Tomato Root Space

How much root space a tomato plant needs depends on the variety and the size of fruit it produces.

Bush Varieties

Tumbling Tom and Balconi Red are quite happy in a smaller area than Red Alert - all of which produce cherry tomatoes.

Oregon Spring, Siberian, Alaskan Fancy and New Yorker (these are medium and large fruited) will all require more root space than the cherry varieties or they will run out of energy before the tomatoes fully mature. They are also bigger plants.

So how much root space, or size of container should they be planted in?

There are two things to consider:

1. Size of Plant
2. Size of Fruit
   

Red Alert is a larger plant than Tumbling Tom even though the fruit are about the same size.

Larger plant = larger root system.

When dealing with plants that are about the same size but produce different size fruit, the larger fruiting variety requires more root space.

Larger Fruit = larger root area required to bring larger fruit to maturity.

Answer: A Tumbling Tom (small cherry plant) will be quite happy in a 5 Litre pot - around 9 inches diameter.

An Oregon Spring needs a 10 Litre container (at least) to perform to its full potential because both the plant and the tomatoes are large.

Tall Varieties (Also known as Cordon and Indeterminate).

The issue here is:

1. The size of fruit
2. The amount of trusses you intend to grow.

These plants are usually grown in grow bags so the question is - how many plants in a grow bag?

Answer: two medium or large size varieties, or, three medium to cherry size varieties in each grow bag. Most average size grow bags contain around 35 litres of soil/compost.

With regard to the amount of trusses ... you could grow two plants with six trusses each or three plants with four trusses each - you still end up with the same amount of trusses!
Usually it is four trusses outdoors and six trusses in the greenhouse.

Few! ... if you are still with me and haven't decided never to visit my blog again, well done!

How Much Room For Roots?

As we get to the time of the season when we plant our well cared for plants into pots and containers - as well as grow bags of course - my temptation is to over-crowd with too many plants.

For example, I always sow more seeds than I should (just in case) and end up with far too many plants and not enough containers and compost to go in them. Faced with the dilemma - should I give my extras away or put two in a large pot instead of one!

Experience tells me to not over-crowd but I sure would like to keep them and plant them now!

Well, this season I'm trying to be good and give each plant the root room it should have for the best results.

What is the best amount of space or soil amount for each variety? I'll let you know in my next post coming soon!

The Wind - Support Your Bush Varieties Too!

I'm not going to get caught-out this season like I did last year when almost all of my outdoor plants got tomato blight. So every plant will get some kind of cover from the rain as I've constructed Lean-to's and all sorts of protection around the garden.

The problem is, as soon as you have sheets of polythene and other plastic covering, the wind becomes an issue. Chasing covers into the next door neighbors garden is a bit embarrassing!

The other issue with windy conditions is the direct effect on your plants and the damage it can cause to the base of the main stems. Although bush varieties are often thought to grow without support, I usually stick a cane or two around each plant to help when it's windy and also when it is heavy with fruit.

Bush varieties like Red Alert are taller than Tumbling Tom for example and will need some support. Sometimes a branch will become so heavy with fruit that its weight will pull from the main stem so tying branches to some kind of support can be helpful.

However, do remember to be careful with the ends of canes ... eyes can be vulnerable so it's a good idea to make the tips easy to see.

Tomato Plants

There's still time to grow tomatoes this season if you buy small plants from the garden center.

Look for those that have dark green, healthy looking leaves and stems that are not "leggy" - that is thinner and taller than they should be ... compare them to the other plants of the same shelf.

Of course you probably won't get the selection of varieties that are available from seed, but buying small tomato plants is a great way to get started at this time of the season.

Remember ... keep those leaves dry!

Grow Bags for Tomato Plants

This post is about making the most of your grow bag or, "grow bag optimisation" to put it in a rather grand way!

Perhaps the biggest drawback with grow bags is that they can dry out quickly, especially when plants are fruiting. So here are a few suggestions to help keep the moisture in.

Make slits in the top of the grow bag and plant so that the plastic can be replaced around the bottom of the plant and the compost is not exposed and moisture is unable to evaporate.

Sink pots directly into the grow bag so that the plant roots can grow out of the bottom of the pot and into the grow bag (see above).

Add a few handfuls of perlite to the soil to aid water retention. Also, water retaining gel is a good option.

You will need to pierce drainage holes but make them at the ends of the bags rather than at the sides to help keep the entire compost area moist.

To help watering, sink a large pot in the middle which can be filled easily and the water can make its way out of the bottom of the pot (see pic. black pot between two Sungold plants).

Foliar Feeding Tomatoes

The quickest way to get nutrients into a plant is to spray the leaves with a suitable plant food.

This may not necessarily be tomato feed as there are other nutrients that can help the development and growth of plants.

Seaweed extract is a great way to give your plants a boost - it's organic - and can be given by foliar spray or roots. It is particularly good when transplanting to bigger pots to stop plants from becoming stressed.

To help avoid blossom end rot in medium and larger varieties, a foliar spray can aid nutrient intake - calcium is crucial when plants are growing fruit - and give the tomatoes the food they need as fast as possible.

It is important to check the instructions on your plant food container to make sure that foliar feeding is possible - some feed is not suitable.

The best way to feed is little and often so that plants always have access to some food. My preferred method is to reduce the recommended amount by half and feed twice as often.

Removing Leaves

It's a good idea to remove the leaves at the bottom of a tomato plant if they are looking poorly. Pull them off with an upward yank rather than cut them with a blade because scissors/blades can transfer infection from plant to plant.

It is common practice to remove leaves from tall varieties up to the first truss. It creates more air movement around the base of the plant and gives more energy to the upper part of the plant and tomato development.