Can tomatoes survive in pots?

[winklerd]

Hello everyone. I'm still relatively new to the world of gardening. My parents have always grown tomatoes and cucumbers (and occasionally other things) and I decided I wanted to try my hand at it this year.

The only problem is: The back yard is almost completely shaded by 2 large trees (we have a small yard). The side of the house is a steep incline with a wall at the bottom. I was wondering if I could plant tomatoes (and possibly other veggies) in pots and sit them on the wall. Can a tomato plant spend its entire life in a pot?

Oh, and I rent this house with some friends. Major landscaping is, therefore, out of the question.

[slakker]

All our tomatos are grown in pots... there is also a very cool upside down planter that you can grow tomatos in.... they do very well and we get a pretty good harvest every year.

[Franco]

They totally do but the only thing I'd look out for is if they are indeterminate or determinate. My indeterminate cherry tomato plant was like 7 feet tall last year and I wasn't ready for that so they ended up plopping to the ground.


I think determinate tomatoes grow to 4 feet, but I'm not positive.

[TNgardener]

I just wanted to add that any tomatoe can live in an earthbox. They are a container with a water system. I really like them alot. They are excellent for tomatoes. There are also plans on the net to make your own cheaper ones. You have to add potting mix. (not soil) Potting mix will wick the water to the tomatoe. I have only posted twice and both have been about EB, but I don't work for them

[tomstrees]

Yup - with good soil, feeding, mulching, and watering
tomatoes can def. grow in pots!

~ Tom

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/tomstrees/Bashful%20Project%202007/Start2007Cont-72.jpg[/img]

[Zap]

Watch out for windy days & big storms though. When I grew in pots I had a few disasters during high wind storms that caused me to have to do "tomato plant triage", it was painful! Also, either start in BIG pots or be ready to keep transplanting - if the root system gets too congested growth will be negatively affected.

[blue2]

paste tomatoes.can they grow in a pot or container?

[Newt]

Blue, yes they can. Try and grow the determinate varieties.

Newt

[opabinia51]

Newt hit the nail right on the head there, Inderminate and Semideterminate tomtatoes can be grown in pots but, will be healthier in the soil.

Make sure to remember to still use a wooden stake to keep your vine propped up and you can use old nylons (borrowed from your wife or girlfriend if you are a man) to tie up your plants. They work better than that plastic garden tape that stretches and string cuts through the vines.

[blue2]

but can tomatoes like roma San Marzano ect .

[Newt]

Blue, you can search for each variety you are interested in at google. Just put in the search box terms like:
tomato roma San Marzano + determinate

and you can click on the 'cached' version to easily find the words. The 'San Marzano' is determinate so would be a good choice for a pot. Here's one of the [url=https://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:K_ilq5qSIAAJ:www.humeseeds.com/tmtovi.htm+tomato+roma+San+Marzano+%2B+determinate&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us]cached versions[/url] of the above search.


Newt

[opabinia51]

I have grown Roma tomatoes in pots, as have friends and family. When I grow Tomatoes in pots I grow them in a soil mix that is roughly:

1 part non sterilzed potting soil
1 part mushroom manure
1 part sifted non sterilized compost

they all do great.

The great thing about gardening is that you can always give something a try and see what happens. Just be sure that you give your plants lots of sun, and don't over water. (Don't underwater either)

Generally speaking tomatoe plants are very hardy, so it usually doesn't matter what variety you have, just give it a try! And look up the information the Newt has provided for more info.

[Burner]

I consider myself very picky about tomatoes. I looooove them, and I won't eat a crappy tomato. Last year one of the best tomatoes I've ever had came off a potted tomato plant.
Mind you, the pot was huge, basically it was half of a big wooden barrel, and the tomato was picked off the vine and handed directly to me, and then instantly eaten.

I had tried growing tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets for years, with mixed results. This year I'm going with extra large containers, see if it makes a difference.

[nan1234]

Another important thing for growing tomatos in containers is watering. On a sunny day outdoor, you may need to wather the container twice a day. Or you need a water reservoir under the container. Water once every day for indoor growing.

[img]https://www.themomentstudio.com/gallery/image/mygarden/red_tomato3.jpg[/img]

[opabinia51]

Yes, that is true. What I do is check to soil in the morning and in the evening to see if the plant needs water. Plants in pots will need more water than plants in the ground.

You can decease the amount of water you plant will need in the pots by adding compost made from mostly leaves or even better leaf mold that will hold onto about 300 to 500 percent more than it's own mass of water. Leaf mold also contains a myriad of both macro and micronutrients that your tomatoe plants will feed on.

Thanks Nan!

[native]

Nana that was a great video. started to grow some in pots this year and hope they look a great as yours does.

[scleedmd]

how do you know which ones are determinate and which are indeterminate? [size=18][/size]

[opabinia51]

Nursery staff should be able to tell you. It's hard to tell just by looking at seedings.

But try looking at this:

https://gardening.wsu.edu/library/vege008/vege008.htm