A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Container size for patio size tomato plants?

I've been searching for container sizes to grow tomato plants in. For most determinate and indeterminate plants it is suggested to use a minimum of a 5 gallon pot with depth of pot being an important factor. I have yet to come across suggested container sizes for the "patio" or "Tiny Tim" size plants. (Those that are 18 inches/460 mm or shorter when mature.) I know it would be a safe bet to just go with a 5 gallon size, but, I would prefer to go smaller on the pots and have more of them if 5 gallons is "wasting" soil.

Seems that my gardening plot is more limited than my appetite. {grin}

Can anyone help me with this or point me to some reference on the net? (Container size not the appetite.)

Thanks for any responses.

i would go with a 2 gallon. if the plant only gets 18 inches, it might be ok in a 1 gallon if you were hard up for space, but it would not make a very big crop of tomatoes. good luck

Wizzard, Thanks for the reply. That's good to hear. I will go with the 2 gallon size and be able to grow at least twice the amount as using 5 gallon pots with my "soil" budget this year. (More bang for the buck!)

good luck, i hope all goes well for you. update us on your progress. more bang for the buck is definitely a good thing. if the maters give ya any problems let us know, im sure someone here will be able to help.

ive read somewhere about growing em upside down.
dont really have enough sunny space to try but it did look interesting

Mator and porter, first of all welcome to our forum. Glad to see some newbies.

I plant my tiny tims in long one gallon pots. I never get a large crop but I still do get tomatoes. I also plant green peppers in the one gallon pots also, I usually get 4 or 5 peppers on each plant.

I agree with Wizzard though, the bigger and deeper the pot, the bigger the crop. Good Luck.

Mater, you wrote about your dirt budget..
*Don't I know about thatttttttt!!!*

Are you able to do any composting where you live???

I stretchhhhhhhhhh my gardening dirt, by doing half "dirt" and half compost...

If you need any help with getting one started,
do nooooooooooott hesitate to ask questions...

You'll be suprised how much better your plants will grow and you can plant and eat more 'maters....

Weezie,
I started back gardening last spring after working on the road for several years. I grew some peppers and tomatoes. I had planned on starting a composting area late last summer. On July 27th, before building the area, I had a quadruple heart bypass. Let me say that put a damper on a lot of things! Today I have just finished setting up my composting area. Mulched up all the leaves I kept from last fall and will slowly mix them in with grass clippings and other greens for an even pile. Later this year I am looking forward to reaping the benefits from composting.
Of all my hobbies, Gardening was the most therapeutic during the painful recovery period from bypass surgery. Being outside and on my feet watering my tomato plants was good for me mentally and physically. Of course, my tomato plants would say otherwise. With all that watering, I lost nearly all my tomatoes to BER and severe cracking or splitting.
This year I am looking forward to spending less time with the watering hose and more time eating maters.
I'm sore from the garden work today. Being 35 is tough! {ducking and dodging flying objects} {grinning}

Better lay realllllllllly low with that answer..

Well, you are right gardening is one of the best
therapeutic things there is..and it can keep you active which is what you need after such a surgery.. *My dad had a triple bypass, and nothing was going to hold him down from gardening*
he was determend to get out there no matter what,
I'll tell you that is what keeps you going and being tenacious!!!
So, keep up the good work, but don't over do it,
little by little and you'll get it done...

And composting can be as much or as little work as you like.. if you're patient, all's you have to do is throw the stuff in, *layered nicely* and you'll have compost in a year or two or so...
if you want to do a little bit of turning, it'll make it so much faster..

but you will be amazed how much that compost will stretch that $$ when gardening...
And it will help retain some moisture in your soil for evening out waterings..
and do you have a mulch or something on top,
to keep moisture in???
And when do you water??
Watering in the morning is the most optimal time to do so, plants utilize the water better in the morning, and then also have it already in it's stores, for the long hot days...
and that is what that is, ununiformally watering practices..

Can a regular Big Boy tomato plant grow in a 5 gallon pot?

Here's a beauty I posted on the other tomato thread..
3 compartment tomato patio planter on wheels..

I grew 2 big boy plants in 5 gallon buckets last year and had a decent crop nothing spectaular but it was enought I didn't have to buy any to my salads. They did have to be watered daily though, and we had to add some more compost a few times throughout growing season.

I've got a 5 gallon pot I'm gonna try it.

Hello,
I am completely new to vegetable gardening in pots, and need some urgent help before my fast growing healthy plants are in trouble.
I planted some tomato and pepper plants some 20 days ago in an 8inch deep and some 20inch long window basket. The problem is when I bought the plants they were pretty small and I planted 4 pepper and 4 tomato plants in that basket!! How very silly of me!! Now the plants are growing pretty fast, and after about 20 days, they seem to be lacking space to grow. Since while I was searching of solutions to this problem on the web, I came across this thread. It would be very helpful if someone could give me a suggestion of how to solve this problem.
Since I am reading a lot about 5gallon pots, will it be good if I now again transplant the plants to 5gallon pots now? The plants are now about 12inch long . Should I plant just one plant per 5 gallon pot?

Any suggestions will be very helpful, and I would need it pretty fast I guess, since the plants are growing quite fast.

Thanks
Deepanwita

Yes, those puppies get pretty biggggggg..
So, one in a pot/container is just right..

When you repot/replant.. snip the last two leaves on the bottom of the stems... and bury almost right up to the bottom of the top leaves...
**the stem has the ability to root alllll along the there, so don't worry about planting too deep..that will give them a reallllll good root system...**

Thanks Weezie for the prompt reply. I will transplant the big puppies soon and let you know the results

Deepanwita

Deepanwita,
Pleaseeeeeeeee do.... We LOVE or Bad that's how we allllll learn

I planted my tomatoes and peppers in bigger pots yesterday (as I mentioned in my other post about potting soil). Hoping and praying that they do well.

Deepanwita

I know what you mean about slowing down a bit, I only had a double bypass and a new knee in the last few years.

When you mention composting are you adding vegitable and fruit leftovers? They work great and don't smell. Meat products are bad.

My transplanted tomatoes have grown so much, and now the have little tomatoes in them . Also I have some banana peppers . Here are some pics:

wow, those look great, i have some seeds that i have started for peppers too, lookin good

Those are lookin' most excellant...
That pepper plant looks extremely happy!


My seeds are still in the package...
I guess I better get out in the greenhouse
and start plantin'..
*Now if the weather would only start co~operating* :rolleyes:

Am I loving these pix or WHAT ! These plants look wonderful, Deepanwita !!!

Thanks everyone . Its the result of the wonderful suggestions that ya'll gave me

Awwwwwwww.......