Growing Tomatoes in Containers

As an avid (crazed) tomato grower and consumer, I have spent much of my vegetable growing time looking for more successful ways to grow tomatoes. Tomatoes are challenging to grow in our part of the world because of the myriad of diseases that can impact them. I’m a big proponent of growing in raised beds compared to growing in a traditional plot of land. Improved drainage, not compacting the soil by walking upon, and the ability to grow more per square foot by not having to leave space between the plantings to walk, are just some of the benefits of raised bed vegetable gardening.

Container growing especially for tomatoes maybe the best option. How can container growing surpass raised vegetable beds? 1) Containers are cheaper than the wood required to build a raised vegetable bed. 2) More location options-you need a sunny spot of land to build a raised vegetable bed but you can put containers in many more locations that wouldn’t be practical for a raised bed like decks, walkways, driveways and patios. 3) Mobility-you can move containers around if needed, once you fill a raised bed with soil you are mostly likely remaining in that spot as it requires much effort to relocate a raised bed. 4) Soil replacement is much easier with a container compared to a raised vegetable bed and with some diseases like southern bacterial wilt, soil replacement is a must. 5) More disease free-raised vegetable beds are a significant improvement over planting directly into the soil because of the improved drainage, the correct type of container will drain better than a raised bed. I firmly believe poor drainage contributes to the development of many of the tomato diseases we battle each year. The stress that poor drainage puts on plants makes it easier for diseases to get established. This has been one of the biggest reasons why raised beds have been such an improvement over planting directly into the soil. Since containers can drain better than raised beds I’m slowly becoming convinced that containers are the way to go for growing tomatoes and growing tomatoes is 90% of my interest in vegetable gardening.

The KEY to growing in containers is using the correct type of container and correct size container. Black nursery pots like trees and shrubs are grown in work perfectly. They have 7 or more holes in the bottom and you don’t need to put rock or gravel over the holes to stop soil from plugging the holes like you must when using a container with only 1 or 2 holes in the bottom. If you look around you can usually find these containers for free. Even if you had to buy them they would still be cheaper than buying the wood to build raised beds.

Size of container is critical for success. I find that people who have moderate or little success growing tomatoes in containers are using TOO small of a container. When growing regular indeterminate tomatoes like Cherokee purple, Sun Gold, German Johnson, etc…, you need to use a 25 gallon container. Basically ½ of a whiskey barrel. Yes you can use 3,5,7,10,& 15 gallon containers and have some success; however the smaller the container the quicker the plant becomes root bound which affects drainage which leads to plant stress which leads to disease problems. When using too small of a container your fruit may not grow as large, may not fruit as frequently and certainly want fruit for as long a period of time as using the 25 gallon container. Yes the 25 gallon container requires more soil which is costly but do you want to have success or not!

The dwarf tomato project’s goal has been to provide more options for producing tasty tomatoes on compact plants. The dwarf growth habit makes them ideal for containers. I’ve grown dwarf tomato project tomatoes in 3,5,7,10 & 15 gallon containers over the past 10 years. Some success is possible in 3 or 5 gallon containers but I recommend using at least a 7 gallon container with a 10 or 15 gallon container being a better choice.

Supporting tomatoes in containers is still necessary. Store bought or home made cages will work as long as you prepare for the ultimate height of your plants. Because of the improved drainage from using containers, your plants will require more frequent watering and more frequent fertilization than raised vegetable beds.
Try growing tomatoes in containers, just make sure to use an appropriate size container. Track me down and I’ll give you some of my “Gerald’s Lightning” dwarf tomato project plants. They will make your eyes roll back in your head. I get hungry just thinking about them.

geraldandhenrysplants@gmail.com