Where to get a tomatoe plant for growing in a container?

Novice but ambitious gardener here.

Tomatoes MUST be in a container, so says my apartment complex. I LOVE tomatoes, so I plan on attempting this for summer 2015.

I want to start with PLANTS as I'm not brave enough to start with seeds for this project (yet). But WHERE do I get them?? I thought maybe my local feed store might have them. . I've not seen them at local nurseries, tho, these past 2-4 years. Can I order them online? I want one about big marble-size red cherry tomatoe (like for salads) and one big baseball-size red slicing tomatoe. And my full sun patio is rather small (about 7 sq. ft), so they shiould behave and not try to invade the neighbor's!! LOL

I want to do two tomato containers: how deep should they be for the roots? How BIG (circumference) should they be? (tentatively, for the large tomatoe,I've thiought of using like a rectangular plastic storage bin, about 48Lx24Wx18D)... What shouild I fill them with? Any special additives I should use specific for tomatoes (bone meal? gypsum? oyster shell or some other calcium source??) I plan on planting nastertiums (sp?) in my in-ground flower bed next to my patio, to lure pollinators to the area.

Over this winter, I'm reading up on how-to's and trying to be prepared come. . . June??

Please advice: totally clueless !!

Hi,
You will most likely not find any tomato plants to buy until spring. If you are lucky, stores may still have tomato seeds. You can also buy seeds online. Parks Seed is a good source. Tomato plants are usually not shipped this late in the season for fear of freezing while shipped.

Seeds are cheap to buy and easy to sprout. Just follow direction on the package. You still have time to experiment. seeds usually will sprout in 7 to 10 days.

My daughter grows a tomato plant Early Girl in an approximately 20" in diameter plastic pot. She uses regular potting soil. She has a veggie garden also but a potted tomato extends the season in zone 4 since she also has a hobby greenhouse. These are early, regular size tomatoes. For very large tomatoes try Beefsteak since you are in a growing zone that offers a long growing season. Buy a tomato cage to harness your plant as it grows.

The salad type tomatoes can be grown in a pot 12" to 18" diameter since their root system is smaller.

While full-sized tomatoes may be grown in a large pot (I have grown them in a self-watering earthbox-like container of approximately the size you mention) they usually do not grow as big as those in the ground, probably a plus since you must erect a cage or support for them. Cherry tomatoes might be a better bet (I like Pink Ping Pong).

You may want to look into the Dwarf Tomato Project plants
http://www.dwarftomatoproject.net
which are just the right size for containers (at least 15" diameter) and whose seeds can be found at suppliers like Heritage. (I don't know if anyone sells dwarf plants.) The one I liked the best was Perth Pride.

BetNC; Here is my 2 cents worth. Go to WWW.youtube.com Type in Tomatoes in Containers. You will find all kinds of ways to grow tomatoes. I hope you get a lot of Ideas, on how to start tomatoes, and grow them. Phil Have fun

Thanks, blooma DonS and 19flip. I went to Dwarf Tomatoe Project, YouTube and just plain Googled and went surfin'! I read about tomatoes from seed to harvesting, BER, tomato horn worms, aspirin & coffee grounds & Epsom salts & eggshells. . . .

Although I DID find vendors offering tomato plants ready for the garden, it turns out, starting from seed is relatively easy.....now the hard part will be to choose WHICH varieties (Early Girl, Early Boy, Baxter's Bush Cherry are the front runners). Thanks to YouTube, I found a DIY grow station for about $40!

January is my big shopping spree, with my start-up indoors scheduled for February 1.

The HARD part will be to wait that long!!!!

Those tomatoes better be plentiful and tasty!!!

Early Girl is a delicious eating tomato and produces plenty of tomatoes. Living in NC you should not have any problems since you have a long growing season compared to us in the North.

Since I am assuming you are only going to grow 1 tomato plant, you don't need any fancy equipment. About the only "fancy" equipment you need is fluorescent light to grow the plant until it is large enough to be planted in the pot.

The seeds can be sown in potting soil in any container that is 2" deep. Just make holes for drainage.

LOL blooma! my indoor gro set-up costs $40 BECAUSE it's two flourescent bulbs in a light fixture, hanging from PVC pipe.....plus a timer to turn the lights on/off (with MY memory, I'd prolly forget to turn the blasted lights on/off every . . single. . . day for 6 weeks! and THAT costs almost HALF the DIY gro set-up!!~!) Seeds will be sown in my recycled egg cartons!

"fancy" equipment?? Besides seed, stuff to make soil mixes and assorted final containers, my shopping list includes a one-gallon hand sprayer and an electric micro-coffee grinder (a mortar & pestle would cost more AND -most importantly- take more time and effort).

My most recent plans (the fourth or fifth edition) calls for 4-5 containers of tomatoes, ringed with marigolds (which I'll also start from seed) ,nastertiums (also started from seed) to be planted amid dying-off daffodils. . . and I'm still searching for yet another kind of flowering annual (started from seed) to be planted in ANOTHER bed, amidst my oriental lilies to hide their bare knees!! (This last should be an annual about 24-28 in tall, white, full sun, well-drained average soil, easy grower. . . . NOT needing daily watering!!!!!)

"Sides, if I was only going to have ONE tomato plant, I could just BUY a ready=to-transplant seedling: it'd be more cost-effective in the short run (tomato-wise only). . . but then I'd have to buy SCADS of marigolds and nastertiums and the-as-yet-unspecified flower. . . .

I'm RE-tired: what ELSE am I supposed to do with my time. . at less than MAYBE $150 for a some of my entertainment budget for roughly 7 months??

Think of the FUN I'll be having.....with tasty, juicy tomatoes to eat while admiring my pretty flowers!!! (Note to self: Buy a camera, too!!)

Ya' know, you've still got some time to think this over because you the best time to start seeding is around mid-February or early March. Tomatoes seedlings take about 6-8 weeks to mature before planting after your last frost date in the Spring. Early plantings will fare better if they are in containers that are in a protected area such as an enclosed patio or sun porch. Containers can also be moved inside or outside according to frost warnings.

I start all of my seedlings under my light stand using high wall cool-whip or cottage cheese type containers. Just space the seeds at least a half-inch or so apart in good potting soil. When they are about 4" tall (around 4 weeks old), I pluck them out, separate them, and transplant into individual 8oz cups for another 3 or 4 weeks.

When it comes to final plant containers, you want to think big because tomatoes have large root systems that are plenty thirsty (even dwarf types). At times it will be all that one person can do just to keep them properly watered. Most of the dwarf varieties that I have grown will do well either in Earthbox type containers or simple 5 gallon recycle pails. A quality potting mix helps.

Tomato varieties are important also. I've grown Baxter Bush, Tumbler, Patio, Tiny Tim, Sub-Artic Maxi, and even Roma with some success in 5 gal pails. Some larger ones like Celebrity, Bush Beefsteak, and Bush Better Boy will grow in larger whiskey type barrels. There seems to more "dwarf" varieties available than ever before, check with Tomato Growers Supply and/or Totally Tomatoes.

Shown is my Sub-Artic Maxi on July 1st this year.

Good luck with your project!
Al

I know what you mean since I am retired also. Now miss my garden that is sleeping under a blanket of snow.

Ok, you got me stumped. Why do you need an electric micro-coffee grinder? Fluorescent lights, potting soil, are not considered "fancy" equipment. You don't need to make soil, potting soil works great and have all the nutrients needed for the plants. Much of what is needed can be used again except potting soil.

If you want to be extra good to your plants, add and mix in some rotted cow or horse manure in the planting soil. Tomatoes love it. You can buy it at Walmart and Home Depot. There is no odor. I get rotted horse manure from my daughter's 6 horses. Years ago manure "tea" was popular to water plants with. I still make it.

I use 3" foam coffee mugs as containers. They are cheap in Walmart and are packaged 100 for under $3. A nail or pencil will easily make drainage holes. Easily marked with a black marker. Foam also tend to insulate roots. I have also used 1 quart milk containers as seed flats.

Dwarf marigolds are easy, and are suppose to keep bugs away.
If possible, you may want to shade your plants from the hot afternoon sun. Plants grown in containers heat up quickly and roots can cook. The best sun is from morning to about 1 or 2pm. I am not familiar with your climate but do know summers are hot.

lycodad Since you are in NY, starting plants in your zone most likely is later than in NC zone 7a where BetNC lives. Most likely tomato plants can be started earlier in zone 7a. I used to live in Flushing, NY years ago and started tomato plants on March 15.

lycodad good info,
! According to frost date and when to start indoors info from vendor: Feb2 is 6 weeks prior to last almost definate frost date. I definately will NOT have a big, beefsteak size plant: my apartment managers would have a litter of puppies if I grew plants that big, besides I'm not physically able to manage containers big enough to accomadate them.

blooma, I'm planning on using 3-in styrofoam coffee cups as my transplant cups...gmta! The micro coffee grinder is to start to process eggshells, to put in the bottom of every planting hole - as an available source of Ca to prevent BER. And yes, I'm looking at 2 different varieties of dwarf marigolds...they're quite pretty!!. And for plant shading, again you must be reading my mind!! Here in DG Supplies or something, there's a vendor that sells the cutest umbrellas for plants! (Oh! I can just imagine my apartment managers having apoplexic fits!! hehehe) I WISH I had access to horses or cows manure, but I don't.....since leaving TX for here, I haven't even SEEN a cow and only 1-2 horses in scattered fields!!

I think I might have one 15 gallon planter (1 indeterminate or 2 determinAte tomatoes) and about 3 5-gallon self-watering paint type buckets from lowe's (another DIY low-tech project: I'll borrowing a drill from my neighbor!!)

Right now, I'm trying to finalize WHICH plant seeds to buy! There's so MANY choices!! But I don't have enough space. . :(

You might want to google the Dwarf Tomato Project. It will give you sources for obtaining "true" dwarf tomato seeds. I've gotten seeds from Heitage Tomato Seeds and Victory Seeds. I've grown 12 varieties in EBs and in ground. The plants are small but they produce regular size tomatoes. You can get manure, as blomma mentioned, at any store that has a garden center, you don't want to get fresh poop it will be too hot and burn your plants. You can grind up eggshells if you want but BER isn't caused from lack of Ca it's caused by the plant's inability to up take the Ca that is there. Some varieties are more prone to in then others but they usually out grow it as the plant matures.

I agree Blomma, there are some very good potting mixes on the market, some are already amended with trace amounts of fertilizer. Manure additives are fine if used outdoors, but I would really think twice before using them inside my house or apartment. Ordinary garden lime (pulverized limestone) will help prevent BER problems, I'm not sure about the eggshells. Tomatoes are heavy feeders, so a handful of 5-10-5 or 10-10-10 will also benefit.

Some of my "novelty" tomatoes I will start on Feb. 15th, only because I like to eat super early tomatoes on the 4th of July. They are held in 5 gal containers on my sun porch on the south side of my house. My "normal" production tomatoes are started around March 21st to April 1st. for transplanting about June 1st.

Al

BetNC,
It takes too long for the egg shells to release and prevent BER. And unless the soil you are going to use is too acid, you don't need lime. Potting soil is made up of everything that plants need so I wouldn't mess with it. I would use Miracle-Gro liquid to feed them with later in the summer. Or use 5-10-5 granulates.

Since you wrote you can't physically able to manage containers big enough to grow large tomatoes consider plant holders that have wheels on them to help move them. Walmart and other stores sell them.

To decide on what tomatoe variety you want to grow, make a list on what you want in a tomato i.e. size, days to harvest, height of plant, etc. Then, pick the variety or varieties that will fill that. If one don't fit what you want, maybe a 2nd one will.

lycodadLove your dish of tomatoes. They look delicious.

More information Folks:

http://www.tomatodirt.com - published a blog on growing container tomatoes. There's a whole article on "Off Season Indoor Growing" (left side menu). It tells just about everything you need to know, plus some special varieties to choose. Check it out..

Al

This message was edited Nov 21, 2014 11:14 AM

This message was edited Nov 21, 2014 11:24 AM

oh, my poor head is spinning!! good thing I started thinking and planning about this project so early!!

Those plant stands with the wheels (PLUS where to find them!!) sound like JUST the thing!! (making note to go check them out)

I could buy starting mix, potting soil etc....but it's cheaper to buy the separate things needed, since I'm going to have so many seed cells/seedlings/containers (I've price it all, from the ready-to-go mixes to all the components for DIY....several sources, too).

I've found composted cow manure, but I think my nose might not be up to using it - even outside!! Out of the bag, it smells like what it is. . .and after a rain (or watering), I'm looking around for the nearby feedlot!! Plants DO like it. . . but I gotta draw the line at pampering them SOMEwhere!!!

Below are tomato growing stuff I read/learned from the Internet (supposedly trusted sources (seed companies, Ag. extensions etc) that I'm going on (until I could ask you guys, knowledgeable tomato growers!!). So PLEASE check these "facts" for me, as either true or false:

tomato seeds/sprouts have natural protection from the sun for the first two days after germination, so if you put them outdoors (cloudy day or weak afternoon sun are best) for a couple of hours, you'll prevent "legginess" and it helps get the plants established - PLUS then the week of acclimation to sunlight (before planting outside) is not necessary.

A week of acclimation to sunlight (gradual daily increasing time spent outdoors for indoor grown seedlings)is necessary to prevent sun scald and plant death. However, this step is not necessary IF immediately planted seedlings are covered for a week by 1-gallon opaque plastic milk jugs, top off (covering the top/opening with a plate for nights

this is only half of what I typed, but it didn't get posted.

I'm too tired and my head's whirling STILL, so I'll tr-type the missing stuff later )think days, not hours).

I think your making it way too complicate. I don't mean that bad, your enthusiastic and want to do it "right", but there are many ways to do this...animal manure can be contaminated with systemic herbicides, from the feed the animals eat, this can kill your plants. I would use a container, potting soil, some Miracle Grow and seedlings. That's about it. To start my seedlings I use a starter mix under fluorescent lights that's it. Keep the seedlings moist but not drenched.

You're absolutely right Lisa, try to keep the project simple and inexpensive. DON'T spend a wad of money on this project just yet! You can start with a small bag of any good potting soil, a plastic container (even a McDonald's coffee cup) + a few seeds. If you're unsure about the starting procedures, experiment a couple of times with some inexpensive common seeds like Roma, Patio, or Ace. Only plant 5 or 6 seeds at a time until you are confident enough to make a go of it. Don't be afraid to make a couple mistakes, it's part of learning.

Re: Questions Above
Leggy seedlings are caused by two reasons, not enough light and too high temperature. AS SOON as the germinated seeds "pop" and show any tiny bit of green color, quickly get them under a light source and try to reduce the temperature to 60 degrees or so. I haven't had any problems putting my babies outside as long as the sunny temperatures are above 50 or so, but be careful with this and be sure to check often.

Al

To prevent legginess in any plant---tomatoes or otherwise---when started in the house give them 16 hours of fluorescent light. Keep the tubes 1" above the top of the leaves. If your light hang so you can't raise it as the plants grow, place the tomatoes on a platform made out of anything.

Before they are ready to be to be planted in containers and placed outside, gradually expose them to sunlight. I acclimate all my young plants with morning sun for one week. I don't know your setup but you can place them outside until noon then back under fluorescent light. As I have stated before, I am not familiar with your climate, which has to be taken in consideration.

To answer your question.

1] tomato seeds/sprouts have natural protection from the sun for the first two days after germination

WRONG. Unless the seed germinated under full exposure to the sun as they do in the "wild". Good examples are weeds.

Below are 2 ways I used to acclimate plants. In my zone 4 it was also to protect against late frost.

The first photo is a milk container with the opening facing East. You can use the same idea on a large pot after the tomatoes are planted in container. The opening can be cut smaller. A dowel holds the container in place and the top also allows for ventilation.

The second photo is a plastic bin located on the East side of my garage. I used the cover to protect them as needed. They are perennials but idea works for tomatoes also.

Continuation of earlier (truncated) pot: fact checking. . . . PLEASE???

(Known facts: Ca++ is taken up by plants; Ca++ moves slowly thru soil; eggshell + white vinegar = Ca++ + H2O + CO2. . . pulverizing the eggshells increases their suface area and decreases the reaction time) Internet "facts": by placing processed eggshell and lime in the planting hole, you are creating a pool of readily available Ca++ directly at the level of the roots. This, in addition to regular watering, will prevent BER.

Feeding coffee grounds to tomato plants once/season improves the taste of the fruit. While coffee grounds provide a negligible amount of readily available macro-nutrients (.03-.03-.03), they are a good source for slow-release N (10.3 lbs. N per cubic yard of coffee grounds) and also provide some micro-nutrients (Mg, Cu, Fe and others). While either fresh or used coffee grounds are beneficial, used coffee grounds are pH neutral as their acidity has been leached into the drink. In addition to these soil nutrition aspects, coffee grounds improve the soil quality by two important means: directly, due to their being organic matter and indirectly, due to their impact on earthworms (they are lured by it, as they ADORE it and use it as a source of grit in digestion).

The information gleaned re fertilizer strength and timing is. . . highly variable and often contradictory. (For example, known facts from MiracleGro product information website: liquid MG - Feed for Tomatoes, Fruit & Vegetables - is only 9-4-9 yet solid MG for Tomatoes, water soluble, is 18-18-21!)
Is there any definite - or close, agreed upon guidelines = for what strength fertilizer should be used and when?

Hi there I would say that we have a lot of people that buy tomato plants from us and they say the bush early girl is very good in a pot and they plant it in a #5 and it does very well and they get good slicing tomato off of it. We grow hundreds of tomato plants yearly for resell in our greenhouses and many of our customers do want tomato plants for a patio. There is many people wanting to grow tomato plants in pots I will say I would go with bush early girl it is a very early tomato and ripen in most zones. If you want a bit larger tomato the bush beefsteak is a very good one also we sell these ready to go also in 5 gallon pots all in the spring though. We sell all the seeds though on our site we have over 50 different kinds of tomato seeds. For a smaller tomato the tiny tim tomato they are a smaller plant and they can grow well in a #3 pot. I hope this may help you it is very fun to try diffrent kinds we grow alot of kinds and we have a handful that are our favorites.

Nice to know, MB. Thanks for the information and practical experience.

Patio Hybrid is also a popular one here, I love the hearty dark green foliage and "tennis ball" size tomatoes. Roma also does well in 5 gal pails if kept watered. Both easy to find and plant.

I use 5-10-5 or 10-10-10 fertilizer because it's fairly cheap and won't burn your plants. You can put a small handful in each hole when transplanting, along with the pulverized limestone. It will make the greenest grass imaginable if you spread it lightly on your lawn. Some folks even use it to "salt" their sidewalks in the wintertime to prevent slipping.

Al

I would only recommend limestone (lime) if you have acidic growing conditions. My area is very alkaline and adding more is not recommended. You can't even buy it around here. I start 1000s of tomato, pepper and eggplants a year and it has never been this complicated....if you are growing in containers where are the worms coming from? There is an article on DG that doesn't recommend coffee grounds for tomato plants. There is a lot of info on the net we are trying to let you know what works. Good Luck!

If you've got worms in your container plants, you're likely doing something wrong. I do have some caffeinated worms in my compost pile though, and they seem really wide awake for the Spring fishing season. LOL

Al

Anyone that have worms in their soil is lucky. Worms don't live in poor soil since there is nothing for them to eat.

Most soils do not need lime to neutralize the soil. If soil is too alkaline it locks up nutrients so plant roots can't use it. My daughter have very sandy soil with very alkaline soil. She amends the soil with lots of peatmoss, manure and compost. But it don't change the soil since their well water is alkaline and that can't be changed. After much watering, top of the soil will get a white crust from the alkaline water. After 5 years she has learned to plant only those perennials that will live in alkaline soil. Luckily most veggies does ok. But she can't grow strawberries or other berries. She has tried them all and killed many.

If that was a concern, folks could have their soil tested a local Ag school or County Extension office. Soil test kits are available at some garden centers. This may not be a factor with bagged potting soils, but I suppose the water used might affect it also.

What I really don't understand is why the Earth Box people recommend such high doses of both fertilizer and garden lime, even while using a good quality potting soil. Then again, I haven't had much problem with BER while using my EBs either.

Al

lycodad, that is how my daughter found out about her soil although a glance at the surface was a givaway. She did find out through a soil tester from Home Depot that her soil lacked either nitrogen or iron. Can't remember which it was.

High doses can burn plant roots. Best to follow the recommendation on the box or bottle of fertilizer. I have never heard of anyone using high doses on potting soil. That is stupid.

You guys are wacky and always good for a laugh! worms in containers? Caffeinated worms? ROFL

in addition to these containers that'll have tomatoes, I have four flower beds and, yes, now there are big, juicy worms that my neighbor (who helps me in my gardens by doing stuff I can't) collects and goes fishing with.. . . plus a container I just made this summer for daylilies (it doesn't have worms either! LOL). So I'm always interested in finding out stuff that may or may not improve my soil. (All of my flower beds started out 3 years ago with very poor soil, with an almost impenetratable thick layer of pure red clay!! while using only 1 bag of clay buster - before my pocketbook started crying at the cost- twice yearly thick layers of fine pine bark mulch plus the digging for putting plants in and moving them around -thanks to my apt complex cutting down a big oak tree that shaded one flower bed- and now I ALMOST have rich, loose soil!)

Speaking of containers and learning/using info gleaned from the 'Net and DG: I dug up, divided and made a container IN SEPTEMBER. . and the bare roots grew immediately., surprising the heck outta me! I thought the daylilies (in my flower bed) were almost ready to enter dormancy (the reccomended time), not grow like it was spring!!! Now I'm worried the coming winter/cold, frigid tremperatures will kill them!

I am making a shopping list of thing to buy (for this tomato project) and bookmarking WHERE: a soil test kit is already on it 'cause I think it's time - for my flower beds, NOT my future containers!!. . .laughing again over "worms in containers"!!!!

I'd like to read that article about coffee grounds and tomatoe plants: could you tell me where/how to find it?

I don't know things that y'all just KNOW re plants & gardening, so I surf the Web...and ASK y'all. Like: Using LOTS of peat moss overwhelms the small pH change from a half-handful of lime in containers. True or false??

Went turkey hunting yesterday...I bagged a 22 pounder right behind Wegman's Market

Oops, I'm off topic again...

Al

Like I mentioned above I have very alkaline soil and water bc I'm on a well. I used EBs for the first time this year. I had to order the "lime" from the EB site, bc they don't sell it here. I was also concerned bc it called for so much lime and fertilizer BUT I followed the directions on the EBs and had great results.