Growing Tomato Plants in Containers (2024)

FAQs

Should I water tomatoes in pots every day? ›

Should you water tomatoes in containers every single day? Tomatoes should stay in consistently moist soil, but the soil should not get soggy. You will likely need to water every day, but if it has rained heavily in the past 24 hours, it may not be necessary.

Specific advice for tomatoes in containers. Use at least a 14" pot, larger is better. We've used up to 20" pots and the plants responded by getting larger and producing more fruit. Larger pots also hold more root mass and water which helps a lot as the days get hot and plants grow large with large water demands.

Like many vegetables, tomatoes prefer a goldilocks soil that is moisture retentive yet well drained and, of course, rich in nutrients. The very best way to achieve that is simply to add plenty of well-rotted organic matter to the surface of your soil in the weeks or months before planting.

TOMATO WATERING TIPS

Water in the morning to the keep the soil moist through the heat of the day. Always water at the base of the plant — watering from above invites disease. Check tomatoes growing in pots often since they dry out quickly. Be consistent — fluctuations in water supply lead to cracking and blossom end ...

Tomatoes need plenty of sunlight to produce fruit, typically around six to eight hours a day. Too much sun and heat can cause tomatoes to get sunscald. “Sunscald happens when the tomatoes are hit with the direct waves of the sun without any protection, similar to sunburn on us humans,” says Key.

Containers should be at least 5 gallons or 12 inches wide and deep, though bigger is better.

You could even use a larger can as long as you provide each plant with 5 gallons of water per week. For instance if you use a 5 gallon bucket and plant 2 tomato plants around it you fill the 5 gallon bucket 2 times per week. Or a 13 gallon can filled twice yields 26 gallons, so you could plant up to 5 plants around it.

Common Reasons for Using Epsom Salt for Tomatoes

Epsom salt is usually recommended as a fertilizer for planting, in a foliar spray to correct yellowing leaves, and to prevent or correct blossom end rot. Let's look at each reason for using Epsom salt.

Coffee grounds are packed with nutrients that tomato plants love, like nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. They help improve soil structure and promote microbial activity, which can lead to healthier, more robust tomato plants. Plus, they may even help deter certain pests.

Which is the best month to plant tomatoes? ›

Tomatoes are a summer-season vegetable and are usually grown as summer annuals. Tomato seeds must be started indoors between March to June. Here's how to grow tomatoes in your pot garden.

Water potted tomato plants daily at the soil level. You'll know you've watered enough when the water trickles through the pot's drainage holes. A mature tomato plant in a pot uses a gallon of water daily but you may need to hydrate the plant twice a day in hot, dry conditions.

Use large pots to grow tomatoes. You can use a 5-gallon pot that is 10 to 12 inches deep for a single plant of determinate variety, for an indeterminate type choose a bigger container. The container should be deep, at least, 12 inches is necessary. Caging needs more space so instead of it, support tomatoes by stacking.

The recipe calls for 4 cups of soy meal and 2 cups of blood meal for nitrogen; 3 cups of bone meal for phosphorous; 2 cups of kelp meal and 4 cups of greensand for potassium. This homemade blend provides slow-release nutrition. We add 2 cups to each 40-quart bag of potting mix.

Excessive watering can result in diseased plants and rotten tomatoes. But not watering often enough may weaken plants and give you small, mealy fruit. The trick is to pay attention to your soil and the cues your plants give you so you can grow armloads of delicious, juicy tomatoes.

In areas with sandy, fast-draining soil, like parts of the Southwest, South Florida, and Coastal South, you may need to water plants daily or even twice a day during the hottest days of summer. No matter where you live, drip irrigation is probably the best, most economical watering option.