How to Grow Tomatoes with Container Gardening
If you have a confined space but still want to grow tomatoes, patio tomatoes are ideal because they only grow to be 2 feet tall.
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Get your vegetable patch started with these gardening tutorials.
You Will Need
- Container
- Tomato plant
- Gravel
- Potting soil
- Fertilizer
- Compost
- Sunlight
- Water
- Patio or dwarf indeterminate plants (optional)
Steps
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Step 1
Choose a container
Choose a container for your tomatoes. Be sure to use something with adequate drainage that has a diameter of at least 12 inches.
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Step 2
Buy undemanding varieties
Buy tomato varieties that don't demand too much water so they stay strong throughout the summer.
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Buy plants marked "patio tomato" or "dwarf indeterminate,' which have a smaller, stockier growth pattern but will bear for a much longer time.
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Step 3
Fill container
Promote adequate drainage by adding a few inches of gravel to your container. Then fill it halfway with potting soil designed for vegetables.
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Step 4
Plant the plant
Place your plant in the container and then fill it the rest of the way with soil mixed with slow-acting fertilizer, leaving 2 to 3 inches at the top.
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Step 5
Add compost
Mix a couple inches of compost into the top couple inches of soil. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and love organic matter.
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Step 6
Make sure the plant gets enough sunlight
Put your plant in an area where it can get at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight.
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Step 7
Water
Water the plant on a regular basis. Tomatoes need an inch of water per week. Tomatoes do most of their growing during the evening, so water in the late afternoon.
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Step 8
Fertilize
Add fertilizer every two to four weeks and harvest your tomatoes all season long.
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As of 2004, the largest annual food fight was in Spain, with 38,000 people throwing 275,500 pounds of tomatoes in 1 hour.
