tips for tomatoes in containers

[Anonymous]

I've never had success with tomato plants in a container, but my neighbor just gave me two cherokee purple plants and I'd love to succeed this year. I really need to do a container because we don't have much sun in our yard. Tips?

[Anonymous]

Get the largest containers you can find. Cherokee Purple can get gigantic.
Use a good potting mix, add some good fertilizers and make sure they have good supports and are well-watered.

[Anonymous]

I like self watering containers. Try putting some egg shells in to help with blossom end rot.

[Anonymous]

Put some dolemite lime in the container mixed in with the potting mix. Plenty of fertilizer (I get the granules and put it into the soil). Gravel on the bottom.

As much sun and heat as possible. Plenty of water but have good drainage.

[Anonymous]

No, not as much sun and heat as possible.

Too much sun can result in sun scald on toms, they actually like a little coverage from the crazy afternoon sun. If you have a spot that gets strong morning sun and then is shady in the afternoon, your toms will do fine there.

Too much heat will stress the plants and they won't flower and pollinate = fewer tomatoes. Above 90 degrees and most toms won't set fruit.

Containers are fine but make sure the roots aren't baking inside metal. The trick is keeping containers consistently watered -- don't let it stay wet but don't let them dry out. Takes daily attention.

That's why toms do much better in the ground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like self watering containers. Try putting some egg shells in to help with blossom end rot.

+1. We had a couple plants that we couldn't fit in the garden so I threw them in containers but forgot to add eggshells or lime, and noticed yesterday that all the green tomatoes forming on one of them had blossom end rot. Honestly, next year I'll just give the extras away instead, growing in containers is high maintenance!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like self watering containers. Try putting some egg shells in to help with blossom end rot.

+1. We had a couple plants that we couldn't fit in the garden so I threw them in containers but forgot to add eggshells or lime, and noticed yesterday that all the green tomatoes forming on one of them had blossom end rot. Honestly, next year I'll just give the extras away instead, growing in containers is high maintenance!

Another +1 on the self-watering containers. I make my own with 10 gal buckets http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Dearthbox-A-low-cost-self-watering-planter/ . Tomatoes like consistent watering and being watered from the bottom. These are fabulous.