Growing Tomatoes(and other Vegatables in Plant pots) any tips?

[leoknighted]

Hello all,

to start, I'm not much of a gardener and I don't know much about gardening but lately ive been a bit bored and wanted to try something out and I went by the store and saw some tomato plants and decided why not try and grow some.

So I have 3 tomato plants and I bought some Miracle grow "potting mix" that one of the workers said was good for growing veggies. I also have some large(and clean) plastic pots for planting.

I was wondering if anyone could give me some hints on the best way to first prepare to transplant the tomatoes to the new pot, and then actually transplanting, and then finally caring for them.

First off, Is it best to use just the potting soil in the pot or should I consider adding or mixing something into the soil before filling the pot and putting the plant in. Like some sort of fertilizer, I was told about some sort of slow release fertilizer pellets, should I mix them in the soil? would I need to mix in some sort of store bought compost with the soil or is using just the soil in the plants good enough. I was also told about something called perlite and mixing it with the soil, is this actually something people use and is it recommended.

For the actual transplanting, I was told that tomatoes like to be buried "deep", as in some of the lower stem buried as well, is this true and would you recommend.

and finally for caring for the tomato, is it recommended to use a tomato cage to support the plant or would some stakes and ties be good enough(for when/if the plan grows big), how often should I add fertilizer and when should I start adding(if I should).

Thanks for reading and I hope its not too many questions, I just want to be somewhat prepared for when I start growing these tomatoes and make sure im doing it right.

 

[Chuck]

First of all where are you located? Second of all Miracle Grow is a chemical fertilizer and/or potting soil. From now on get organic potting soils and fertilizers. First I would take the potting soil you were coereced into buying and try to replace it with a bag of top quality organic compost and a bag of organic top quality potting soil. I assume that your 3 tomatos are in 4" pots or containers. Mix the 2 together 50/50. Assuming that the pot or containers that you plan to transplant your tomatos into are at least 5 gallons fill the pots with the mixture mixing in about 1 quart of organic granular fertilizer per container. Then, making sure there are plenty of drain holes in the bottom of your pots soak the mixture until water freely flows out of the bottom. Then dig a hole in the mixture and plant your tomatos fairly deep, up just past the juvenile leaves or maybe a little deeper. After the plant is planted side dress with a couple of cups of the same organic fertilizer and water it in. When the surface of the soil becomes dry 2 knuckles deep on your pointing finger it is time to water again, probably 6-9 days but maybe sooner. I know you probably won't do this but this is the proper organic method and works very well. If you purchased indeterminate tomatoes you will need to stake them up. No matter what type you have keep them out of a heavy wind or they will blow over

 

[leoknighted]

Wow thanks for the quick and informative reply.

with the miracle grow, thanks for the heads up, I guess I was fooled into buying it, good thing I only got one bag. Ill make sure to pick up some organic compost and soil tomorrow when I visit a nursery.

I live in San Diego, CA. Somewhat coastal environment and yes i have 5 gallon plant pots and ill make sure to pick up some sort of support system for the tomatoes.

So, from what you said, i should mix soil with compost, 50/50, and add some fertilizer, sounds good to me and thank you for the tips. Ill see how it all works out and maybe ill be able to plant more when the time is right.

 

[Chuck]

Wow thanks for the quick and informative reply.

with the miracle grow, thanks for the heads up, I guess I was fooled into buying it, good thing I only got one bag. Ill make sure to pick up some organic compost and soil tomorrow when I visit a nursery.

I live in San Diego, CA. Somewhat coastal environment and yes i have 5 gallon plant pots and ill make sure to pick up some sort of support system for the tomatoes.

So, from what you said, i should mix soil with compost, 50/50, and add some fertilizer, sounds good to me and thank you for the tips. Ill see how it all works out and maybe ill be able to plant more when the time is right.

Potting soil, not regular soil

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum @leoknighted - let us know how your tomatoes get on

 

[headfullofbees]

For general info.
From scratch:
Try NOT to repot your tomatoes in the midday heat.
Morning or evening, I prefer morning.
Your pots should be a minimum of 10" (25cm) and better 12"(30cm) or even 14"(35cm). The bigger the better, but at 5 gal, I might be tempted to try two plants, depending on the variety of tom.
Make sure there are a few drainage holes in the bottom; if not drill a few 1/2" (13mm) holes in the bottom.
To further aid drainage, if your pot is flat-bottomed, it's a good idea to raise it off the ground, with plant feet or bricks, or somesuch.
Line the bottom with a material which will prevent the drainage holes from blocking; I prefer two inches of sand, but most like stones or "old crocks."
If you have access to it, add and mix well a little wood ash to your potting medium.
Then you can add your potting material, but don't fill the pots right to the top.
Tomatoes will grow roots all the way along any part of the stem which is buried.
When I put tomatoes in pots, I like the roots to be quite deep, so they don't dry out quite so quickly.
I remove the cotyledons (seed leaves) and the first two true leaves, and pot them so that the soil level is approx 1" (2.5cm) ABOVE where the cotyledons were.
So as you fill the pot, check to see the level you want your plant at, remembering that you'll want at least an inch at the top for watering.
When you get to the level required, add a little multi-purpose fertiliser; I use fish blood and bone (wear gloves) and just work it into the surface
Now, remove your plant from the pot it's in, and gently place it on top of your potting medium.
Supporting the stem, gradually, with your other hand, complete filling the new pot.
Very gently tamp it down, gently water it in in (I use compost tea mixed with seaweed extract, and I use a little indoor watering can to "scar" the surface as little as possible, but water is ok) trying not to wet the foliage.
Support with cane or cage depending on variety.
At the second watering, and every couple of weeks after, add some epsom salts to the water.

 

[Rosyrain]

I agree, I would not use the Miracle Grow products! There are much better soils out there, check out your local nursery for recommendations. Tomatos grow well just about everywhere as long as they get lots of sun. I grew tomatos in a pot once and they turned out very good. If you want enough to hold you over for a while, you will need to get a good amount of space or do one of those hanging pots so they can hang down.