Ever wanted to be the boss of your life? Will you be able to create? Well, that won’t make you the master of the universe, but healthy tomatoes in pots will be lots of fun and give you a sense of accomplishment while very yummy! You don’t need to have a large yard. Whether you are at home or in an apartment, you can still have success with container gardening. The key ingredient is the sun.
Your success actually depends on 2 most important things: sun and water. Choose a location where your plant will get at least half a day of sun. Check it out this weekend- See the spots you’re thinking of at 9am, noon and 3pm. If 2 out of 3 are sun, you have a winner. Note that the biggest change can be when the leaves come in, creating shade in an area that is now sunny.
There are many advantages to growing in containers. With containers, or a small sunny spot, freeze them. We grew enough basil in one apartment pot to provide a perennial supply of pesto 4. We found enough sunny spots on the shady side of the property for a nice tomato supply. Be creative! You only need 2 square feet per pot. If there is not a lot of sun, not a lot of tomatoes!
Once you’ve figured out how much sunny area you have, it’s time to decide what to plant. Tomatoes are great choices because they grow well in containers and produce enough in a small area to make it worthwhile. an attempt If you have the space, you may want to try more than one type of tomato. Cherry tomatoes produce wonderful fruit in a pot, and can be popped and eaten fresh off the plant. The first is a very exciting feeling, like Tom Hanks in Castaway, “I made fire!” The time from planting cherry tomatoes to eating is about 65 days, so you can enjoy them in the middle of summer.
The plum option is also great. They are more edible than the larger varieties, which you can use for chopping or cooking. They are great for cooking as the seeds come out easily and you are left with lots of stalks!
For the size of the tomato Susceptibility, Burpee has a morning girl that promises fruit in 49 days! These are nice, regular tomatoes in medium size. Growing times will be up to 70 days depending on the variety. The tags on the plants usually give you the hook on how long they take to yield tomatoes.
One note of caution: the leaves are poisonous if eaten in any quantity, do not use household pots if you have children or care that may eat the leaves.
Questions planted answered:
Should you start from seed? For some reason, seeds can be difficult. For the lowest price of plants, it is well worth buying plants from a garden center or online. Look for healthy plants- a nice green color. The leaves should not turn yellow either. Look for sturdy stems, multiple stems, short and thin rather than tall and thin. Avoid plants with white leaves or bugs. Check carefully for bugs by looking at the underside of the leaves.
When should it be planted? You have to wait until you make sure that there is no frost at night. Even if the plants don’t freeze, their growth will be stunted and they won’t really recover, so be patient. I used a rule of thumb on the New York subway, it’s May 15th, and it’s always been safe. So settle down to your place.
What kind of pot? That’s about all you need a pot if it’s big enough. Clay is always a good choice, and the earthy look works with any home style. Anything with drainage can be used as a pot, but if you are a home gardener, make sure you put on some kind of display. a bowl underneath to catch excess water. Also, make sure that the pot is off the ground so that the drain hole can easily drain the water.
I bought 30 aluminum tubs- the kind you’d put beer in at a party, and they look great and do the job. It is considered to be a poor choice of metal, so only metal in a more northern climate should be used. It heats up and cooks the roots in warmer places. The absolute minimum size should be 12 inches across the top. For tomatoes, 24 inches is better. The minimum depth should be 16″. Something about the size of a kitty litter container or spackle bucket works well.
How do I install drainage? If there are no drainage holes in your container, this is what you need to do. Make life easier and buy a pot with a drainage hole if you can. If you fall in love with a vessel without a hole, you will have to drill a few holes or drill, (which requires the right type of drill bit for the container the material becomes) or hammer a solid amount of nail through a few spots to make holes. If you are making holes, place the pot upside down and drill or hammer into the pot. Be careful what you do with the pot or you’ll end up with cracks and ruin.
You need drainage material in the pot. I love a packet of peanut butter or soy, and I save when I get packets so I can use them in my pots. Since I have about 40 miles, I also buy peanuts in bags at Staples. You can also use gravel or small stones to stir the pot once it is filled. Put a few ounces of material at the bottom of the pot hold weight a> of the continent, and I receive help.
What about the plants? When you put the material in the potting mix, add the soil. Fill the top of the pot, and making one hole in the top of the pot, is your plant. When you water a plant, the soil is packed, so start with deep soil.
I’m a huge fan of adding dehydrated cow manure to the pot for nutrition (I’m not saying yuck, it’s just grass left over from cows!) If you do large pots, it’s worth a read. a small bag- but NOT if they contain containers!
When the soil is in the pot, dig a hole in the middle and tomato plant bury the plant deep enough. leave only the stem and the leaf above the soil. This will give you a more productive plant. If you have to buy a tall and nervous herb, plant it and bury the long parts with the roots, leaving the leaves above the ground. After planting the soil firmly around the plant, give the pot a thorough watering. Make something under the pot to catch the drainage if you are at home.
You wait for the next one. Water for a few days, but be careful not to overwater. Consistent watering is key- never wait until the plan is over.
Once the plants are a foot tall, they fertilize once every 2 weeks. You can add a bucket of dehydrated cow dung and stir it into the soil. Or buy commercial foods, either organic or inorganic, as you prefer. About water every other day. water well, but the water should not spill over the bottom of the pot. Water, wait a few minutes, and add more if it is not moist enough. Constant watering is the key to a successful container garden.
Once you see the yellow flowers, eureka! You will have tomatoes. Do not touch, do not disturb, the tomato flower will be. Go ahead, count the flowers – you’ll be amazed. The flowers represent the time of fertility every week.
Now, keep watering and fertilizing and one day you will see tiny green tomatoes where the flowers were. Then they grow in their fullness, and then they blush; To pick them, take the trunk with one hand and twist the tomato with the other hand. If you hold and twist firmly and the tomato does not go away, it is necessary to leave it on the plant for another day or two.
Once picked, do not refrigerate, or the flavor will spoil. Use them for a day or two reading. then store bought will not save because they are created for taste, not for storage.
Don’t save seeds for next year seeds do not grow even in the second year.
Enjoy your crop and note what worked well and what didn’t, so you can remember when you plant next year!
Report:
- www.burpee.com/; www.cce.cornell.edu/http://www.answers.com/topic/bob-the-tomatohttp://www.gardensonli
