Indeterminate or tomato plants do not always produce fruit the way they should. Sometimes they will begin to grow, and then just stop all at once without warning. If you have ever tried to grow indeterminate tomatoes in containers, you know there are many things that can go wrong. This type of plant can be one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult type of tomato to successfully grow in a container garden. Some will even grow better outside in an outdoor garden than indoors.
If you are wanting to learn how to grow indeterminate tomatoes in containers, the best way to begin is with an indoor container garden. Containers offer a number of advantages to tomato growers, but especially to those that want to try out something new. Indoor container gardening offers the gardener more flexibility, but that is not the only reason for it. There are other reasons that you should consider growing your tomatoes in containers.
It is more convenient to grow your tomato plants this way. You don’t have to go through the trouble of transferring your plants from their pots to a large container outdoors. The same holds true if you are moving from a window box to a small pot. All it takes is removing your plants from the pot and putting them into the container, and you have moved them. This convenience also saves you a great deal of time.
Indeterminate or tomato plants will grow just about anywhere that you place them. In fact, some will grow better in containers than in the ground. This is a result of the soil temperature being high enough to help the roots of the plants absorb nutrients. If you are growing these plants inside, they will never experience winter, making it difficult to keep them alive.
Tomatoes that have been grown in container gardens will tend to be smaller than those that are grown in the ground. This is due to the water draining out of the soil. You also won’t have to worry about weeds getting in between the tomatoes. You’ll find that there is very little risk of disease with container tomatoes.
Another consideration that you have to make when you are thinking about starting a container garden is what you plan on planting. Indeterminate plants can do well in the following container garden layouts. They should be planted with at the least 2 inches of room between each plant. This space gives each plant room to grow, and the roots have room to spread out as well.
It’s best to plant your container garden so that both of the plants you are planning to grow are going to get enough light. If you plant them too close together, they may not get enough sun, resulting in lower production. This is why container gardeners are encouraged to use plastic containers. The reason is that they give each plant about half of the amount of direct sunlight needed for healthy growth. If you don’t have plastic containers, you should place the container on a potting bench.
When you are asking “can you grow indeterminate tomatoes in containers?” remember that you are free to choose whatever container you want. Just follow the tips that pertain to each type of tomato you want to grow, and your container garden can produce some excellent results.
One of the most important things you need to consider when you’re asking “can you grow indeterminate tomatoes in containers? “, is how much light each of the plants get. Some varieties of tomato tend to require more light than others. For this reason, and many others, it is best to follow a calendar of when each plant should be mowed. Some varieties of grapefruit and zesty vines simply love to grow horizontally.
You should also take into consideration the size of each plant. This will be an issue if you are growing these in large containers. If you are planting your tomato vines in containers, make sure that you have plenty of room for them to grow as well. You will probably end up with a couple of plants that are very small and tiny, and then there will be a couple of plants that are fairly large and impressive. The key is to be able to get the combination of sizes you want without too much of a hassle.
Finally, be sure that you do something to help water and nutrients reach the plants. The best way to do this is by putting a plastic cover over the entire container garden after each growing season. However, you might find that laying wet newspaper on the floor works just as well. As long as you are providing the right amount of sunlight, nutrients, water, and drainage, you should have nothing to worry about when you are asking “can you grow indeterminate tomatoes in containers?” with any success!