There's nothing better than a fresh, home grown tomato in the summer. If you're not growing your own by now, you should really start — tomatoes can be grown only in the ground, but also in a container or even a hanging basket. Once you've gotten all of your ingredients planting your own tomato garden takes all of about 5 minutes — find out how to get started after the jump.
What You Need
Materials
Organic Tomato Seedlings (we love Sun Gold and Purple Cherokee)
Natural Organic Potting Soil (We use Black Gold)
Large Pots (over 14" diameter & 12" deep, with drainage holes at the bottom)
Water
Natural Fertilizer (optional - we use a fish emulsion)
Tomato Cage
Tools
Watering Can (optional if no water spigot is available)
Scissors (optional)
Instructions
1. Purchase organic tomato seedlings from a a reputable source (if you're not growing from seed) such as a green house, farmer's market or small local garden store. Heirloom variety is best, and if you're planting more than one seedling, pick a variety of sizes, styles and days to maturity so that you get tomatoes throughout the season.
2. Fill your pot with natural organic potting soil — using good, healthly soil is particularly important for vegetable gardens, so that you produce healthy, edible foods. Fill pot so that there is only about 2" to the top of the rim.
3. Using either scissors, or just your fingers, clip off the branches of the bottom half of the seedling.
4. Scoop out the center of the pot to make room for your plant.
5. Take seedling out of container and place into pot deep enough so that it is buried half way up the stalk. This is important for getting a stable, healthy plant. Add additional dirt if needed.
6. Water plants thouroughly — basically you can't water too much, but you can water too little.
7. Add name tags, continue to water plants about every day and use natural fertilizer if wanted. Add tomato cages when plants are getting large and need additional support.
8. Repeat with any other vegetable seedings (we love cucumber and basil) and enjoy eating your own home grown produce!
Additional Notes: It really is best to plant more than one seedling, not only to get a variety of types of tomatoes, but also becuase you'll want them throughout the summer and they grow at different times, and also because there is a good chance that one of them might not make it. We always grow at least two varieties — a larger size and a cherry tomato, but after you give it a few seasons you'll figure out what your favorite varieties are and which ones are easiest to grow.
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(Images: Rachel Wray)
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re: #7 - Fertilizing plants grown in containers really isn't an option, it's a requirement, especially for tomatoes! Potting soil doesn't contain the nutrients that actual soil does, so you need to fertilize once a week for the best results. I swear by fish emulsion - the tomatoes especially love it, but I've got monster elephant ears and zucchini on my deck that are also digging it.
I will have to try the fish emulsion! Currently I have the veggie Miracle Grow, which is good, but looking for something more natural.
Samantha
www.bluemoonrealty.com
planted most of my tomatoes a bit more than a week ago, and knock on wood, they're doing really well! this is the second year of container gardening and besides herbs our focus is entirely tomatoes this time around - we have eight different pots with as many varieties. Some are already starting to fruit and others won't come around for another 2 months - as you recommend, I like to plant a variety of sizes and types of tomatoes so that we have some all through the summer. now all we need is some more consistent sun, Portland!
I'm actually a bit skeptical about putting more than one seedling in each pot - I tried that with some tomatoes last year and they didn't do too well. I got some cherry tomatoes off of them, but the plants themselves grew very spindly, and didn't yield quite so much.
empress--
No I wouldn't suggest putting more than one seedling in per pot. Tomato plants will grow very large and need the large pot and dirt. I'd just do tomato seedling one per pot, though I think some other smaller veg seedlings and/or herbs can be put in a single planter together.
Happy gardening!
Don't forget to include instructions re. the SUN--tomatoes need direct, full sunlight.
Also, with containers, the soil dries out very quickly so daily watering will be essential.
Growing in pots on my deck is the only way to keep the plants from being munched down to the ground level by rabbits and/or deer, whichever is getting the extra seedlings I planted in the ground surrounding the deck. But the ones in the pots (one tomato plant, and a basil plant in another pot) are growing great! I stuck the tomato cage into the pot right away. One year I waited until the plant was larger to support it with a cage, and couldn't get the cage to go over the tomato plant without breaking limbs.
Can anyone explain how to prune a tomato plant to encourage more fruit growth?
Might want to make step one check with a reputable nursery (not Lowes or Home Depot) for the best time to transplant tomatos. Also explain the difference between determinate and indeterminate tomatoes, and how growing a six to eight foot tall indeterminate Cherokee Purple in a tomato cage is a bad idea from the beginning.
eightisenough to prune a tomato first determine if you have a determinate or indeterminate tomato (should be on the tomato labels for what is what). The reason for this is you do not prune determinate tomatoes which tend to grow short and produce all their tomatoes at once. You will however prune indeterminate tomatoes that will give you tomatoes through out the season, and large out of control vines. To prune the indeterminate tomato you simply remove the suckers (think new vines) when they are under 2" long that grow from between the stem and tomato leaves. You can choose to leave two of these suckers to make a larger plant. The first sucker to leave is the very first one that shows up. Also you can leave the sucker that comes out of the first flower bunch. Of course you will have to remove suckers from these two vines as well.
Tomatoes do LOVE earthworm castings - we pick up bags of vegetable trimmings from one of the restaurants we sell to and use them to feed our vermicompost bins. We then use it to top-dress the tomatoes as we plant them in the ground. My San Marzanos are monsters this year, with stems as thick as my thumb and getting even thicker, and I really think it's due to the castings.
The important thing to remember is that the castings will release nutrients as they're watered in, but eventually will be exhausted and will need to be refreshed periodically. (Not as often as a liquid fertilizer, but it's still a good idea to do it once a month to keep the 'maters happy!)
I confess that part of my love for fish emulsion is due to the fact that it's a mild fertilizer and that means I can use it very regularly without worrying about burning my plants. But there are certainly other great organic (and vegetarian!) fertilizer options out there.
My tomato plants are doing so much better then last year! Last year I probably planted mid June...and they didn't fruit until September and a week or two later the frost came. It was a bust. This year I began before Memorial Day and covered them on cool nights with bags. The other changes this year have been putting rusty nails in the soil and once a month a tbsp of Epsom salt in 2 liters of water (I use soda bottles for watering cans). Also I used celebrity tomatoes which I have never heard of before. I think I also did plum but not sure there. Another plus has been buying at the farmers market as opposed to Home Depot. I am now at 8 weeks about and they are pushing 5 feet and blossoming. My concern is I put too many seedlings in each pot. They don't seem crowded in the soil but since they are so full, the branches seem crowded. I would love to separate them but they do look good so if it ain't broke...and they may be sad to lose their siblings! If anyone thinks splitting them up at this point is a good idea, please let me know. The tomatoes are good...the basil ok and the parsley died fast but the parsley & basil came from the supermarket so I shouldn't have expected much anyway.