If you aspire to growing your own tomatoes but have little or no garden space, you can still grow them in pots.
Tomatoes need plenty of sun to grow and fruit well, so first off, you need to find a position for your pots that meets that requirement. The ideal is morning sun and afternoon shade.
Tomatoes don’t stand up to baking afternoon sun and may become susceptible to pests like white fly and red spider mite. Pots dry out faster leading to further heat stress. Good air circulation is also necessary to keep plants cool and pest free so don’t stand them too close to a wall.
When choosing a container, the bigger the better because larger containers hold more soil which doesn’t dry out as quickly. Make sure the pot has drainage holes. The lighter the type of pot the easier it is to move.
A commercial potting mix on its own is not fertile enough for tomatoes. Supplement the potting mix by adding compost or Fertilis earthworm castings, a slow release 2:3: 2 organic fertiliser, vermiculite, perlite or hydrated palm peat for water retention, and agricultural lime (also called dolomitic lime) which contains calcium and magnesium, as most edibles like a higher level than is present in commercial potting mixes.
Tomatoes for containers
Certain tomato varieties are more suitable that others for containers, especially in a confined space.
Tomatoes grow easily from seed and if only one or two plants are required, it makes sense to go the seed route. Seed packets that are sealed after use and kept in a box in a cool room can remain viable well beyond one season.
Bushy varieties are easiest to grow in containers because they are compact, tidy, and only need minimal staking. Marlaen Straathof from Kirchhoffs recommends Tomato Roma VF, also known as the Jam Tomato, that grows well in large pots with a supporting frame. The firm plum tomato has a meaty flesh with few seeds which makes it perfect for salads, pastes, cooking and freezing, Fruit is ready for harvesting within 80 days.
Cherry tomatoes are popular because they are snackable and sweet. Although most are vining varieties, Straathof says growing them in pots will contain their growth and because the fruit is small it doesn’t get heavy. Plants can also be trimmed to keep them manageable. However, they still need support and a good idea is to fit a trellis into or behind the pot.
‘Red Cherry Sweetie’ from Kirchhoffs has super sweet fruit and plants are dependable growers even under adverse conditions, with a long fruiting season. Another super sweet and juicy variety is ‘Rainbow Cherry Mix’ (RAW seed) of red, yellow, orange, pink, white, green, brown and bi-colour cherry tomatoes. Plants have a 1.2m spread and the first fruit is harvestable within 70 to 90 days.
Tomato ‘Principe Borghese’ (RAW) is a plum shaped Italian heirloom variety. The small fruit is good for roasting, slicing into salads, or for sauces. Support the 1.2m plant with a trellis or cage. Fruit ripens within 80 to 100 days.
There is always an exception and one such is tomato ‘Oxheart’ which is a heritage variety from the 1920’s. It grows well in large pots with a supporting frame and produces enormous fruit (280-340g), that is very meaty with a mild, sweet flavour.
Growing tips for container tomatoes
- Water often and adjust to changing temperatures as days become cooler.
- Spray pests with organic, non-toxic solutions like Ludwig’s Insect Spray or Margaret Roberts Organic Insecticide for pest attacks like bollworm, vegetarian ladybird, scale or mealy bug as well as for aphids, white fly and red spider mite.
- Starting about a month after planting, feed your tomatoes about once a week with a water-soluble fertilizer, like Margaret Roberts Organic Supercharger.
For more information visit: www.kirchhoffs.co.za or www.rawliving.co.za
Article by Alice Spenser-Higgs
