General discussion regarding the techniques and methods used to successfully grow tomato plants in containers.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 135
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I haven't posted in a number of years. I moved to a different house and had to start my veggie garden over. Growing conditions and container location are not nearly as good as they were at the old house. So, it took a few years to figure out what works best.
Awhile back, somebody asked me about growing tomatoes in Earthboxes. I apologize for not responding... I just saw the message now. Anyway, here's what I know after about 15 years of growing tomatoes in Earthboxes: 1. They are expensive ($35) but they are worth it. They last a long time. Mine are between 10 - 20 years old and show no signs of damage. I have tried other plastic containers and they get brittle and fall apart in 2 - 3 years. 2. You can grow any kind of tomato in an Earthbox and get outstanding results. The biggest issue you will have is supporting the plants. I typically grow about 60% heirlooms. But I have a variety of cherry, medium sized and large tomatoes in my containers. 3. You can grow 2 or 3 tomatoe plants in one Earthbox container. Putting 2 in an Earthbox requires no special preparation or planning. For 3, you need to plan a little. You don't want 3 high yield plants in one container. One high yield plant and two lower yield plants works pretty well. 4. Tomato plant roots will reach the water reservoir pretty quickly. I put a cap full of Miracle grow in the water every two weeks. During the most active growing period, you will need to refill the container every day. 5. Once the plants are established, if there isn't as much room in the container as they would like, they will grow vertically... a lot! That's it for now. Feel free to comment or ask questions. Here's a picture taken in June. |
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
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THanks! Do you add the granular Miracle Grow, or the blue water soluble version?
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 135
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I add a cap full of the liquid, right out of the bottle, to the reservoir every two weeks. The reservoir contains 2.5 - 3 gallons of water, so that dilutes it nicely. Because the tomatoes grow extremely fast with this setup, they need a little extra calcium to prevent blossom end rot. So, I add lime pellets to the soil.
Last edited by Balr14; May 18, 2022 at 07:53 PM. |
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#4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
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I am not familiar with liquid Miracle grow - can you post a link? Best, Scott
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#5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 135
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Here you go -
https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Gro-L...7&sr=1-12&th=1 Previous pictures were from the old house with a great place to put containers. Here's the current setup. Not as good as the old one, but still good for more than normal yields. Last edited by Balr14; May 19, 2022 at 12:11 PM. |
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
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Thanks! You find that 12-4-8 works well for the whole season?
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#7 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 135
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Last year I planted 19 tomato plants, (8 cherries and 6 medium and 5 large, mostly heirloom). This year I am doing 13 plants with only 4 cherry varieties and few new large varieties. |
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#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Brownville, Ne
Posts: 3,291
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For container gardening I have switched from higher N plant food to the "bloom booster" formula ( like 8-45-12, each brand has its own ratio it seems). The more and stronger blossoms the better the flowers in flower boxes and more production in vegetables. No real proof but it seems to work here.
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there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes. |
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#9 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 135
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#10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Posts: 2,593
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Thanks. We have a 9 month season here - but I will the liquid version a try.
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#11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3
Posts: 3,231
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Thanks for the pictures, Balr14, I do like your idea of raising the containers up onto the cement blocks for ease of tending in the early season. Looks like you've already covered the problem of high vines with the surrounding frames for support. What are you growing in the center containers covered with screening? Would love to see pictures again later in the season!
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#12 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 135
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The frames you see are actually the shipping containers that screened in gazebo (or whatever you call it) came in. I had this metal framing left over and couldn't figure out what to do with it. Then I got the bright idea to use it to support my plants. It works great! |
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#13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2006
Location: N. California
Posts: 701
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Well done! Your plants look amazing! I've never tried full sized indeterminate tomatoes.
Here's mine, almost all Dwarf Tomato Project. I use tomato tone, and often supplement with chemical fertilizers from Last edited by Shrinkrap; June 4, 2022 at 04:50 AM. |
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#14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl.
Posts: 2,497
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There are some massive Earthbox gardens here in Florida.Check ginger2778.
http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...light=Earthbox
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#15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: wisconsin
Posts: 135
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