Growing Tomatoes in Pots

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)

Habit: Trellis, Cherry, and Plum.

Cultivars: The following tomato cultivars are recommended for container gardening.  Most are indeterminate (trellis or vining) except for Celebrity and Small Fry.

Improved: Better Boy, Better Bush Improved, Big Beef, Celebrity, Early Girl, Park's Whopper, Terrific

Cherry Type: Juliet, Small Fry, Super Sweet 100, Sweet Million

Plum Type: Viva Italia

Trellis Type: Tropic

Always choose varieties with disease resistance.  Fusarium wilt is a common disease that can destroy an entire tomato crop.  Many varieties are resistant to this disease.  This is indicated by the letters VF after the cultivar name.  VFN means the plants are resistant to Verticillium, Fusarium and nematodes; VFNT adds tobacco mosaic virus to the list.

Seed or Transplants: Both

Pot Size: Medium-to-Large

Water: Water regularly, allowing soil to dry out between waterings.

Comments: Tomatoes come in a wide range of sizes, tastes, colors, harvest times, growing habits, and purposes.  They are also available in your choice of a wide range of heirloom (mostly true from seed) and varietal hybrid types in trellis (i.e., spreading or indeterminate), bush (upright or determinate), or patio (compact ultra-determinate).  Add to all of that a multiple of colors and sizes, and it’s no wonder that tomatoes are among the world’s most suited vegetables for container growing.  They are also among the easiest to grow and are valuable garden plants in that they require relatively little space for large production.  Each plant, properly cared for, yields 10 to 15 pounds or more of fruit.

The varieties of tomato plants available may seem overwhelming, but they can be summed up by several major types:

1. Midget, Patio, or Dwarf tomato varieties have very compact vines and grow well in hanging baskets or other containers.  The tomatoes produced may be, but are not always, the cherry-type (1-inch diameter or less).
2. Cherry tomatoes have small fruits often used for snacking or in salads.  Plants of cherry tomatoes range from dwarf (Tiny Tim) to 7-footers (Sweet 100).
3. Compact or Determinate tomato plants grow to a certain size, set fruit, and then gradually die.  Most of the early-ripening tomato varieties are determinate and will not produce tomatoes throughout the entire summer.  Because of their compact habit, they make excellent container candidates.
4. Beefsteak types are large-fruited.  These are usually late to ripen.
5. Paste tomatoes have small pear-shaped fruits with very meaty interiors and few seeds.  They are a favorite for canning.
6. Orange or Yellow tomatoes may only be available to you by growing your own
7. Winter Storage tomatoes are set out later in the season than most tomatoes and the fruits are harvested partially ripe.  If properly stored, they will stay fresh for 12 weeks or longer.  While the flavor does not equal that of summer vine-ripened tomatoes, many people prefer them to grocery store tomatoes in winter.

Seeds: Plant seeds to a depth approximately twice the thickness of the seed, water, and tamp soil firmly.  Cover pot with a clear plastic container or wrap, and wait for germination.  Keep soil moist but not saturated, and keep pot out of direct sunlight to avoid overheating.  Uncover at the first sign of sprouts.  Thin to approximately one plant per six square inches when second set of leaflets form on plants.

Transplants: Remove all lower leaf stems except top two levels.  Place plantlet diagonally in a trough three inches deep in the soil, leaving only the upper two levels of leaves exposed, and tamp firmly.  Roots will grow from the covered plant stem, as well as from the plant’s root ball, creating a stronger, healthier, more drought-resistant plant.

Soil: The desired soil pH for tomatoes is between 5.8 and 6.5.  Tomatoes are heavy feeders.  Use a starter solution for transplants and feed throughout the season with a low-nitrogen fertilizer to encourage greater fruit production and less foliar growth.

Insects: Watch for spider mites and aphids in particular, as well as green horn worm, if plant is kept outdoors. Solutions: Spray plant with biologically friendly non-detergent soap mixed with water (1T per gallon water).  Worms may be picked off and disposed of by hand.  Wear gloves if you’re squeamish.

Diseases:  Fusarium wilt, which attacks and can kill young plants, is a notorious fungal problem, although in recent years, the susceptibility to the wilt has been greatly reduced in modern varieties.  The disease is first marked by the yellowing of older leaves, then bright yellowing from top to bottom of the plant, often affecting only one branch.  Sometimes the leaves droop and curve downward.  Infected plants most often wilt and die.  Solutions: Use Trichoderma harzianum, a harmless additive, as a soil drench to suppress root pathogens on newly sown seeds, transplants, and established plants.  Also, use only sterilized garden or potting soil of medium alkalinity (pH 6.5 to 7.0).  It’s a good idea to keep your plants well ventilated, either naturally or through use of a small electric fan to keep the air around the plants circulating.

Health Benefits: In the arena of food and phytonutrient studies, the star of the show over the last decade or more has been the lycopene in tomatoes.  This carotenoid has been the subject of numerous studies for its antioxidant and cancer-preventing properties for years.  The antioxidant function of lycopene helps protect human cells and other physiological structures in the body from oxygen damage and has been linked in human research to the protection of DNA (our basic genetic material) found inside white blood cells.

Another antioxidant role played by lycopene is in the prevention of heart disease.  In contrast to many other food phytonutrients, whose effects have been studied only in animals, lycopene from tomatoes has been studied in humans for years.  The results show that it is a powerful combatant to a wide range of cancers, including colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic.

While lycopene may play an important role in the growth of healthy tomato plants, it isn’t the only shining star that gives this food a growing reputation for being on the front line of defense against disease.  Recent research suggests that scientists are finding a wide range of nutrients in tomatoes—and not merely lycopene—are responsible for promoting human health, with additional studies being launched daily. 

Ready for the Kitchen: When fruit is fully formed and deep in color.  May also be harvested green before the first killing frost and allowed to ripen at room temperature (not refrigerated) for up to eight weeks, although I have in the past ripened some in this manner for up to four months.  It takes 55 to 105 days to maturity depending on the tomato variety, so know what you’re planting in advance.  Pick fruit when it is fully vine-ripened but still firm.  Picked tomatoes should be kept away from direct sun. 

Annual Savings: Approximately $130 per year per person on average.

Check out From Container to Kitchen: Growing Fruits and Vegetables in Pots by D. J. Herda. Or get the Kindle Edition Here.