Well friends I come again for help. As most of you people know,I live in an apartment with a balcony that get FULL sun in the Summer from noon till sundown. Last year I planted 2 plants in one of those totes to little success. This year I plan to do it different and I need to know how big should the containers be for 1 tomato plant. I have a self watering planter which is 13.9" in diameter x 10.63" high. It looks like it will work,but I need to ask. So far I have 2 plants to put in thanks to Mart. Any help will be appreciated as this weekend its supposed to get to 80. I can't wait. sleep warm ed
Ed, the minimum size for one tomato plant is 5 gallons. If you can get a bigger container, that's even better. Bush type tomatoes and cherry tomatoes do best in 5 gal., and sometimes you have to prune the cherry tomato plants. I think your 14"x10 1/2" planter may be a bit small (but would do great for a bell pepper plant!). If Mart send you the plants, you may want to rent a field to put them in (she's a great gardener with a green thumb all the way up to her elbow!).
Ed, I agree with Jane that the container seems on the small side for a tomato. Try looking for PATIO marketed plants for your container. If you PM me your address I will send you a few Cherry Falls tomato seeds. This is a new variety that is for containers that I bought this year and I have more seeds than I need. You are welcome to them if you want a cherry tomato. I'll TRY to post a pic of what they look like in a little bit or some time this evening ( I am having a hard time with the card slot reading the camera card or a programming glitch of some kind = not many pics are getting posted by me until I can get this fixed). I have them in 12" hanging baskets in my greenhouse. Bush champion is a larger bush type tomato if you need/ want a larger fruit, but you will still want to have it in a larger container than a 13" pot. Cherry Falls hanging basket tomato ( photo / image / picture from carolyn keiper's Garden ) Here is what it looks like Ed. ( photo / image / picture from carolyn keiper's Garden ) This is the Bush champion,(Sorry for the cluttery looking back ground the house is bursting at the seams).
Hey Ed,, whats the largest pot you have ?? Just give me the height of it from floor to top and width across the top and I can figure it !!
pot size Mart Other than the tote I used last year,the largest pot I have so far is 13.9" in diameter by 10.63" deep. Your Petunia in in its new home doing GREAT, and tomatoes go in this weekend as its been WAY to cold and windy here. I have the tomato plants outside in the sun against the building to guard from the winds. I can't wait till this weekend when it gets warm outside and I can work on all my babies and plant the toms. Hope you are well,and I have to leave to cook dinner. sleep warm ed
Go ahead and use the tote if its the biggest you have and it drains well. Might have to do some heavy feeding but that should work.
DEFINATELY use a 5 gallon bucket for tomatoes! Can buy some at any hardware store; make sure you punch drainage holes in the bottom; use a GOOD potting mixture to fill them; plant your tomatoes in that. Watering twice a day may be necessary..seeing the sunlight they'll be having..DO fertilize weekly..with a TOMATO FOOD.. as container soils have a tendancy to "leech" nutrients with each watering, need the revitalization to keep them going. As in any location, matching the plant to the growing conditions is necessary, plus what you want from them. Cherries seem to do well no matter what but can be an almost invasive spreader. What's classified as "determinate" (grow upward instead of out) PATIO tomatoes are the best suited for your purposes..will only grow to a certain height; will BEHAVE and yet offer a nice crop of red tomatoes to eat once established and fruiting (basic size is approminately 4 inches in diameter, could be plenty of them depending on variety.) I've found the Grow Bags don't cut the cake..sound GOOD but leave a LOT to be desired, just like the "hanging" tomato bags. If you don't like the idea of WHITE plastic 5 gallon containers, spray paint them with a color of your choice for the time being..it's gonna PEEL off no matter what in a few years, looks GREAT at the time tho'! Hope I helped you...Weeds N Seeds
