Container Gardening

Whenever you start reading about growing tomatoes in pots, you’re almost certain to start encountering talk about determinate and indeterminate tomatoes. What do these terms mean? What can you expect from a determinate tomato, or an indeterminate one?

The simplest answer is that determinate tomatoes set their fruit all at once, whereas indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow and produce fruit until they are killed — usually by frost.

This definition has some other implications, however, which need to be considered.

If you watch the growth of determinate tomatoes, you’ll see a set pattern: the tomato plants grow until they reach a certain size. Then, all at once, the plant flowers. Flower occur at the tips of stems, ending growth. Then the flowers fruit, and ripen. There are some determinate tomatoes, called “vigorous determinate”, that will produce a second crop if you prune them back after the first harvest is done. Celebrity is probably the most well-known of the vigorous determinate varieties.

Indeterminate tomatoes, on the other hand, produce flowers and fruit steadily throughout the season. Branches form flowers along the side, so new growth continues constantly from the end of the vines. Because of this, the fruit crop is slower and steadier.

Because of their pattern of growth, determinate tomatoes grow very well in containers. They do not grow out of control, and require less staking than indeterminate varieties. However, if what you want is a steady supply of tomatoes for salads and the like, determinate tomatoes probably won’t suit your needs. The extra work of container growing indeterminate tomatoes may be worthwhile in that case.

So, if you want to grow indeterminate tomatoes in a container, what do you need to do?

Well, the first step, as always, is to choose the container. Choose large, for indeterminate tomatoes: 6-7 gallons, to support a large plant.

Install a cage when you plant the seedlings, and make sure it is tall: some indeterminate tomatoes will grow to six or seven feet tall.

As tomato vines reach outside the cage, tie them to the cage or prune them off. You need to check the growth, because it will eventually get out of control otherwise. I talk a bit more about pruning in 7 Tips for Great Tomatoes.

This is the first year I’ve done any experimenting with upside-down plants.  My husband bought me the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter for Christmas, and I’ve been itching to try it out for months.

A few months ago, I made an aborted effort to hang it in my sunroom.  It didn’t turn out very well: the hook ripped out of the ceiling, and the entire system crashed down to the floor, spilling dirt and crushing the seedling I’d placed in it.

Oops.

For my second try, I decided to take some extra precautions.  Below are the extra steps I took to ensure a stable mounting system for the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter.

1. Get a new hook
The hook they include with the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter is really very short for the load they expect it to bear.  I went out to my local hardware store and got a larger hook, designed to hold a weight of over 200 lbs.  Is that overkill?  Almost certainly.  But the last thing I want is to have the tomato plant get larger and fuller and lush, producing beautiful fruit… all of which is destroyed when the hook gives way.

2. Mount the hook horizontally, not vertically
When you insert the screw into the ceiling, the threads are the only part of the screw holding it in.  All the weight of the plant is working against the weakest part of the connection.  It would not take much splintering to rip the hook free of the stud into which it’s screwed.  When you mount it into a wall, parallel to the ground, the entire length of the screw helps support the planter.  The wood would have to crack significantly before the screw ripped loose.

3. Use potting mix, not soil
Soilless potting mix is much lighter than dirt, and will add less total weight to the system.  It’s much easier to hang it with potting mix than it is with soil.

I’ll update on the effectiveness of the Topsy Turvy Tomato Planter later in the season.  Next year, I’m going to try some of the make-your-own recipes for upside-down planters, to see which are more and less effective.

If you’re interested in growing cherry tomatoes in containers, you’re in luck: as a class, they’re among the easier tomato varieties to grow.  However, depending on your particular taste or the kind of container you have, you can choose from among many varieties.

The first question to ask is what kind of container you want.  There are three real choices: hanging baskets, small containers, or full-sized tomato planters.  If you want a full-sized tomato planter, you can choose from among the many full-sized varieties on offer.  If you want something smaller, a little more research is required.

Hanging Baskets

To plant cherry tomatoes  in a hanging basket, you need a variety that thrives with shallow roots and does not grow very tall.  Tomatoes with long trailing vines will spill attractively from the basket.

Florida Basket: Produces red fruit around an inch in diameter, in slightly elongated globes.  Determinate.

Floragold Basket: Cherry-sized round tomatoes, gold in color when ripe.  Determinate.

Anmore Dewdrop: Cherry-sized round tomatoes, red when ripe.  Prolific fruiter.  Determinate, but will have a second crop once the first is harvested.

Micro Tom: Itty-bitty plant, which will fit even in a 4-inch pot.  Can be planted a few to a basket.  Round red fruit, smaller than a penny.  Determinate.

Small Pots

Most basket tomato varieties will also work in small pots.  If you choose, however, you can use a slightly larger variety, which grows to around a foot or two in height.

Anmore Treasures: Slow to grow, but can be started early.  Around 12″ tall, with bright red round fruit, 1″ in diameter.  Sensitive to cracking from uneven watering.  Determinate.

Tiny Tim: Fast-growing, with only 60 days to maturity.  18-inch plants can fit in a 6-inch pot.  3/4 inch fruit, bright red and round.  A heavy fruiter for its foliage.  Determinate.

Totem: Very small plant, at only 10-12 inches.  Small, red, round fruit.  The leaves are very attractive, making this work well in a semi-ornamental garden.  Determinate.

Yellow Pygmy: Bush-style plant, with low, dense foliage.  Tiny yellow-orange fruit, 1/2 inch in diameter.  Slightly acidic, sharp flavor. Indeterminate.