15 Easy Tips For Growing Tomatoes in Pots : 18 Best Varieties

Summer doesn’t always feel like summer if you don’t have a tomato plant in your home. A healthy crop as well as an amazing side ingredient to a salad, tomatoes are a must.

Don’t have a garden? Well, don’t worry because you can grow tomatoes in pots and containers very easily. If you don’t know how to do that then we are here to help you out. Here are some tips for growing tomatoes in pots.

1. Choose The Perfect Location

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Most people just think about keeping their tomatoes in any location. But then, where will it get the sunlight from. Choose a spot near the window where your tomato plant gets an apt amount of sunlight. Also, it might help if you could keep them away from each other as that will help in air circulation.

2. Pick Out The Correct Container

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Well, since you are not going to plant your tomatoes in the garden, you will require a brand new pot or a container to put them in. Now, there are many different shapes and sizes available. You need to find one that best suits the plants that you want. Choosing the correct tomato container size is really important for growth of plant. You need to pick out a pot that will fit the plants perfectly.

3. Always Pick Potting Mix

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When you want to have amazing qualities of tomatoes in your pot, you need to avoid using garden soil for that. If you choose a good-quality potting mix, then it will provide the plant with a fluffy and light environment to grow properly. Plus, garden soil always have some sort of pests and bacteria in it. You wouldn’t want to take that kind of a risk with your tomatoes, right? So, a good quality and proper potting mix is the best bet here.

4. Choose When To Plant The Tomatoes

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Well, tomatoes grow better when the weather is all frosty. Don’t worry; it won’t do anything to the fruit as well. So, getting it the right amount of rain will be a great idea. That way, you don’t have to water them again and again. However, make sure that the rain isn’t too much as well. You don’t want your tomatoes to rot now, do you? Taking proper care regarding the time to plant is really important when it comes to the tomatoes.

5. Select The Best Tomato Varieties

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There are so many different varieties of tomatoes that grow in the pots and containers. However, there are some tomatoes which tend to perform a bit better than the other ones. So, why not choose the best tomatoes to grow in pots? Who knows that you might find the perfect one? We have found that the cherry tomatoes work really well in pots. So, if you ever think of buying one, this is the option to go for.

Also Read: Top 21 Mythical Flowers and Plants

6. Grow The Determinate Tomatoes

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Now you might be thinking what a determinate tomato is. Well, a determinate tomato is the best solution for a household that has less space. If your growing location is a bit smaller than usual, then the determinate tomato plants are the only option for you, my friend. These plants have an added advantage over the other regular tomatoes as they don’t grow too wide and tall. So, if you want a solution to the space problem, then you can choose these types.

7. Choose The Right Technique For Planting

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To be honest, planting a tomato is not that difficult. It’s not rocket science after all. But if you think that you’ll just get a plant and pot it, then you are wrong. That won’t get any result as well. So, choosing the right technique is one of the best tomato growing tips that we can give you. You see, the plants of tomatoes have to planted really deep. This will make sure that the root system is pretty strong and healthy.

8. Keep Them Away From Pests

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We humans are not the only ones that love tomatoes. There are several insects as well that love the juicy treat. Be careful when you are growing cherry tomatoes in pots, they might get infested easily with the insects and pest. This will make all your efforts go in vain. Also, use the soil that has no pests and bacteria in it. That way your tomatoes will be safe.

9. Use Organic Fertilizer

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Using organic fertilizer is really important when you are growing tomatoes in a pot. You see, when you grow the tomatoes in a garden, they get all of the nutrients anyway. However, when the plant is in a pot, there is a need to use the organic fertilizer for providing the plants with the added nutrients that they require. Apart from that, these fertilizers don’t have any chemical content in them as well.

10. Water Them The Perfect Way

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One thing that you need to keep in mind is to water these plants in a regular way so the soil is moist. However, make sure that you don’t overdo it as the soil might get saturated. Also, using the fingers for determining the soil state is also recommended. Overhead watering should also be avoided while growing tomatoes in buckets and tubs.

Also Read: 18 Great Tips for a Perfect Kitchen Garden

11. Get The Plants Some Support

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Well, the tomato plants would need some support to grow, right? Especially the vine-like tomato plants. So, giving them the support that they need is one of the best tips for growing tomatoes. You could do that with the help of a cage, trellis or a certain stalk that they can use as support. The basic idea of this is to make sure that the weight of the fruit doesn’t overbear the plant. You would be removing the weight from the plants. You need to use a net for covering up the cage as well.

12. Removing And Pruning Suckers

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Pruning isn’t necessary for some plants that grow very close to each other. However, for some plants, it is really important to do so. Tangling of the branches is one of the most common problems in case of tomato plants. Well, to be honest, these branches always seem to block the flow of air to the plant. Also, they block the sunlight as well. So, when you are looking out for a solution to that problem, we suggest that pruning those branches will be the best idea. This will increase plant productivity as well.

13. Weekly Inspection Of The Plants Is A Must

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Make sure that you take proper precautions when you are growing tomatoes in pots. Inspecting the plants is a must when you are doing so. Weekly inspections help you to check whether the plants and the fruits have any pests or insects on them or not. Just in case there are any, you will be able to remove them so that your plants are safe. You don’t want to deal with bigger problems right? Then solving the issues in the first place is the best idea in here. So, why not try it out, people? The results will be amazing.

14. Harvest The Tomatoes

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If you follow all the tips for growing tomatoes, we’re pretty sure that you will have a wonderful produce and harvest. Now, you need to pick the time of harvesting the tomatoes as well. You can’t just go and pick them up, can you? The tomatoes will be the best ones when they are picked at the right time. We would suggest the time when you can easily pluck them from the branches. Also, make sure to wash them before you eat. This helps in reducing the diseases.

15. Make Sure To Clean Up

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Cleaning up is really important so that you have a successful growth when you plant the tomatoes the next time. Remove all that old potting mix from the pots and clean them up properly so that you can use it the next time as well. Also, sterilizing the pots will be a great idea as well. Once they are all clean, dry them up and you are ready to use them again.

These are all the tips on growing tomatoes. Hope you know by now how to grow tomatoes in pots.

Also Read: 31 Beneficial Tips for Container Gardening

Different Varieties Of Tomatoes For Containers

There are many container tomato varieties that most people don’t know about. So, how about we look at some of the best tomatoes for containers in here? Let’s go then.

1. Big Boy Bush Tomato

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This medium-sized variety of a tomato is productive and is best for small spaced kitchens.

2. Bush Champion

Best for a compact growth and has a proper heat tolerance. It grows 2 feet in height.

3. Bush Goliath Tomato

People having limited space in their garden can use it. This plant is about 3 ft. when grown. It is best for containers.

4. Celebrity Tomato

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It is semi-determinate and reaches up to 4 ft. It is the best if you want plump and robust tomatoes.

5. Early Girl Bush Tomato

This is a hybrid tomato plant that is a perfect one for the areas that have shorter seasons. The tomatoes mature within 2 months.

6. Patio F Tomato

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It is a dwarf plant and great for containers. The size of the tomatoes is a little bit bigger than the cherry ones.

7. Window Box Roma Tomato

Another hybrid, early-matured tomato. Sweet in taste as well.

8. Tumbling Tom

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This plant bears cherry tomatoes that are sweet. Best for the balconies!!

9. Sun Sugar

An intermediate plant that yields cherry tomatoes, this is really easy for growth and maturing.

10. Carmello

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Nothing beats the flavor of a Carmello. Also, it is very productive as well.

11. Sweet 100 Tomato

A hybrid-intermediate tomato plant that gives cherry tomatoes those are of scarlet color.

12. Sweet Baby Girl Tomato

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If you want to have bite-sized samples of tomatoes, this is the plant for you. The height of the plant is about 78 inches.

13. Sun Gold

The amazing sweet taste of a Sun Gold tomato is not easy to forget. These have an orange color and are best for large containers.

14. Principe Borghese

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An Italian heirloom, this plant is the best amongst the determinate ones. The egg-shaped tomatoes are the best products.

Also Read: 35 Best Cucumber Varieties you can Grow at Home

15. Manitoba

This plant is best for summertime. It has great disease tolerance as well. The taste is a bit tangy though.

16. New Yorker

This tomato plant grows well in cool surroundings. The tomatoes are scarlet-red and the taste is a bit average.

17. Sprite Tomato

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This is the best plant for those who love grape tomatoes. Works well with constrained spaces as well.

18. Sophie’s Choice

Another example of an heirloom tomato, however, it is a dwarf one. The fruits are very flavorful and large though.

Final Thoughts

Well, that’s all the tips for growing tomatoes. If you followed this article carefully, then you will know all about growing tomatoes in pots.
So, are you ready to grow your own tomatoes now? Well, what are you waiting for then? Start now!