Container Gardening: Plant and Grow Tomatoes in a Small Space for Healthy, Nutritious Meals

  Ever wanted to be the master of your own life? Want to be able to create? Ok, so it won’t make you the master of the universe, but growing tomatoes in containers will be lots of fun and give you a feeling of accomplishment, while being quite yummy! You don’t need to have a big yard. Whether you are in a house or an apartment, you can still have success with container gardening. The key ingredient is sun.

Your success will actually depend on 2 very important things: sun and water. Pick a place where your plant will get at least a half-day of sun. Check it this weekend- take a look at the spots you are considering at 9am, noon and 3pm. If there is sun 2 out of 3, you have a winner. Note that there can be a very big change when the leaves come in, creating shade in an area that is sunny now.

There are many advantages to growing in containers. With containers, you can tuck them into even a small sunny spot. We’ve grown enough basil in one apartment pot to provide an ongoing supply of pesto for 4. We’ve found enough sunny spots on a shady piece of property for a nice supply of tomatoes. Be creative! You only need about 2 square feet of sun per pot. If there is not much sun, you get not much tomatoes!

Once you’ve found out how much sunny area you have, its time to decide what to plant. Tomatoes are a great choice because they grow well in containers, and produce enough in a small area to make it worth the effort. If you’ve got the space, you may want to try more than one type of tomato. Cherry tomatoes produce an amazing yield in a pot, and can be popped off and eaten fresh from the plant. The first one is a very exciting feeling, kind of like Tom Hanks in Castaway’s “I, have made fire!” The time from planting to edible cherry tomatoes is about 65 days, so you’ll be enjoying these by mid summer.

Plum tomatoes are also a great choice. They are meatier than the larger varieties, and you can use them for slicing or cooking. They are great for cooking since the seeds come out easily and you are left with lots of tomato!