Discover Container Gardening with Tomatoes by Cyndi Roberts An easy, proven way to save you money while providing good nutrition for your family! You don't think you have a green thumb? That's OK--you don't really need one! Just a little knowledge and info to get you started!! Those of us who live in rural areas have a decided advantage over city and apartment dwellers. We can nearly always find room for a vegetable garden even if it's a small one! But even if you don't have an acre or two of land to play with, don't despair! You can still supplement your grocery budget with fresh veggies grown in a container garden--even if the only space you have is on your patio! Tomatoes are about the easiest vegetables to grow. They come in all sizes: from bite-size cherry tomatoes to great big beefsteak tomatoes. And tastewise, store-bought tomatoes just can't compare to vine-ripened! The first step to starting a container garden is to locate your container. You can use almost anything. A half-barrel, the kind you see for sale at garden centers, works great. You may have plastic buckets already on hand and these can work, too. If you use buckets, usually one plant to each bucket is enough. And keep in mind, one plant can produce a lot of tomatoes! Just put a layer of rocks in the bottom of your chosen container for drainage. Then fill with quality potting soil about 2/3 thirds of the way full. Tomatoes are best grown from seedlings. Most garden centers, discount stores, and even some grocery stores have these in stock in the spring. Remove the plant from the plastic pot it comes in by squeezing the bottom of the pot to loosen the soil and gently lift it from the pot. Carefully loosen the roots a little as sometimes they tend to be a little root-bound in the small pots. Dig a hole a little bigger than your plant ball and just set your tomato into the hole right up to the leaves and fill all around with more potting soil. Of course, you must water the plants to make them grow! Your tomato plants will respond well to regular feeding. Apply a liquid fertilizer once a week. Once your plants are larger, you may need to stake them; however, if you are growing the "bush" variety, they won't need to be staked. Once your plants are bearing, you may find yourself with a surplus. Whole tomatoes can be frozen for use later on in soups and casseroles. Just wash and put in sealed plastic bags and place in freezer. When you're ready to use them, let them thaw partway so the skin can come off and they're ready to go in the soup pot! If you prefer to freeze your tomatoes already chopped, just dip each tomato in boiling water for about 10 seconds. Then the peel will pull right off. Chop the tomato, put in bags and freeze. Here's a good vegetable soup recipe for using frozen tomatoes. Combine 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped tomatoes 1 can new potatoes, drained and chopped 1 can sliced carrots, drained 1 large can tomato sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1 3/4 cups beef broth Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, to let flavors mingle. Add salt and pepper to taste. About the Author Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the bi-weekly newsletter "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another", bringing you practical, money-saving tips, recipes and ideas. Visit her online at http://www.cynroberts.com to subscribe and receive the Free e-course, "Taming the Monster Grocery Bill". Comment on this article >> .
I am just about ready to do some container tomatoes myself! I have my seedling started and can't decide how big to let them get. I have about 10 little sprouts and am running out of deck space. The package said that the larger the pot, the larger the plant ... hmmmm Thanks for this article, I can't wait to have fall tomatoes!
I am going to try and grow some tomatoes indoors over the winter. Maybe they will grow, maybe they won't. So far the tomatoes in my actual garden are going nowhere. 4.5 feet high and not one tomatoe in sight. Flowers everywhere but no go on the tomatoe. Oh woe is me
tomatoes in pots I grow my tomatoes in pots or tubs. They are doing well. Usually during the summer they don't produce much but they are under a tree that keeps the sun mostly off of them. I have several different kinds and the small patio tomatoes are doing the best right now. I've been picking the tomato worms off daily though. Darn things! Dooley
Where do those nasty worms come from anyway? They are the biggest reason I have not tried tomatoes before, I didn't want to deal with them! yuck!!
tomato worms They are the larva for a big moth. I don't remember which one. I cut the whole stem off and then, I drop a huge rock on them and watch them splat!! Dooley
Container Veg This is a great start for me. I have a brown thumb. It's not something I'm proud of, just aware of. But I love fresh veggies because they taste so much different than the "cardboard" you buy at the store. I also have a bad back and cannot do all the soil prep and weeding and bending, etc. I was wondering if it might be possible to grow some veggies like lettuce, green beans, tom's, potatoes, and the like in containers. I could get one of those short wheely-sitting-kneeling-thingies and go at my pots. If one dies or gets buggy, out it can go, away from the others. Whaddya think? (I know, extra watering.)
Hi there HGPgal. EJ may be along in a while to answer your questions. She's a dab hand at growing tomatoes and other salad crops and veggies and is sure to have plenty of good advice for you. If she misses this post then why not PM her as I know she'll be more than happy to help you out.
