Tomato Plants from Seedshow to grow tomato plants from seeds

Tomato container gardens are an alternative to a traditional tomato garden. Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables, well in this case fruits, of people around the world. They can be used in so many ways, in a salad or to make a sauce for pasta and a myriad of other ways in your culinary pursuits. Sadly in some places tomatoes are being priced at three dollars per pound or more. Fortunately, everyone can grow their own tomatoes, even people that live in apartments. The answer is to grow a tomato container garden. You can grow them on a patio or balcony or in a bright sunny room in your home.

The number one essential is sun. Tomatoes require a lot of light and will not thrive without out it. The materials you will need to gather for your tomato container garden are simple. You will need containers that are about five gallons in size. Only plant one tomato plant per pot. You will need soil, tomato seedlings and stakes or a wire cage to hold the plant upright. String, or products called twist-tie or sturdy-tie will be needed to tie the plant to the stakes or cages. You will need a plastic tray for drainage; good drainage is essential to the health of your tomato container garden. Last need on the list is fertilizer.

There are some species of tomatoes that will do better in your tomato container garden. The bush varieties of tomatoes work well in containers and are popular with container gardeners. Cherry tomatoes and Christmas Grape tomatoes work well also because of their size and many gardeners grow them when space is limited. Other varieties that will flourish in a tomato container garden are Celebrity, Early Girl, and Sweet 100′s. It really depends on which variety you want to grow and for what purposes. If you will be growing them mainly for salads the cherry varieties are the way to go.

As mentioned before, sunlight is a requirement in order to grow your tomato container garden. Scout out the area you are planning to use for your tomatoes. The spot for your tomato container garden must get at least four to six hours of sunlight. The more light the better since the sun promotes healthy, steady growth. The two most important elements for success in tomato container gardening is sunlight and water.

By growing your own tomato container garden you will know that there were no pesticides used on your plants. With all the controversy going on about pesticides knowing that yours is pesticide free is an advantage for you and your family. Here is a good natural pest deterrent:

In a jar, combine 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup vegetable oil. Shake vigorously. In an empty spray bottle, combine 2 teaspoons of this mixture and 1 cup water. Use at ten-day intervals (or more often if needed) to rid plants of whiteflies, mites, aphids, scales, and other pests.

Other pluses to this type of garden is you no longer will be paying high prices for tomatoes, your containers won’t take up much space and one plant usually yields enough tomatoes to feed your family. The cost of a tomato container garden is minimal and the feeling of accomplishment is great. So why are you waiting to plant your tomatoes? It’s time to choose the variety of tomato you want to grow, pick up some containers and start your tomato container gardens today.

Happy Container Gardening!

Copyright © Mary Hanna, All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

Tomatoes can be easily grown in containers. In fact if planted and maintained properly, they will yield just as much as ones planted in the garden. Many people think that patio and smaller varieties of tomatoes are the only ones that will be productive when confined to a pot but most varieties will thrive in containers.

The benefits of growing tomatoes in containers outweigh the disadvantages by quite a bit. If you are limited in space, this is an effective method to grow tomatoes and other vegetables. The containers can be moved to take advantage of the being placed in the sunniest spot. As you know tomatoes need at least eight hours of sun every day. Weeding almost becomes a non-issue when tomatoes are grown in containers. The fruit is also easier to harvest and you lose less to snails and rodents. You also can move the pots to a protected area during cold spells to extend your harvest.

The disadvantage of the container method of growing tomatoes is that the plants have a tendency to dry out faster in a container than if planted in the ground. You will have to make sure they have enough water everyday.

Sixteen inch diameter pots or larger are needed for growing tomatoes as the plant needs the stability that a larger pot can give so they do not tip over. Tomato plant roots run deep so you want to use a container with more depth too. Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom that are covered by a fiberglass screen to keep the soil in the pot. Then secure with the screen with rocks or pieces of a clay pot to keep it in place and add drainage to the pot.

Plastic pots are more desirable to use as they don’t soak up the moisture from the soil like clay pots do. Market bushel or half bushel baskets make ideal containers to plant tomatoes in also. You can use anything that is big enough and not made of toxic materials to plant tomato plants in. I once used a kids wooden wagon with high sides as a container and grew a nice garden in it.

Make a good mix of soil that is just right for growing tomatoes. A high-quality mix consists of one part each of potting soil, perlite, sphagnum peat moss and compost is ideal for a container growing mediam. This mix is loose and full of organic matter. It also drains well and doesn’t get soggy. Add a slow release organic fertilizer that is made for tomatoes and blend it completely into the soil before planting. Later into the season, you will have to add more organic fertilizer, about once every two weeks during the growing

Although there are specific tomato varieties that are designed for container growing, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible to grow almost any type of tomato in a container. Tomatoes can grow just as well in a container as they do in the ground. As long as one is armed with the proper knowledge and the necessary resources, anyone can be well on the road to harvesting an abundant and delicious crop of tomatoes.

USE A LARGE ENOUGH POT

One of the biggest mistakes people typically make when it comes to growing tomatoes in containers is that they underestimate how big a container they will need. Tomatoes are designed to grow fast. The root system provides the plants with the nourishment they need to produce flowers that will ultimately bear fruit. A tomato plant that doesn’t have a large enough pot will become pot bound very quickly. Look for a pot that is at least as big as a 5 gallon container, if not larger.

The pot also needs to be large enough and heavy enough to support the weight of the top heavy plants. If the pots aren’t large enough and heavy enough, the soil will dry out very quickly and it will be difficult to provide the plants with an even level of moisture. Top heavy plants that aren’t planted in pots that are big and heavy enough will fall over all the time.

TYPES AND VARIETIES OF TOMATOES

All tomato varieties fall into one of two classes: they are either determinate or indeterminate. Determinate varieties tend to mature sooner than indeterminate varieties. They produce a very large crop at one time, and that is usually earlier in the season than other varieties. Once they produce the large crop, the plants will bear few if any additional fruits.

Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes typically take longer to yield their crop. Once they do start to produce the crop, they will produce a pretty steady supply of tomatoes throughout the remainder of the season.

The best resource for every type of container food crop is “Container Seeds.

PLANTING AND SOIL

Because the soil in containers dries out so much faster than the soil in the ground, one of the most prevalent problems associated with growing tomatoes in containers is Blossom End Rot. Blossom End Rot is caused by insufficient calcium and/or uneven or irregular watering.

The best way for anyone who wishes to grow tomatoes in containers to try to prevent this is by adding calcium to the soil before putting the plants in it. Bone or blood meal are excellent sources

The difference between homemade tomato sauce and store bought sauce can be compared to the difference between fresh popped popcorn and opening a bag of ready popped corn as you settle in to watch a movie. The fresh one engulfs you in the aroma and temperatures blending with the crisp textures in your mouth. Open a bag of ready pop and watch a movie and I dare say you can’t tell what it is you are ingesting!

Homemade tomato sauce is as different as those two pop corns! In a homemade sauce you have a freshness that can’t be mistaken or overlooked to the discriminating palate! homemade sauces contain a wonderful warm and fragrant combination of herbs, spices, vegetables and even differences in the varieties of tomatoes used, changes one homemade sauce from another.

It is possible to ‘punch up’ a store bought sauce if absolutely necessary ( if you are using store-bought, it IS absolutely necessary). This can be done by adding fresh herbs, a fresh onion, bits of fresh pepper and a chopped fresh tomato or two.

Then again, if you are doing all that go homemade all the way as there really is NO comparison!

Tomatoes are in my opinion the best fruit vegetable there is. Cherry tomatoes with their sweet and tangy taste can be eaten whole. As they are small in size you can just pop them in your mouth. Tomatoes give salads a dash of red color. Pasta and pizza are made even tastier with fresh tomato sauce poured over them. And these are just some of the benefits you will get from tomato gardening.

While tomatoes come in many different shapes, sizes and colors there are actually only two varieties of tomatoes. One is the Determinates and the other is the Indeterminates. Determinate tomatoes grow on vines that stop growing at a certain point. These tomato plants are small and compact vines that produce fruits early in the growing season. Determinates tomatoes plants can be grown in containers or even in small spaces.

The best way to grow Determinates is to space them out about 1 to 2 feet apart. The tomato rows need to have a distance of 4 feet between them. With determinate tomato gardening if you wish to plant any other vegetables near the tomatoes, then you will need to keep some additional space around those tomato rows.

Indeterminates tomatoes on the other hand continue growing. They need support in the form of cages or trellises. The distance that you should keep between the cages is about 3 feet. Once the Indeterminate tomatoes have caught on to the trellis or their cage, you will need to train them to climb the supporting frame. Sometimes it will be necessary to tie the vines to the frame stakes so that the whole tomato plant does not fall over due to its own weight.

You can start your tomato gardening with seeds or starter plants brought from nurseries. The best new tomato plants are those without any yellow speckling on their leaves. The other thing to check is to make sure that your plant roots are not coming out of the containers bottom. The root’s growth can tell if your plant will grow successfully or if it will be stressed out and produce a poor harvest. For the best growth to be made, a good vegetable gardening tip is to see that your soil is a rich, sandy loam type of soil.

The best time to start tomato gardening is when all of the other trees in your garden are fully in leaf. By this time the season will be warm and your acclimatized tomato plants will receive about 8 hours or more of life giving sunlight. The roots of the tomatoes should be fully embedded within their soil bed. This lets the tomato receive all the nutrients that it can from the soil.

With tomato gardening you need to keep an eye on the weather. Hot sunny days might be great for you, but they mean that your tomato plants will need regular watering at least once a week. Other than this you can sit back and relax. Once your tomatoes are fully ripe, just pluck them off the vines and enjoy your fresh tomatoes.

Beautiful, gigantic, and perfect tomatoes do not grow by themselves! While tomatoes originated in the wild, centuries of cultivation have produced countless varieties, each needing their own special care. Some varieties of tomatoes grow in compact bushy forms, while others grow and grow, like vines, continually setting fruit. Depending on the type of tomato and desired yield, pruning and staking tomato plants will ensure a healthier, more robust harvest.

What is Pruning?

When most people think of pruning, they think of trees and shrubs. We prune trees to change the shape, increase air-flow through the canopy, reduce the size, and remove dead or diseased wood. Tomato pruning works in much the same way.

Pruning for Plant Health

Tomatoes benefit from good air circulation, as they are prone to diseases if their leaves stay wet or are encased in constant humidity. Pruning helps thin the tomato plant so that air moves freely. Tomatoes, when attacked by disease or pests, can recover; however, the injured part of the plant must be removed so that the injury does not spread to the rest of the plant.

Pruning for Increased Harvest

Every time a plant flowers, once the flower is pollinated, it will produce a fruit. Juicy tomatoes we love to eat are actually the fruits of the tomato plant. Vigorous, vine types of tomatoes will grow forever if not stopped! A plant can only produce a certain amount of sugar to “feed” the fruit; consequently, tomato plants with more fruits will produce smaller fruits. Pruning side-shoots helps lessen the amount of fruit on the plant, and allows the plant to send all of its energy to a few, select fruits.

What is Staking?

Staking is the process of providing support for a plant. Staking helps promote air flow throughout the plant, ensuring less buildup of moisture, and fewer diseases. Staking also helps support tomato plants as they grow and produce heavy fruit. Tomato stems are brittle, and will break under too much strain. Many types of staking mechanisms exist including cages, trellises, and single stakes. Consult a tomato growing reference like How To Grow Juicy Tasty Tomatoes for a comparison of 11 staking techniques.

The proper staking technique will depend the tomato variety and individual gardener’s harvesting goals.

Pruning and Staking are keys to successful tomato growing, as they promote overall plant health and higher fruit yield.

If you want more detailed tomato garden advice and tips from a world horticultural expert, visit www.bestjuicytomatoes.com

Tomato Growing: Pruning and Staking for More Fruit

Beautiful, gigantic, and perfect tomatoes do not grow by themselves! While tomatoes originated in the wild, centuries of cultivation have produced countless varieties, each needing their own special care. Some varieties of tomatoes grow in compact bushy forms, while others grow and grow, like vines, continually setting fruit. Depending on the type of tomato and desired yield, pruning and staking tomato plants will ensure a healthier, more robust harvest.

What is Pruning?

When most people think of pruning, they think of trees and shrubs. We prune trees to change the shape, increase air-flow through the canopy, reduce the size, and remove dead or diseased wood. Tomato pruning works in much the same way.

Pruning for Plant Health

Tomatoes benefit from good air circulation, as they are prone to diseases if their leaves stay wet or are encased in constant humidity. Pruning helps thin the tomato plant so that air moves freely. Tomatoes, when attacked by disease or pests, can recover; however, the injured part of the plant must be removed so that the injury does not spread to the rest of the plant.

Pruning for Increased Harvest

Every time a plant flowers, once the flower is pollinated, it will produce a fruit. Juicy tomatoes we love to eat are actually the fruits of the tomato plant. Vigorous, vine types of tomatoes will grow forever if not stopped! A plant can only produce a certain amount of sugar to “feed” the fruit; consequently, tomato plants with more fruits will produce smaller fruits. Pruning side-shoots helps lessen the amount of fruit on the plant, and allows the plant to send all of its energy to a few, select fruits.

What is Staking?

Staking is the process of providing support for a plant. Staking helps promote air flow throughout the plant, ensuring less buildup of moisture, and fewer diseases. Staking also helps support tomato plants as they grow and produce heavy fruit. Tomato stems are brittle, and will break under too much strain. Many types of staking mechanisms exist including cages, trellises, and single stakes. Consult a tomato growing reference like “How To Grow Juicy Tasty Tomatoes” for a comparison of 11 staking techniques.

The proper staking technique will depend the tomato variety and individual gardener’s harvesting goals. Pruning and Staking are keys to successful tomato growing, as they promote overall plant health and higher fruit yield.

Gardening season begins at different times in different parts of the country. No vegetable garden is ever complete without the presence of tomato plants. Whether you start your tomatoes from seed or purchase plants, there will always be challenges involved in having a successful harvest.

The first consideration for any gardener who wishes to grow tomatoes involves the choice of variety. Tomato plants are separated into two groups for classification purposes. Determinate varieties produce a lot of tomatoes in a short amount of time whereas Indeterminate tomatoes produce a steadier harvest throughout the growing season.

When you are deciding what varieties of tomatoes to plant, look at the length of time it takes for the tomatoes to bear fruit. If you live in the south where you can put your plants out much earlier than people in the north can, you will want to plant some varieties that mature faster. Determinate varieties may be a better choice for you because once the weather gets extremely hot, it may be too hot for the flowers to set fruit.

CONSIDER YOUR CLIMATE:

Not all varieties of tomatoes are well suited to all areas of the country. If you live in an area that gets extremely hot, you want to look for varieties that have proved to be able to tolerate extremes of heat. If you are planting tomatoes from seed, the time you start the seeds will vary depending on where in the country you live. The general rule of thumb for starting seeds is that you want to plant your seeds ten weeks before you want to plant your tomatoes outdoors.

Some varieties that are very well suited to hot conditions and that did well in the growing trials designed to test suitability are Top Gun, Solar Fire, BHN 444, Crista and Surefire. The varieties producing the best results in those trials were Surefire and BHN 444. The biggest problems associated with hot weather are that the plants may not flower, the flowers may not set fruit, and that because of the extreme heat, it’s difficult, if not impossible to keep the plants evenly moist.

TOMATO DISEASES:

Tomatoes are susceptible to a host of problems ranging from Fusarium Wilt, and Verticillium Wilt, both of which fungal disease that appears to affect the leaves and the branches to root knot nematodes. Fusarium Wilt and Verticillium Wilt generally enter the plant through the roots, as do other fungal diseases affecting tomatoes. The main difference between Fusarium Wilt and Verticillium Wilt is that Verticillium Wilt doesn’t

Beautiful, gigantic, and perfect tomatoes do not grow by themselves! While tomatoes originated in the wild, centuries of cultivation have produced countless varieties, each needing their own special care. Some varieties of tomatoes grow in compact bushy forms, while others grow and grow, like vines, continually setting fruit. For healthy tomato plants, careful attention must be paid to the individual needs of the variety. Some varieties are robust and disease resistant, while others need more care. Depending on the type of tomato and desired yield, pruning and staking tomato plants will ensure a healthier, more robust harvest.

What is Pruning?

When most people think of pruning, they think of trees and shrubs. We prune trees to change the shape, increase air-flow through the canopy, reduce the size, and remove dead or diseased wood. Tomato pruning works in much the same way. When you prune a plant, you stimulate new growth. Proper tomatoe pruning techniques ensure that pruning stimulates fruit growth and plant health, rather than more growth overall.

Pruning for Plant Health

Tomatoes benefit from good air circulation, as they are prone to diseases if their leaves stay wet or are encased in constant humidity. Pruning helps thin the tomato plant so that air moves freely. Tomatoes, when attacked by disease or pests, can recover; however, the injured part of the plant must be removed so that the injury does not spread to the rest of the plant.

Pruning for Increased Harvest

Every time a plant flowers, once the flower is pollinated, it will produce a fruit. Juicy tomatoes we love to eat are actually the fruits of the tomato plant. Vigorous, vine types of tomatoes will grow forever if not stopped! A plant can only produce a certain amount of sugar to “feed” the fruit; consequently, tomato plants with more fruits will produce smaller fruits. Pruning side-shoots helps lessen the amount of fruit on the plant, and allows the plant to send all of its energy to a few, select fruits. Removing side-shoots altogether ensures that the tomato plant “concentrates” its nutrients and energy into the tomatoes on the plant.

What is Staking?

Staking is the process of providing support for a plant. Staking helps promote air flow throughout the plant, ensuring less buildup of moisture, and fewer diseases. Staking also helps support tomato plants as they grow and produce heavy fruit. Tomato stems are brittle, and will break under too much strain. Many types of staking mechanisms exist including cages, trellises, and single stakes. For overall support, cages are easy solutions. Tomato cages can restrict air flow, so trellises and frames are a better option for overall plant health. Consult a tomato growing reference like How To Grow Juicy Tasty Tomatoes for a comparison of 11 staking techniques.

The proper staking technique will depend the tomato variety and individual gardener’s harvesting goals.

Pruning and Staking are keys to successful tomato growing, as they promote overall plant health and higher fruit yield.

Choosing this Seasons Tomato Seed

“I have never met a tomato I didn’t like” I would bet there area probably hundreds of people that would agree with me on that point. In fact there are probably as many people ready to agree as there are different varieties of tomatoes available to grow.

Visit your friendly garden shop and take a quick glance at their newly arrived seed packets. You will be pleasantly surprised to find all the varieties of tomatoes that are available on the market today. These varieties range from the heirloom tomatoes to the genetically engineered varieties. You have miniature tomatoes and you have the large beef eaters. There is a tomato for every persons taste. That fact alone is probably the most difficult decision you will have to make. Which variety do you want to grow this year?

Disease resistance is very important when you finally decide what variety of tomato to grow. Look closely at the information presented for the various varieties and you will notice that it contains the letters V, F, N, or T within the tomatoes description. The letter “V” means the seed is Verticillium Wilt resistant, the “F” means Fusarium Wilt resistant, “N” is the short symbol for Nematodes while “T” is typically used to indicate Tobacco Mosiac. Should you note any of these letters mentioned in the description it merely indicates that the particular variety is resistant to those diseases.

The growth habits of the particular plant is indicated by Indeterminate or determinate. Indeterminate indicates that the tomatoe plant has a tendency to spread while the designation of determinate reveals the plant remains within its limited confines. If the seed is marked as semi-determinate it means although the growing plants do not spread greatly they still require some added space.

To start your tomato seeds indoors sow them in either plug trays or flats. Be sure to read the manufacturers recommendations placed on the rear of the seed packet. They have certain planting depths and recommended spacing for the plants after you thin them.

There are special mixed soil combinations that are created spe4cifically for seed starting. You can readily pick up this seed starting soil at your local garden center. Do not even consider using neither regular potting soil nor the soil obtained from your garden. These soils are not sterilized and can cause what is commonly referred to as damping off in the initial stages of the plants growth.

Upon sowing the tomato seed in trays they should be placed in a 70 to 75 degree location. Should your seed producing area be too cool there are special heating pads that ccan be obtained. Germination should take place within 7 to 14 days of planting the seed.

After the first true leaves begin to develop on the small plants you should transplant them to a larger container. In approximately 6 to 8 weeks your tomato plants should be ready for transplanting within your garden area.

Agricultural research has introduced dozens of new tomato varieties each season several varieties that are hardy and very disease resistant include the several hybrids such as Big Beef or possibly Hybrid Celebrity. Don’t hesitate to try a new variety as you may be pleasantly surprised at both the results of growing the tomato as well as the taste.