April 12, 2023

Container Gardening with Tomatoes

Experimenting & Learning What Works

Container Gardening with Tomatoes

From plentiful cherry tomatoes to robust beefsteak slicers, you can’t beat the taste (and reward) of growing your own at home. But, with so many sizes and varieties of tomato plants to choose from, knowing where to start can be difficult. After growing many tomatoes of various varieties & attributes over the years, we started wondering what would happen if we grew one tomato plant from each of the major categories (cherry, patio, plum, and beefsteak), treating each with the same planting conditions and identical maintenance efforts. What would grow and produce best in a small space? What else would we see?  Here’s what we found…

Method + Materials

The Site & Supplies

Our growing site was a small cement patio on the south side of the building, in full sun (6+ hours of direct sunlight). We started with four identical, black plastic pots with drainage holes, and filled them halfway with Petitti Planting Mix. Since we were planting the tomatoes deeply in the pot, we lightly mixed Espoma® Garden Lime and Tomato-tone® into the soil, per package directions, to provide nutrients right around the root ball.

Supplies We Used:

Method + Materials

The Planting Process

In each half-filled pot, we installed one type of 3.5″ starter tomato plant, loosening the root ball to promote growth. Then, we removed the bottom three sets of leaves so we could bury a good portion of the stem. Tomato plants have the capability of growing new roots from their stem, so planting deeply is a great way to promote growth and provide additional support. Once the plant was well-positioned in the center of the container, we continued filling it the rest of the way with planting mix, leaving about 2” of space at the top. Next, we planted one 4″ Durango Marigold and one 3.5″ companion herb in each container, positioned across from each other on either side of the tomato.

Plants We Used:

  • 3.5″ Cherry Tomato
  • 3.5″ Beefsteak/Slicer Tomato
  • 3.5″ Plum Tomato
  • 3.5″ Patio Tomato
  • 4″ Durango Marigolds
  • 3.5″ Herbs (Basil, Oregano, Parsley)

Method + Materials

Like a Pro

To top it all off, we added more Tomato-tone® and lightly mixed it into the top layer of soil. This particular slow-release plant food provides extra calcium and nutrients for the tomato plants as well as the Marigolds and herbs. We added a tomato cage to each pot for additional support and, because deer tend to be an issue in our area, we added netting to one of the pots to see if it made any difference with critter browsing. We attached the netting to the pot and tomato cage with binder clips, but you can use any type of clip that can be easily removed to adjust the netting as the plants grow.

As with all planting projects, we finished by thoroughly irrigating the containers. We made sure the entire soil substrate was moistened to the point of draining from the bottom, then repeated to ensure everything was watered in well.

through the season

Observations & Pitfalls

Watering | One thorough watering, every other day in the morning, was sufficient until the tomatoes started developing their first fruit, then daily watering was needed.

Companions | Most companion plants flourished, but also took up space that the tomatoes could have used.

Feeding | The initial application of Garden Lime and Tomato-tone, along with routine feedings, seemed to prevent signs of blossom end rot. Regular, consistent watering likely also aided fruit development, as was expected.

Intruder | We initially thought deer would browse, which is why we applied netting. Later, we found some of the beefsteak tomatoes had huge bites taken out of them. Taking a closer look, we found one, single hornworm had done all the damage! It was physically removed, and we saw no signs of insect issues the rest of the growing season.

Harvesting | The cherry tomato plant developed early and yielded often, allowing us to harvest at least a dozen fruit every week. The ‘Patio’ tomato was steady, producing one to two fruit per week. The beefsteak, through no fault of its own, was badly damaged by the hornworm; still, it recovered with just enough time left in the growing season to give us one good tomato. The plum tomato delivered a nice yield toward the end of the season.

Conclusions

What we Learned

Lesson #1 | The bigger and deeper the pot, the better for container-grown tomatoes. A larger pot equals more soil, moisture, nutrients, and air spaces for developing healthier, stronger roots. It also lowers irrigation maintenance.

Lesson #2 | Companion planting is worth the investment. Whether the marigolds assisted in repelling deer or whiteflies, we don’t truly know, but we never experienced deer damage or insect infestations that can occur with tomato plants. When it comes to herb companions, the basil (‘Genovese’ and ‘Pesto Perpetuo’) and Italian oregano really flourished in the pots, but the Italian parsley never seemed truly happy in the growing environment.

Lesson #3 | Tomato ‘Sweet Million’ was surprisingly productive and resilient, despite growing in such a small space! It grew so much, we needed to install a second tomato cage. Tomato ‘Patio’ was a great runner-up, no support needed, and it delivered consistently with good multi-purpose tomatoes.

Lesson #4 | We highly recommend growing beefsteaks, heirlooms, and plum tomatoes in much larger containers, raised beds, or in the garden. However, if you come across a variety bred to grow successfully in pots, why not experiment?

AJ's Recipe for

Fresh Pasta Sauce

We grew ‘Sweet Million’ cherry tomatoes per AJ Petitti’s request because it’s his favorite tomato to use when cooking fresh pasta sauce. Just add a little oil, garlic, white wine, fresh basil, and parmesan, and you have a fantastic tomato sauce, fresh from the garden!

Growing Your Own

Veggies & Herbs

No matter the variety you choose to grow, planting tomatoes in containers is an easy way to enjoy fresh produce all season long! Check out more ideas for growing veggies & herbs in containers, plus more detailed information on growing tomatoes successfully below.

  • Growing a Beautiful

    Cocktail Herb Garden

  • Tips & Tricks

    Growing Tomatoes Successfully

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