Patio tomatoes

15 years ago

Happy New Year to all! It's cold here in Brooklyn, NY but that hasn't stopped me from thinking about this years veg garden. Had a debacle last year with tomato plants. I planted in large pots which apparently were not large enough to contain the sweeping root systems of the plants. Hence, great growth until they got pot bound and slowly died a painful death. So this year I want to grow patio tomatoes. My questions are these: what varieties do best and are the tastiest and where in my area can I buy plant seedlings since I don't want to start from seed? Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

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Comments (5)

seeker11
15 years ago
Can you tell us what size pots you used? Did you feed them regularly, and with what?

New Big Dwarf is a terrific tomato for growing in containers. It gets about 3' tall and has a strong central stem and doesn't get wide and sprawly. The fruits are full-sized, and really delicious. However, you are very, very unlikely to find these as seedlings, except possibly by mail order.
micki
Original Author
15 years ago
Gee, I'm sorry I don't know off hand what size pots I used. And, no, I didn't feed them at all. Just novice ignorance. It's a steep learning curve for me.
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seeker11
15 years ago
That was probably the problem. Once the plants used whatever nutrients were available in the potting soil, they had no food at all available to them, which would result in a slow death. Container-grown tomatoes require regular food and water, since all of their needs have to be supplied by the grower. The smaller the pot (with an absolute minimum of 5 gallons for an indeterminate plant), the more you'll have to water and feed. I use 18-gallon tubs and have to water every day and feed at least once every two weeks.
All that said, it's definitely easier to take care of smaller plants when growing in containers. I don't know what might be available to you, but, generally speaking, if you want smaller plants, you should look for those labelled "determinate" (or, sometimes, "bush" or "patio"). I also recommend avoiding paste tomatoes, as they are highly prone to a condition called "Blossom end rot", especially when grown in containers.
Best of luck with the coming season. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask. There are several people posting here who are true experts at growing in containers. (I am not one of them.)
micki
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you so much for your advice and recommendations. I'm hoping for better success this year. I also have a 4 x 4 raised bed garden that I built after reading Square Foot Gardening. That worked out well. 95 degree days all last summer didn't help things much. BTW, I did water the tomato plants every day. I guess it was the lack of nutrients. Thanks again.
blessedfrog
15 years ago
You know - I grew heirloom Beefsteak Tomatoes and Giant Belgiums in 5 gallon buckets last year - total success -

Over 40 tomatoes per plant

I did use an organic fertilizer and some compost

Don't give up
Good Luck