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hevishot

Container for tomatoes

Hevishot
10 years ago

Hello, new to the forum and just thinking about potting tomatoes. Last year was our first year, plants grew 5ft but not a lot of tomatoes on each plant. Going to change some things this year. Was thinking about using different containers/pots. I googled and found squat pots, are these good? Like the price! What size to get? Would 5 gallon buckets work better? Look forward to some answers. Sure Ill become a regular has last year I had questions all the time and had no help.

Thanks!
Bob

Comments (24)

  • zzackey
    10 years ago

    I had no luck growing in pots. I would think bigger would be better, but 5 gal seems too small to me. I grew my tomatoes in 3 gal pots and had very few tomatoes.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    10 years ago

    Where do you live/zone, Bob?

    I grow a tomato in a 15-gallon container on my back deck every Summer, and I get excellent growth and production. Tomatoes really need root-room, even the so-called patio or micro tomatoes.

    Josh

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    10 years ago

    I agree with Josh, 15 gallons is the minimum, you go can go as big as you want. I grow in 15, 20 and 30 gallon containers.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    In the ground , I squeeze one plant into every 2.25 sf (15" by 15"). where the soil is more than one ft. deep. That is 2.25 cubic ft root space. Or about 15 gallons. That sounds pretty good. But then I prune my tomatoes regularly.

    Tomatoes do not grow massive roots . Below is an image of a typical double decker tomato root ball. A tomato migh look becoming root bound a container , BUT if you soak it in water and remove all the soil , it is not going to be that big.

    Another perception is to judge and compare the root size with/to the top growth. I think that can be a misconception.

    The other issue is : Why plants grow roots? The answer is to eek and find nutrients and take it. So if the nutrient are readily available, the plant does not need to grow a lot of roots expansively. JMO

  • Hevishot
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Not sure of the zone but I live in Minnesota. Anyone have link to find these 15 gallon pots?

  • Hevishot
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Not sure of the zone but I live in Minnesota. Anyone have link to find these 15 gallon pots?

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    10 years ago

    Do the garden centers and big box stores not carry containers or plants in 15-gallon containers in Minnesota?

    Josh

  • Jay Part Shade (Zone 10B, S21, Los Angeles)
    10 years ago

    Small pots are fine, you don't need to go as big as 15 gal.

    I've grown tomatoes in pots for the last few years, everything from 5 gal nursery pots to 10 gal fabric pots. I like the Root Pouch brand, you can get them cheap at greenhousemegastore.com.

    If you do an indeterminate tomato in a 5 gal nursery pot, be sure to prune the suckers heavily, otherwise you'll have a gigantic plant that can't be supported by the 5 gal pot. The fabric pots naturally prune the roots which really helps keep the plant a manageable size.

    When I did them in 10 gal last year, I let them go wild and I had more tomatoes than I could ever eat. You'll just need to fertilize regularly.

    Also, a 5 gal bucket is the equivalent of a 7 gal nursery pot -- liquid gallons and plant gallons are different, fyi.

    You can also get determinate tomatoes that stay small. This year I'm giving away Lizanno determinate cherries for friends, they can be grown in 3 gal pots. I'm growing all my other tomatoes (brandywine, pineapple, snow white, sun sugar, green grape) in 7 gal fabric bags.

    The pic is from my old apartment but shows how many tomatoes you can grow in limited space with small pots -- 10 gal tomatoes on the left on trellises left unpruned. On the right, tomatoes in 5 gal, pruned up a pole, as well as other veggies. The apartment only got 2 hours of direct light and yet I was swimming in tomatoes, go figure.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    Good post, Jay:

    I think if you grow tomatoes in containers, you will need to do some kind of pruning.
    I also think that , if you are planting tomatoes in pots, try DETERMINANTS. Not so much for the sake of root ball size but also for the top. I cannot imagine myself growing a 7 ft. determinant in a pot. I will try a couple of DETs in 5 gal. buckets this year.
    Sure, they might become a bit root bound by the end of season but if you fertilize regularly (at reduced strength) that should do it. Then, the life of a tomato plant is normally is about 4 to 5 months. So, let it root bound. That is what I think.

  • Jay Part Shade (Zone 10B, S21, Los Angeles)
    10 years ago

    Hey Seysonn,

    Good points. Yeah, my tomatoes would get up to 7ft and then I'd wrap them along the top of the trellis. They were out of control. I grew zebra, black cherry, sun sugar and more in the pots last year, everything did great.

    The problem with determinates is the varieties aren't all that interesting. With the indeterminates, I prune them to two central stalks and string them up -- this is the commercial way to do it. More pots with pruned tomatoes rather than one big, unmanageable plant.

    You're right, tomatoes really don't live all that long, at least, you don't want a year old tomato, the thing would be huge and disease would probably take it before it ever got that old.

    I'm trying the 5-1-1 this year. Before, the tomatoes would turn the entire block of mix into concrete by the end of the summer.

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    10 years ago

    A #1 nursery can is typically .7 gallons, yes.

    Josh

  • laura1
    10 years ago

    you can't let these guys totally dry out or they will drop flowers/abort tomatoes. So the smaller the pot the more you have to keep your eye on them.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    Laural,

    You condition in zone 9, FL, is very demanding when it comes to watering. Therefore bigger pot can be a plus. Also use a potting mix with more moisture retention, My growing condition is way different : We get a LOT of rain and our summer highs RARELY go higher than 86F (Heat zone 1). So drying up is not a problem here. Sometimes I have to cover them not to get too much rain. Because of this, I can use smaller pots with less problem. I will just try couple of determinants this pear. I grow my tomatoes in raised beds.

  • Ecl09
    10 years ago

    As other users have said, you can use a variety of different containers to grow tomatoes. But I have used a "tomato tower" to grow mine both upside down and right side up. It has worked great for us! Check out the site included below if you'd like a visual.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Tower

  • drew51 SE MI Z5b/6a
    10 years ago

    Well I'm in zone 6 but it is dry here, and 86 degrees will dry a pot out quickly! To me 15 gallons is too small. I would have to water twice a day. All gardening is local.

  • tcreed
    10 years ago

    How would container tomatoes do in my zone 8?

  • missingtheobvious
    10 years ago

    tcreed, it depends where your zone 8 is. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zones indicate an area's average low temperatures -- in winter, of course -- and nothing else.

    More important re. growing tomatoes is the summer weather, the length of the growing season, etc.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    Well I'm in zone 6 but it is dry here, and 86 degrees will dry a pot out quickly! To me 15 gallons is too small. I would have to water twice a day. All gardening is local. (Drew)
    ******************

    Drew, if your 15 gallons containers dries up at 86F in one day, perhaps you should re evaluate your potting mix. 15 gallons is more than 2 cubic feet, more than 3 buckets of soil.
    I could be wrong.

  • nmrcons
    9 years ago

    Jay, were you growing your tomatoes indoors at the apt in the picture? That's what I'm attempting right now.

  • DHLCAL
    9 years ago

    I would do 15 gallon, at least in my location-- Southern California with dry hot summer.

    Tomato's fine roots can grow quite deep and wide given the room (see here: http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglibrary/010137veg.roots/010137ch26.html) even if its main roots may not look big if you tear the thing out of the ground while just breaking and leaving the fine roots in the soil.

    Watering is an issue-- bigger container, more potting mix, larger water holding capacity. Another issue is root zone temperature if you get some any heat wave days and the containers are exposed to direct sunlight for long periods (which they preferably should be) or unusually cold nights. The temperature of the ground tend not to fluctuate as much as air temperature due to sheer mass of the soil at any location. Containers can heat up or cool down much faster. Having a bigger volume and mass of potting mix helps moderate temperature fluctuation.

    You can always experiment with smaller containers if you want but it wouldn't be my advice and hasn't worked for me except for maybe growing varieties bred to stay small (like Patio). I got tomatoes, but not as many as those I grew in 15 or 20 gallon containers.

    I used both fabric pots (you can find several brands on Amazon) and even plastic Rubbermaid storage bins with holes cut into the bottom, but any similar size thing would work.

    One more thing: use a soil-less mix designed for potting rather than soil from the ground or even bagged "garden soil" sold at garden centers-- the latter contain heavy stuff like sand and clay and tend to compact and not allow good root growth in a container. There are a lot of discussions here about a home made bark-based 5-1-1 mix, but for simplicity's sake a store bought potting mix should work well enough.

    This post was edited by DHLCAL on Sun, May 11, 14 at 19:53

  • barb_roselover_in
    9 years ago

    This has gotten real lengthy, but I want to know how you go about pruning your tomato plant.? I am having to resort to the containers because my health does not permit me roaming around the yard. My son has fixed the garden tractor so that I can peruse the territory. The yard is so rough and uneven that he is afraid I will fall. I assume pruning means you keep everything to a single stalk, right? Thanks for any hints. Barb

  • seysonn
    9 years ago

    I assume pruning means you keep everything to a single stalk, right?
    %%%%%%%%%
    Yes and no.

    Pruning can be done at different level. Keeping just one stem( main) is considered very severe pruning. For containers you can have the main plus 1 to 2 branches(one on each side). But if you do DETERMINATS, you need not to prune at all, as DETs are more compact and short.

  • DHLCAL
    9 years ago

    The simplest thing is get a sturdy large cage and not prune.

    One option is those "Texas Tomato Cages" for sale. Some people make cages out of concrete reinforcing wires . Some people build their with PVC pipes or wood or plastic-covered garden stakes or any other available material as long as the structure is sturdy enough and large enough for your purpose. A google search would discover quite a few designs. And then just make sure you have one that work with your container setup.

    If your concern is minimizing the risk of injury when having to be in the garden often for pruning, using these kind of cages-- and spacing the plants/containers accordingly-- so that you don't have to prune would seem to be a good option.

  • gosalsk
    9 years ago

    I have had good luck with the Rubbermaid ripoff 18-gallon totes sold at Lowes. The tan color is attractive.

    I contacted the maker and they said they are NOT uv treated despite the claims that they're weather resistant. So I sprayed them with a UV-protecting clearcoat of plastic paint (Krylon; costs about $4 a can at Walmart).

    The nice thing about these containers is that the opening is a little bit bigger than 18x12, meaning you can take a 5'-wide piece of remesh and fold it into a rectangle and it fits perfectly. If you use 5' width you can fold your remesh lengthwise, meaning you can make the cages taller than the ordinary 5 feet you usually see. Mine are 6 feet.

    And, of course, at 18 gallons, they hold enough dirt for any tomato plant.