Homegrown Tomatoes

Posts Tagged ‘TerraCycle’

If you’re asking, “Can I grow cherry tomatoes in a container – successfully?” then the answer is yes – with a few small qualifications. Here’s what you need to know about growing your cherry tomato plant in a pot/container.

Growing Cherry Tomato Plants – Soil

First off, growing cherry tomato plants really isn’t any different from growing any other kind of tomato plant.  They all need direct sunlight (at least 6 hours a day), water and fertilizer (preferably organic).  A good soil to use in the container is a combination of compost and organic potting mix. (I like half and half myself.)

I’ve tried growing tomato plants in just compost  and in just organic potting soil, but I find that the two mixed together have produced the best growth.

Another option is to use compost mixed in with some sphagnum moss and/or perlite.

Don’t use soil from your yard in the container; it may compact easily in a container, and it’s quite possible there are unfriendly bacteria in it.

Container Size

What size of a container should you use for your cherry tomatoes?   Part of the answer depends on the variety of cherry tomato you plan to grow – determinate or indeterminate.  (Learn more about the difference between determinate or indeterminate on the tomato growing terms page.)

In general, determinate varieties are shorter and smaller than indeterminates.  Unless you are growing something like Micro-Tom (smallest tomato there is), the minimum size for a container should hold 3 gallons of potting mix/compost.  However, if you can manage a 5-gallon container, your tomato plants will thank you by providing more fruit.

Now for the indeterminate cherry tomato plants.  While I certainly have grown indeterminate cherry tomatoes in a 5-gallon container, they grow much better in a 10-gallon.  (I even have a few 20-gallon pots for the cherry tomato plants that get very large like Blondkopfchen.)  So, a 5 gallon container is the minimum, and a 10 gallon will have your plants thanking you. While I haven’t grown SuperSweet 100 in a container (yet!) I think it would work quite well.

Fertilizer for Cherry Tomatoes

The general rule of thumb for container growing is apply half as much fertilizer, twice as often.  I like to use liquid fertilizer that I dilute to half-strength, then apply it twice a month.

You need to fertilize more often in containers for two reasons.  First, what fertilizer you do use  gets washed out from the extra waterings that container plants need.  Second, your cherry tomato plant’s roots only have so much room to grow, and sooner or later, they will run out of space.  Since they can’t expand further, they need to extract everything they can from a limited area.

Which fertilizer to use?  I primarily use organic methods (compost, fish emulsion, kelp meal, Terracycle and Tomatoes Alive!), there are times of extremely rapid growth where I admit to using Miracle-Gro for Tomatoes.  While my in-the-ground-garden tomatoes get organic, I find that the container-grown plants do need a little boost at times.  Of course, that could be because I am in a hot climate.  You’ll have to experiment for yourself.

(You can also check out the posts I made about organic versus chemical fertilizers, as well as fertilizer components.)

Watering Your Cherry Tomato Plants

You really do want to put your containers where you have easy access to water.  Especially as they grow larger and the weather gets warmer, you will find that you’ll have to water often.  During warm and windy times, I have to water my containers daily — and there have been very dry times where I’ve needed to do it twice a day!

Try to keep the soil moist but not wet.  The more of an even moisture level of the soil, the less the chance your tomatoes will crack badly should a heavy rain arise.

A mulch will help to keep moisture in the soil longer.  I like to use an inch or two of hay, but I realize not everyone has easy access to it.  Other mulches can be bark chips, dried grass clippings, chopped leaves and even shredded paper!  (Just make sure the paper doesn’t have colored ink on it.)  In addition, some people also swear by red plastic for a mulch.

Can I Grow Cherry Tomatoes in a Container?

By now you see the answer is yes, you can successfully grow and harvest cherry tomatoes in a container.  With just a little preparation and attention, you’ll find yourself with tasty snacks that are good for you!

Now that you know what makes up fertilizer, the next question might be how to actually use the fertilizer on your tomato plants.  Even tomatoes grown organically in rich soil need some help in times of swift growth or when having lots of fruit on the plant.

There are several ways to apply the fertilizer:  foliar, liquid and granular.  Each has its strengths and weaknesses, which is what I’ll discuss in this post.  And in actuality, you may choose two or all three methods at different points in your tomato plant’s life.

Foliar Fertilizer

Foliar fertilizer is sprayed onto your tomato plants and absorbed through the leaves.   The absorption rate is swift, and many growers (including me) swear by foliar fertilizing for healthy tomato plants.

Foliar fertilizers in general should be diluted, so that there is no chance of the plant’s leaves being burned.  Good bets for organic foliar fertilizers include Terracycle, liquid seaweed and fish emulsion.

The downside for this fertilizing method is that it must be done early in the morning, before the dew dries.  This is because that’s when the plant’s stoma are open and receptive.  Later on in the day, the stoma are closed, so even if you did a foliar feeding, it wouldn’t be absorbed.

Some people say you can also foliar feed in the evening, when the stoma are once again open.  However, I don’t like to leave my tomato leaves damp in the evening because I feel it increases the risk of fungal diseases in my humid climate.

Liquid Fertilizer

Liquid fertilizer is pretty much what it sounds like; a fertilizer diluted in water.  Liquids can be used both for foliar feedings as well as drenches (i.e. pouring on the soil around the plants).

If you choose to use the liquid fertilizer as a foliar feeding, dilute to 1/2 the strength suggested on the instructions.  If you choose to use it as a drench, give the plants a light watering before applying the drench.

When using a drench, make sure you aren’t splashing any soil up onto the tomato stems or leaves, to reduce the risk of any soil bacteria that may be present  from getting on the plants.

Granular Fertilizer

Granular fertilizer is in solid form and generally sprinkled on top of the soil around the tomato plant.  Some granular fertilizers can be mixed into the soil before you transplant into your garden or a container.

Granular fertilizers can be time-released, feeding the plant over the course of several months.  However, I don’t generally recommend that because the needs of the tomato plant change as the plant gets larger and starts to bear fruit.  I feel that a granular fertilizer that is good for one month is more appropriate…unless it is a granular fertilizer made specifically for tomatoes, like Tomatoes Alive!® Plus 100% All-Natural Fertilizer.

I’m also including solid fertilizers like Jobe’s Tomato Boomers in this category, because they function roughly the same as granular.

Don’t Over Fertilize

The most common mistake is over fertilizing the tomato plants.  I know, it’s tempting to want the plants to grow big right away, but using a lot of fertilizer isn’t the way to get strong, healthy plants.  A lighter touch yields better results.

The exception is if you are growing your tomato plants in containers.  Since you need to water them more often, you’ll also need to fertilize them more often.  It’s better to use less than you think you need at first, because you can always add more.  But if you use too much fertilizer at one time, you risk burning the roots (not a good thing).