To grow tomatoes in pots

How to grow tomatoes in pots?

To grow tomatoes in pots easily, you must first choose a suitably sized container and substrate.

© Ruth Hartnup – Flickr

Which pot for tomatoes?

Roots of tomato need space and a large volume of soil to develop properly and thus produce a productive young plant. Choose therefore a pot sufficiently wide and deep to contain these roots, while limiting drying out and depletion of the substrate. We recommend a container at least 30 cm deep and 40 cm wide. Bear in mind, however, that the more vigorous and tall the tomato variety, the larger and deeper its container should be.

Also make sure your containers are drilled, to allow water to drain away.

Provide the right substrate

Tomato dislikes excess moisture while needing a fresh substrate. To give it the best possible conditions, place a draining element at the bottom of the pot (clay balls, gravel, small pebbles.)

Tomatoes are very greedy for nutrients, and their substrate must therefore be very rich. A good potting compost enriched with compost and horn meal meets their needs.

To grow tomatoes in pots: where and when?

Tomato young plants in pots must be placed sheltered from wind and in a sunny position to meet their light and heat needs. Two conditions that play a predominant role in young plant productivity.

When to plant tomatoes in pots?

Tomatoes are planted in pots from May onwards so as not to expose them to frost, to which they are sensitive even on a balcony or terrace. It is therefore preferable to sow tomatoes in a bucket and in warmth around February/March, and to transplant the young plants into pots once frost risk has passed.

As with tomatoes grown outdoors, harvest thus spans summer to autumn.

Transplant tomato young plants into pots

Once tomato seedlings are vigorous enough, you can transplant them into your pots.

• Start by dipping the bucket in a tub of water for a few moments.
• Place a drainage layer at bottom of pot equivalent to 20% of container volume.
• Fill remainder of pot with a rich substrate.
• Insert stake so it reaches bottom of pot.
• Carefully remove young plants from their buckets.
• Dig a hole deep enough in substrate and place the young plant in it at an angle. Part of stem is thus buried.
• Fill in hole and firm soil around the collar.
• Water so substrate is thoroughly soaked.
• Empty saucer so water does not stagnate.
• Place your pots in sun and sheltered from wind.

Which tomato varieties are suitable for growing in pots?

Not all tomato varieties are suited to pot culture. This is due to their growth, which may require a volume of soil greater than pot capacity. Opt therefore preferably for various cherry tomato varieties, whose reduced growth is ideal for pot culture. Other large-fruited varieties with determinate, bushy and compact habit are also suitable for pot culture, such as Roma VF, Délice d’or, Hector or l’Islandaise…

Téton de Venus Yellow Organic Tomato - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Andean-type variety, Yellow Teat of Venus tomato produces handsome fruits of 70 to 100 g, shaped like small peppers gathered in clusters of 2 or 4. Fruits with dense, juicy flesh, few seeds and a very sweet flavour. Yellow Teat of Venus tomato is perfect for drying. Young plants resist very well to powdery mildew and late blight.

• Height at maturity 1,60 m

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Roma VF Organic Tomato - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Roma VF tomato is a hybrid of San Marzano and Pan America. With determinate growth, it produces scarlet-red fruits of 40 to 80 g, borne in panicles. This very fleshy tomato yields little juice and is ideal for canning. It is also a variety resistant to late blight, Verticillium and Fusarium (responsible for fungal diseases).

• Height at maturity 1,20 m

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Tomato Cherry Yellow

Cherry Yellow is a very productive cherry tomato variety that produces many small yellow, sweet fruits perfect for aperitifs and picnics. This variety is also very popular with children.

• Height at maturity 1,80 m

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Sweetie Cherry Tomato

Sweetie cherry tomato is a high-yielding variety producing clusters of small round red fruits of about 20 g each, with a sweet flavour. Early, suited to small spaces and easy to grow, Sweetie cherry tomato is very rewarding.

• Height at maturity 1,50 m

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Tomato Lily of the Valley - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Early, with compact, bushy habit, Cerisette Brin de Muguet cocktail tomato produces small fruits of about 30 to 40 g, oblong with a pointed base, dark red in colour. Fruits are borne in clusters of 9 to 10 and offer a tart flavour.

• Height at maturity 1,20 m

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Tomato Banana Legs - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Determinate-growth tomato, Banana Legs is a mid-season variety. Productive, it yields attractive yellow elongated fruits, grouped in clusters of 10 to 20 fruits of 45 to 75 g. Fruits contain few seeds and have a soft flesh perfect for salads.

• Height at maturity 1,50 m

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Siberian Organic Tomato - Ferme de Sainte Marthe seeds

Early and productive, Siberian tomato is a determinate-growth variety. It produces round fruits of about 120 g each, slightly elongated in shape, and bright red in colour. This tomato has the great advantage of setting fruit even in cool climate.

• Height at maturity 1,50 m

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How to care for a young tomato plant in a pot?

Although growing tomatoes remains fairly easy, tomatoes grown in pots need a little more attention than young plants grown outdoors.

© Till Westermayer – Flickr

Watering tomato young plants in pots

To start with, substrate tends to dry out much faster in a pot. Be attentive to water needs of your tomato young plants in pots. During summer, best to water them as soon as soil dries out to depth of 3 cm. If balcony or terrace gets full sun, need to water tomatoes every day.

To do this, take these precautions:

• water preferably in evening after sunset, and/or in morning before sun is high in sky
• Take care never to wet foliage of your tomato young plants.
• Empty saucers after each watering to avoid leaving water to stagnate.

Tip: by mulching the base of your tomatoes in pots, you will limit evaporation of water. A thick mulch acts as an effective moisture regulator.

Fertilising tomato in pots

When grown in pots, tomatoes’ appetite quickly depletes substrate. Nutrients contained in potting compost are rapidly absorbed by plant. Every fortnight, give them a supplement of tomato-specific fertiliser, or favour waterings with nettle manure, then with comfrey manure from first flowering. Blood meal and guano (in small quantity) are also perfect for feeding your tomatoes.

Pruning tomatoes in pots

Cherry-type tomato varieties do not need pruning. This is also generally true of tomatoes with determinate growth.

Diseases and pests of tomato plants in pots

Downy mildew, wilting, late blight, Septoria leaf spot… potted tomatoes suffer unfortunately from the same ailments as tomatoes grown in open ground. You can, however, limit these diseases by always watering your young plants at the base and by thoroughly disinfecting empty pots before planting your tomatoes.

Similarly, potted tomatoes can be attacked by the same pests as tomatoes grown in open ground. Among them are thrips, whiteflies, aphids, cutworms and leaf miners, as well as mites and nematodes.