A Pot Full of Tomatos

Everyone is asking me about gardening and with the current economic situation in our world it is a good question! “Gardening” is easy and can be an inexpensive way to relieve some of the pressure on your food budget. “Gardening” is a very broad term that applies to anything from just one pot to acres of plants. Everyone should have at least one pot worth of gardening and it is my goal that all of you have at least one pot full of tomatoes on your patio or deck this summer! Here is how:

First you will need a pot. Tomatoes like some space (generally 3-5 gallons per plant) and any container will do, as long as it has holes in the bottom so water can drain…I have drilled holes into everything! Ideas for containers might be; 5 gallon bucket, drink bucket, mop bucket – any kind of bucket, greenhouse pots, or anything fancy you might already have for flowers, etc.

Along with the pot you’ll need a tray under the container to catch the water. This gives some reserve for later and keeps the nutrients in the potting system rather than on your patio. A tray can be anything as well, even another bucket, as long as it holds water.

Then you will need to invest in some potting soil and fertilizer. Potting soil comes with some fertilizer but additional is needed because tomatoes like plenty of “food”. I use rabbit pellets, but any general type of solid fertilizer granules is adequate. A water soluble fertilizer such as Miracle Grow is beneficial when planting and throughout the season. These fertilizers can be used on everything in your garden.

Next you need a tomato. There are many kinds of tomatoes and they will all do well in your bucket, but a little research (reading the tags at the greenhouse store or asking the vendor at the farmers market) will give a plant more suited to your container and space. This is what I know from my own experience: “Patio” tomatoes are great because the plant is small but production may be less. They are perfect for a small container and space. Cherry tomatoes have amazing taste and produce like crazy but the plants are tall so plan accordingly. Giant tomatoes such as beefsteak can be a bit unwieldy in a pot and may not be as productive, but should be included if you are doing several different pots and have the space. My favorites are the medium varieties like Roma, Early Girl and heirlooms. You might want to plant seeds but that is a different story for another time.

So now you have a tomato plant and a container ready with dirt, you are ready to plant. Tomato plants are unique in that they can grow roots on their stem if buried. So dig a big hole in your pot and mix a smallish handful of fertilizer granules in the hole. Trim off the first several rows of branches from the bottom of the plant, leaving 2 or 3 sets at the top. Being careful not to break the stem, angle or lay the plant on its side and bury up to the first set of remaining leaves. Covering the stem this way not only encourages more root growth but creates a much stronger stock. If it’s a little crooked because of the planting angle, it will straighten itself out in the next few days. Water it well with a little water soluble fertilizer.

Once your tomato is planted and watered you need to find a warm sunny spot on your patio or deck where it can spend the summer. Regular watering (try not to let it completely dry out) is all that is required but some water soluble fertilizer from time to time will keep your plant happy. You can do a little pruning of the extra shoots throughout the summer so your plant isn’t wasting it resources on too many stems and leaves rather than fruit. Anything can be pruned – well, it does need a few leaves to photosynthesize which is the process plants use to get energy from the sun – leave all the stems that hold flowers and then fruit. In the late summer you can snip off any new flowers so that the plant uses its last energy before winter ripening the remaining tomatoes. Once the fruit begins to form most tomato plants need some type of support like a tomato cage or stakes.

With this small effort you should have months worth of yummy tomatoes. If there are some green ones left at the end of the season, place them in a sunny window and they’ll ripen. I hang my plants with green fruit still attached upside down in the garage or greenhouse before the first frost and have tomatoes getting ripe until thanksgiving.

As an addition to your pot full of tomatoes, consider adding other vegetables or flowers like nasturtiums or little gem marigolds (which are also edible) for a full beautiful arrangement. Peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, herbs also do well in containers.