Tomato Plants from Seedshow to grow tomato plants from seeds

Tomato container gardening is rewarding for its ease and payoff. Tomato plants are well-suited for container growth on a patio, deck, or in the back yard. Tomatoes need room to vine, sunshine, fertile soil, and plenty of moisture. Although there are many different tomato varieties, when considering which ones are best for your preference, it’s important to be aware some grow as vines and some grow as bushes. Technically, the vine type is referred to as “indeterminate” and the bush type is “determinate.” When shopping for plants or if you start your plants from seed, this is important to know because of space limitations.

Indeterminate tomato plants need more room to spread because they will continue “vining” throughout their growing season. They will need to be caged; no, not like a lion, but wiere cages offer support for the spreading vines. Wire tomato cages are inexpensively available at most plant nurseries in various sizes. They can be saved from one year to the next as well. Commercial tomato stakes can be purchased or stakes can be homemade from tree limbs, branches, sticks. The key is to provide the tomato plant something to lean on so the stems do not break as the vine lengthens. Loosely tying the stems to the stake with hemp or soft strips of cloth provides additional support. Indeterminate plants will produce throughout the season up and until the weather turns too cold for their comfort. Tomatoes are warm-loving plants.

Determinate tomato plants have been hybridized so that they form bushes instead of vines. Usually, they produce one large crop and then are done. They take less room because they do not spread extensive vines. Depending on the variety, determinate plants may also need to be staked or caged to support the branches as the fruit is developing.

Once you have dealt with the issue of space by selecting plants that are either vines or bushes, decide how many containers you want to grow. Any kind of container works as long as it is large enough for soil, root expansion, and is solid enough not to fall over with ever spring wind. It is fun to visit flea markets and thrift stores looking for interesting containers. Of course, appropriate containers, plastic, pottery, and baskets are available at nurseries as well. Old buckets, baskets, and plastic pots work well. A good size is anywhere from about sixteen inches across and about a foot or so deep. Obviously, larger will work as well. Tubs and bushel baskets

I must preface this article with two statements 1) I do not have a green thumb like my mother and grandmother before me…I can kill a cactus! and 2) I am terrified of spiders!

That being said, it was a sunny spring day and I had just moved into my rental at the lake and after cutting down 4 foot tall grass and weeds that had overrun the backyard, I was feeling up to the challenge of beautifying my space.

I think my daughter was about 6 at the time and her and I headed out to the local greenhouse looking for some flowers and seeds to plant. Knowing I was a novice at this having been primarily an apartment dweller I happened upon some impatients and pansies that my daughter proclaimed “those are beautiful” and thought it was a pretty much no brainer to plant them along the side of the house. Flowers in hand and on the way to the checkout I saw some small tomato plants and grabbed those too.

Now back at home I realize that all I have is lawn with no real flower bed to plant in so a grab some garden tools and start to dig up the sod to find some nice soil to plant in. Things are going marvelously when all of a sudden spiders start appearing with every shovel full…did I mention I am terrified of spiders! But I persevered and got our flowers planted. Now onto the tomato plants…

Same process over again of turning soil and trying to avoid the spiders and by now I feel crawly all over. Then I hear my daughter scream and I look over and she is standing with a stick stuck in the ground and baby spiders are literally pouring out of the ground by the thousands… I grab her and run into the house…gardening experiment over for the day. She refused to go outside for a week to play, I might add.

The spider thing was perplexing me and so I asked a lady I worked with who was an avid gardener and she assured me that that meant I had great fertile soil.

Boy was she right….a few weeks passed and I had flowers out of control.. tall and sprawling, though I had only planted about a dozen, they were taking over. The amazing thing was my tomato trees…yes trees those plants that were 4 inches tall when I bought them were now towering over my 6.5 ft doorway and laden with so many tomatoes I filled almost a garbage bag full every couple days… I kept half the neighborhood and my office supplied with tomatoes, all season and that was off of only two tomato plants…boy had my thumb turned green or what?!

Problem was the spiders grew the same exponential way and when I started seeing spiders in my house bigger than silver dollars not including the legs it was time to move and leave my beautiful fertile garden behind.

To this day I have not reattempted that experiment with any amount of success.

There’s nothing more satisfying than producing one’s own food! Sow a seed, set out a transplant and you sit back daydreaming about that first, juicy tomato of the season. Well, whether you’re cultivating tomatoes in the garden or in a container, you need to meet certain basic requirements. Full sun, fertile soil, sufficient moisture, proper nutrients and vigilance against pests and disease is essential.

In the garden, always rotate crops, especially tomatoes. Soil-borne fungus organisms, like fusarium, cause yellowing, wilting, browning and death. Fusarium wilt survives from year to year…soil, infected plant debris, garden tools, infected transplants and even infected seed can be responsible for its spread. In containers, it’s less of a problem; although, it’s a good idea to start with fresh potting soil and a pot cleaned with a bleach solution (10 parts water to 1 part bleach) each spring – pretty hard to accomplish with a wine or whiskey half-barrel.

The barrel needs a half dozen one-inch holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Cover the bottom with a circle of nylon screening and line the sides with black weed barrier. This combination allows for proper drainage, while prolonging the life of the wooden barrel – as long as 25 years, in my experience. Place 1″ of small marble chips or pea-stone across the bottom. Fill the first 1/3 of the barrel with shredded bark mulch (saves on expensive potting soil and is not as heavy) and fill the remainder, to within 2″ from the top, with well-drained potting soil.

To a very well-drained potting soil, add composted manure and/or finished garden compost, superphosphate (0-20-0) a balanced, granular, organic fertilizer and pelletized lime (the calcium and magnesium help prevent blossom end rot). Add in a small amount of polymers (available at garden centers) for more even soil moisture. They swell up with absorbed water, forming a reservoir for thirsty roots. Less fluctuation in soil moisture equals less stress, healthier plants and a more rested gardener!

As in the garden, tomato plants can be set deeply into the soil, up to their lowermost leaves for the development of strong roots. If, despite good cultural procedures, plants still turn yellow, check thoroughly for insects. Small black flea beetles, whiteflies and the tomato hornworm are the most common problems. Insecticidal soap (higher fatty acids than hand soap) will control sucking (like spider mite) and some chewing (like flea beetle) insects. Bacillus

In the world of gardening, the conditions of the location dictate where a plant can survive. This means that a plant will grow in an area if the moisture levels, sunlight, ph, and other factors match the growing criteria for the plant. Plants that grow well with wet feet will thrive in wet areas. Plants that like it dry will flourish in a desert condition.

This is where experience pays off. Knowing what plant to use in a given location takes time and study. Here are some examples of different gardens and what plants do well in those conditions.

Along with having stone present in the garden,a stone garden is characterized by low moisture and little soil. Some plants that do well in this environment are stonecrop, ferns, and moss. All require little care if any. Ferns will do better in the shade, but stonecrop thrives in full sun. Stonecrop is a thick, succulent plant resembling some cacti. This plant often grows as a weed because it can grow roots if a piece of the plant is set directly on top of the soil. Ferns and moss may need a little extra care, these plants will dry up if the location is too sunny or if the plant is not receiving enough moisture. Ferns and mosses are among the easiest plants to grow. As long as their is sufficient moisture, these plants will thrive.

Flower gardens bring color and fragrance to the landscape. The conditions are usually fertile soil, full sun to part shade, and well drained. Some well known flowers that require little care are cone-flowers. Otherwise known as echinacea, these easy to grow plants come in purple and yellow, with variations. Day-lilies are another type of plant that is very dependable for production of flowers. These come in a plethora of colors with yellow being the most common. If it’s fragrance you’re looking for look no further than the fragrant viburnum. Little pruning is needed for this sun and shade lover. The fragrance of these flowers in the spring will fill the house if planted close enough to a window.

Along with flower gardens, shade gardens can be a show of color in the spring. As well as being shady, the conditions are that of the forest under story. Often having rich, acid soil, some plants will thrive in this environment. Hostas are one of these plants. They are well known and are characterized by the large oval leaves which come in different shades of green. An added bonus are the usually purple flowers that appear around late summer. Another easy shade plant is a ground-cover often referred to as myrtle or vinca minor. This plant does not vine up like ivy and will often blanket the ground in small purple flowers.

Raising vegetables is one of the most rewarding of all gardens. Although time consuming and labor intensive, the benefits of the vegetable garden far outweigh the time and labor involved. There’s nothing that compares to the flavor of a homegrown tomato. The ease of growing tomatoes has made this one of the most popular plants in the home vegetable garden. Peas and beans are a close second when it comes to easy veggies for this type of garden. Stake these plants to hold them upright and you’re sure to reap a bountiful harvest.

For the beginning gardener, start with learning how to grow the plants listed above. Once you master the easy ones, you can move to the more complicated ones like asparagus and roses. When you familiarize yourself with what plants do best in a given area, the rest is easy.