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Too much water
It’s just as easy to give your tomatoes too much water as it is to not give them enough.
This can happen if you’re using self-watering containers, as they don’t drain excess water out of the bottom. When you get several days of heavy rains, it’s easy for that soil to get soggy and your plants to drown.
Pay attention to your climate; if you live in an area with lots of rainfall or you tend to water frequently, you don’t need self-watering pots. Let the tomatoes drain completely.
If you live in a very dry climate, self-watering pots are a great idea, but make sure you still dump out the excess water if the soil is soggy for several days in a row so the roots aren’t sitting in water.
A moisture meter is handy if you’re going to grow tomatoes in containers. your soil. These tools are inexpensive and easy to use, and you don’t need to question whether or not it’s time for water.
Mistake #2: Overcrowded containers
I tried for years to grow tomatoes in too-small pots before I realized I was making this mistake. My plants grew fine at first, but then they became weak, their leaves turned yellow, and the plants died. A few of them produced a few sad tomatoes, but overall, not ideal.
I realized that tomatoes need pots that are much bigger than you would think.
Tomatoes need lots of space; they grow massive root systems to support fruit production. The more soil you can provide, the better. This ensures they always have the nutrients and water they need to thrive. When growing in the ground, it’s usually no problem; tomatoes can spread out as far as they need. In containers, they’re at the mercy of their pot size, so you want to go as big as you can.
I’d suggest one 5-gallon pot per tomato plant (or larger), no matter what type of tomato you’re growing.
Mistake #3: Not using a trellis
Trellising tomatoes is a must, even when growing tomatoes in pots.
Most tomato plants grow to be very tall, and even the ones that stay short tend to get so heavy with fruit that they fall over anyway.
Trellising tomatoes in containers can be a challenge, but it’s not impossible.
In fact, in our case, it was easier to trellis our potted plants. We placed them up against the rails of our deck and used soft cloth scraps to tie them right to the deck rails. You can also use tomato cages in pots, provided the pots are big enough to hold them.
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