Small Spaces, Big Tomatoes

Kevin from New Jersey wrote the Tomato Therapist asking for advice on patio varieties for his New Jersey home. He says:

"This will be me second attempt at growing patio tomatoes (I was not very successful a few years ago). Do you have any particular variety recommendations? My wife and I prefer larger tomatoes (for salad, especially tomato/mozzarella salad) and for sandwiches. I am based in NJ, so the climate is usually considered good for summer tomatoes. I am looking to purchase two plants and would like to try tomatoes that would be fairly easy to grow and provide some variety."

For this situation I recommend Patio Red , and its cousin Patio Orange. These plants stay compact for container growing and yield sweet round fruit about 3-4 ounces in size. Great for salads and slicing and quick to mature in the summertime.

If you want to go a bit bigger, I would try Czech's Bush. Also great in containers, this fruit gets up to 6oz and is great for sandwiches.

When growing tomatoes in containers it is important to remember three things. First, make sure your pot is deep enough and has proper drainage. Tomatoes have a serious root system that if smothered, will prevent the plant from producing. A good tomato container we recommend is our 18" Countryside Tub Planter.

Secondly, it is important to make sure your plants always have enough water, containers have a tendency to dry out faster than garden soil, meaning some monitoring may be necessary in the beginning to determine how often you will need to water.

Lastly, remember to keep up a consistent feeding schedule throughout the growing season. Regular potting soil is not enough to produce big juicy fruit. A great fertilizer Dr. Tomato swears by is Dr. Earth Organic Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer. Safe for pets and people, this is one of the first and still, in my humble professional opinion, the best on the market.

Alright growers, tomato season is almost upon us, keep those questions coming!

Fondly,
Dr. Tomato

Tomato Pollination

An industrious tomato grower from Texas writes:

"I have several different kinds of tomatoes-Celebrity, Viva Italia, Jeune Flame, Mexico, etc. Right now I have little "hoods" of the breathable row cover type fabric on each cage to guard against violent winds, hail and cold. Will the flowers pollinate to become fruit inside this hood? Should I remove the covers or will they pollinate themselves?"

Great job protecting your tomato plants from the elements! Fortunately tomatoes can pollinate just by wind/motion, so removing the hoods is not necessary. All you need to do is reach in and gently shake the plants every once and a while, as this will do the same thing as the wind and pollinate the flowers.

Happy Growing!