produce will be of infereior quality. With careful attention, they'll be incredible. Finally, whatever you do, do not try to grow tomatoes in a soilless mix that is designed to hold extra moisture because the results will not be good. Dawn...See MoreBalcony Tomatoes, Soil and Container Size
Comments (5)I just don't think that 1 gallon is going to be large enough to get reasonable results. As the plant gets larger, the moisture retaining capacity of 1/4 cubic foot of potting mix will not be sufficient by time the roots are fully grown to support a mature plant. I found some 10 gallon size tote boxes on sale for about $3.50 each. Regular price is around $4.00. I know that you said that you don't want to spend more money on containers, but even a 2 gallon container is too small. Just in case you would consider trying the 10 gallon size (12"X18"x12 inches deep, I have a link to some pictures of a simple self watering grower that I built for around $5 bucks each. Good luck, chuck Here is a link that might be useful: tomato growing project...See MoreContainer Ted, Tell me about Tomatoes for Atlanta!
Comments (3)Dave, I'm not having any problems per se. I'm growing in raised beds and I have done what I can to increase the sunlight, including taking out several trees. The shade I'm getting now is primarily from neighbor's trees. I haven't done too badly this year. I averaged about 10-12 tomatoes per plant and have had two flushes of that amount so far. (The San Marzano's have more, but I've lost a lot of them to BER). With luck I'll get a third flush before frost. The reason for the post is that with the small garden that I have, I am less able to experiment than some. And I know that Ted plants a LOT of varieties. So my logic was that what has done well for him seemed like a good place for me to pick varieties from for next year. By the way I planted Arkansas Traveler based on some of your posts, so thanks for that, it was our favorite of 2009. Susan...See Moregardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoKristen Mott
3 years agoBlueberryBundtcake - 6a/5b MA
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoJohn D Zn6a PIT Pa
3 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)