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We started our gardening journey fourteen years ago, growing all of our vegetables and fruits in pots on our tiny city lot. Then we moved to a large homestead and were lucky to have a giant vegetable garden, but then… we moved again, and now we’re back to growing in pots until we have time to build some raised beds on our rocky soil.
I’ve successfully grown bushels of tomatoes in pots, but this victory came after making a whole lot of mistakes over the years.
Growing tomatoes in pots is very different from growing them in the ground. I’m here to share the big list of mistakes I made growing tomatoes in containers, so hopefully, you can avoid them.
Mistake #1: Not understanding water needs
When it comes to growing tomatoes in containers vs in the ground, one of the biggest differences is their water needs. When I first started container gardening, I fundamentally didn’t understand that this difference was so important. I lost a lot of potted plants to over and under-watering before I really got the hang of things.
Not enough water
Tomatoes in containers need more water than tomatoes grown in the ground. This is because tomatoes growing in the ground can dig their roots deeper and wider in search of water during dry times, whereas tomatoes in pots only have the soil within the confines of the pot.
It’s up to you to provide them with enough water for the plants to thrive.
This can mean you’re watering your tomatoes twice a day or more in very hot, dry weather.
If you’re using grow bags, you’ll have to water them even more frequently as they dry out quicker.
If you live in a dry, arid climate, it’s also helpful to use self-watering pots for your tomatoes. These pots have a reservoir in the bottom that saves water and gives it back to the soil when the soil is dry.
However, self-watering pots may not be the best way to go if you live somewhere with lots of rain in the summer, which leads me to the next mistake.
Continued on next page
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