Tomatoes are absolutely ideal for container gardening and are one of the most popular edible plants to grow. Tomatoes are popular because they are such a delicious taste of summer, but also because they are relatively easy to grow. Tomatoes are also good for you, containing vitamin C and lots of phytochemicals. Tomatoes may even help fight cancer!
The first thing to know about tomatoes is that one tomato is not like the same as all others. There are three basic types of tomato plants (tall, bush and dwarf) and within those three types there are literally thousands of varieties of different colors, sizes and levels of acidity. Tall varieties (also called indeterminate or vining varities) will require the most space and care as they will need to be supported and must be trained to their supports by tying them with soft materials. Bush varieties (also called determinate) will sprawl rather than grow tall and can also end up taking up quite a lot space. However, bush varieties can be grown in hanging baskets and do not require support. Dwarf varieties form miniature bushes which are perfect for small spaces, but which will have smaller yields than bush or tall varieties.
I have bought seedlings from the Natural Gardening Company (http://www.naturalgardening.com) for the past three years and have been extremely happy with the plants. They have a wide variety of tomatoes available, and the seedlings have always arrived in great condition, free of pests or disease. You can also find plenty of seedlings at your local garden center or discount store. Varieties I recommend for flavor are Brandywines (tall), Dona (tall), Celebrity (bush), and Sun Sugar cherry tomatoes (tall).
Tomatoes should be planted in a warm, sunny area. Areas with a southern exposure will receive the most sunlight and are the best location for tomato plants. Your seedlings should be planted when the night temperatures are above 55°F. Before planting your seedling, you should pinch off the bottom set of leaves. This will allow you to plant the seedling slightly deeper in the soil, which will result in a stronger root system. Plant the seedling in the soil a couple of inches deep so the soil level comes to just under the first set of existing leaves (the lowest leaves left after you pinch off the first set.)
Once the seedling has been planted, be sure to give it a drink with a mild liquid fertilizer such as a fish emulsion. This will help ease the shock of transplant. You should then refrain from fertilizing for the first three to four weeks to be sure that you do not damage your plant. The soil in which your plant is buried should have plenty of nutrients for the first few weeks. After the first few weeks, you should fertilize every other week.
Tomatoes planted in containers will need frequent watering. You should check your plants daily to be sure that the soil is not too dry. Tomatoes may need to be watered only every other day or every third day, but in hot and dry weather they may need to be watered daily. It is very important to be consistent with watering to keep the soil at a fairly consistent moisture level. Being very consistent will help prevent your plants from experiencing stress, which can stunt their growth, or developing blossom end rot.
There are two approaches to pruning tomato plants and each have advantages. The first approach is to prune the plant by pinching away the “suckers.” Suckers are the shoots that do not contain blossoms, and the shoots that grow between the stem and the leaf stalk. Pruned tomato plants will need less space and will produce less fruit. However, the fruit they do produce will be larger in size. It is said that by having less foliage their roots will be stronger and able to support a healthier plant with larger fruit. They will require more water, because there will be less leaves to shade the soil from the drying effects of the sun. If you decide to prune, it should be done once a week to keep the plant “sucker-free.”
The second approach, which I use in my own garden, is to let the plant grow wild. Unpruned plants will require less water and will produce more fruit. However, the fruit will be smaller in size and the plant will require considerably more space in which to grow. I like to let my tomatoes grow unpruned simply because it is easier. I love to garden, but hours of pruning would ruin my enjoyment of it. I get good results without doing it, so I don’t!
Your tomatoes will be ready to harvest about six weeks after they start to blossom. Tomatoes can be picked before they are perfectly ripe and allowed to ripen on a window ledge. If you need to ripen a tomato quickly, try placing it in a bowl of green olives! The olives give off a chemical that causes the tomato to ripen. Placing them in a closed brown paper bag will also speed the ripening process. Do NOT refrigerate your tomatoes! Refrigerating will ruin the flavor and give tomatoes a mealy texture.
