Because I have a small garden I prefer to plant my tomatoes in containers and pots and place them in sunny locations. Container growing tomatoes will grow just as well as those grown in the main garden but you need to do a couple of things a bit differently to have good success.

Container growing tomatoes

Some types grow better in pots and tubs than others. Some varieties have such large fruits that this makes them unsuitable for growing in pots and containers. The reason for this is that tomatoes are very hungry and needy plants when it comes to watering and feeding. The large varieties need a larger root system to sustain the plants long enough and well enough to give you the large tomatoes you would want.

What you can grow very well in pots, tubs and containers are cherry tomato types and medium size tomatoes like Moneymaker and Ailsa.

The second thing you must do is to use only your largest containers and pots for tomatoes. Your plants need regular watering and feeding and to get really good plants the roots need plenty of space. If they are pot bound you will reduce the size of your tomatoes.

When the first truss of flowers appears then you should feed them weekly. I do this at the same time every week until the harvest season in almost over. Then you just continue with water. I use specially prepared feed but you can use most organic feeds such as fish blood and bone. You can use the same types of feed on other vegetables.

Growing tomatoes in pots

My last hint is to ensure they are watered daily. Even if it rains I still water them because the pots dry out so quickly and the leaves of the plants deflect the water from the container. The ones in the ground will grow much more easily. Container growing tomatoes for small gardens works very well as long as you follow these simple tips.