You must choose a tomato planter of the right depth and size to match with the depth required by the plant to grow. This will help the plant to grow properly and produce the freshest of fruits when the time comes. Therefore, you will first need to know about the plant, its different features and planting techniques to make the right choice when you buy a planter as well as ensure that the plant grows optimally. There are also a few other instructions to follow.
- Make sure that of these two plants, one must be of the early variety and the other one of late variety if the conditions permit. This will help you to extend the growing season of your plants.
- You must also choose a strong and healthy tomato plant when buying.
- It is better if you start the seeds indoors for six to eight weeks prior to the last frost date.
- Make sure that you bury the stems of the plants into the soil up to the lower leaves of it.
- If you choose to grow tall or indeterminate varieties of tomato such as ‘Black Krim,’‘BurpeeSupersteak’or ‘San MarzanoRedorta,’ then look for a container that has tomato cages, trellises or staking for adequate support.
Usually, manufacturers of planters and garden containers recommend growing only two tomato plants in each box.
Size of the plants
Your vegetable garden will work best in a planter box if you have space limitations. Almost all tomato varieties usually thrive in box containers so long as the planter box is large enough in size. This will allow proper and even spread out of the root system of the plant. However, you will need to plant the right size of tomato plants for this.
Determining the right size and the best self-watering tomato planter will also depend on the variety of tomato you want to grow and the number of tomato vines you want to put in one container. Therefore, the right size of the plants is a crucial factor because the soil tends to dry out too fast in overly small boxes.
To determine the right size of tomato plants you will need to remember a few points such as tomatoes usually fall into three size classifications primarily.
- Indeterminate plants: These are usually the heirloom varieties that continue to grow taller and taller throughout the season. It can reach up to 6 feet or more.
- Determinate types: These are special types of tomato plants that do not grow more 4 feet in height.
- Dwarf plants: Also known as the patio varieties these plants usually represents small bushes and will stop growing after it reaches 2 feet in height and will generally provide much smaller fruits as compared to the other two varieties.
However, the maximum height a tomato plant can reach at the end of the season will hugely depend on how well you can space them. Therefore, the sizing of the tomato planter is most crucial for determining the final size of the plant.