Growing Tomatoes In Pots
How To Grow Tomatoes Indoors Or On Patios
Growing Tomatoes In Pots is very easy. With these tips for growing tomatoes in containers and grow bags you will grow great tasting tomatoes! You can grow container
tomatoes in conservatories, glasshouses, patios or in a sunny spot in the house. Growing tomato plants in pots can be done in the smallest city gardens, on balconies or indoors!
Container tomatoes, whether you are using a grow-bag or a pot, are one of modern gardening's great advances, since anyone can now have at least a few
home-grown tomatoes, even if they live in a top floor apartment with only one sun facing window!
Check out this page for more tomato growing tips.
Growing Conditions for growing tomatoes in pots
If you want to grow tomatoes indoors it's the sun facing window that really matters. Tomatoes definitely need a lot of sun.
If you have an area that gets
plenty of sunshine, whether it is in a greenhouse, a conservatory, that famous south facing windowsill, then you can certainly grow
your own tomatoes indoors.
If you decide to grow your container tomatoes outside on a patio or balcony choose a spot that gets a lot of sun as well. The spot should be sheltered from wind
otherwise the plants can fall over when they are big and top-heavy.
Growing Tomato Plants in Pots or Growbags?
Tomato Growbags have become very popular in countries where they are available and are ideal for growing up to three tomato plants in a greenhouse or
against a sunny wall. The plastic keeps the soil moist with very little attention from you.
But they are not, of course, really suitable for that windowsill! Growing tomatoes in pots is a much better alternative for growing tomatoes indoors, on
a patio, or for tomatoes that will need to be moved to catch the sun.
A tomato planter does not need to be deep. Tomatoes are shallow rooted plants and a wide shallow pot is better suited to their needs. It should be filled
with a good general purpose compost before planting.
Growing Tomato Plants From Seed Or Buying Tomato Plants?
Tomatoes are one of the easiest plants to grow from seed as anyone with a compost heap knows! One tomato on the compost heap will give dozens of
little tomato plants.
Growing tomato plants from seed: So, if you live in an area with short winters, it is well worth growing your own seed by pressing half a dozen seeds
into compost in a five inch pot and , once they have germinated, leaving the strongest plant and weeding out the others (If you are like me, you then
transplant the others to other pots!) Once the little tomato is six inches high, it should be transplanted to its permanent pot.
Buying tomato plants: If however, you live in the frozen north and the growing season is short, you may well be better advised to buy some sturdy
strong tomato plants that have been started in a heated commercial greenhouse. Also, if you have never grown tomatoes before, it may be better to
buy plants in your first year.
Types Of Tomatoes
Tomatoes can be either bush tomatoes, which require very little staking or pruning or vine tomatoes, which are grown on a single stem up a stake
and need to have extra growth cut off.
Growing tomatoes in containers is probably easier with bush tomatoes since vine tomatoes really need a strong
stake pushed deep into the ground to support the plant.
Care Of Tomato Plants
Growing tomatoes in pots means that you have to look after all their requirements. The soil has to be kept moist. Tomatoes HATE being sprinkled
and getting their leaves wet so just water the soil, not the plant.
Once the tomatoes are flowering, the flowers need to be fertilised by insects before the tomatoes can produce fruit - so, if they are on that windowsill
or in the conservatory, make sure you open all the windows to let those useful insects in!
As soon as the fruit starts to form, give the tomato plants a liquid feed - you can buy tomato fertilizer from garden centers. This is a potash rich
food which encourages the fruit growth.
When the plant has between 6 and 8 trusses of fruit - little bunches - pinch out the top of all the growing stems so that the plant stops growing upwards
and concentrates on its fruit.
Where to buy seeds?
Are you looking for good vegetable and flower seeds for a reasonable price?
At www.genericseeds.com you will get a great selection of flower and vegetable seeds including Heirloom varieties at great prices. The seeds are guaranteed, tested and non GMO.
They use a cheaper way of packaging their seeds and can pass the saving on to you. That way you will pay for the seed and not the seed packet! GenericSeeds offers a great selection of seeds for fantastic value.
Enjoy what you see? Here's some more interesting gardening stuff:
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