Because determinate tomato plants are generally a smaller plant, they do very well in pots. In this episode of the Beginner’s Garden Podcast and in the article below, I share the results of my testing. Not so with traditional tomatoes, which will sprawl out all across the ground unless you take the trouble to train them onto a support. I’m definitely going to try your method in with some of the tomatoes and see how it goes! And if you find your tomato plants outgrowing the cage, here are some tips on pruning your tomatoes at the end of the season. First, it saves space in the garden since your tomatoes aren’t running all over the place. You still have to bother supporting it because it is still, technically, a vine (despite the fact that determinate tomatoes are sometimes called "bush tomatoes"). As the plant grew, I used tomato clips to affix the main stem of the tomato plant to the twine at intervals of about 12″. 1st. If you wait to stake the tomato, you can hurt its roots when you push the stake into the soil. But if you’re growing vining, indeterminate tomatoes, you probably want something that can handle these larger varieties. If the tomato plant you are growing is an indeterminate variety, go for a bigger stake. Both methods work equally well. Click below to listen or read the article below. Though you can use concrete mesh, welded wire, or other heavy duty tomato cages, I chose to use concrete mesh. Tomato vines rambling along the ground will put down roots that soak up additional water, water they will not get when suspended from a support. Although you can often find tomato cages at garden centers, it is rather easy to make your own. The drawback of the nylon trellis was it was floppy. According to the National Gardening Association (NGA), the tomatoes on staked plants is less likely to rot, since it is not in contact with the ground. Good point on the square footage. Staked or caged tomatoes look a lot neater than plants that are allowed to sprawl. This includes providing extra-large pots, strong staking and pruning. If your garden is sunny, hot and dry, don't prune away leaves that shade ripening fruit. Choosing and Using Fasteners to Support Tomatoes. So if you prefer a low maintenance tomato plant, go for a bush determinate type or try one of the Dwarf Tomato Project varieties. You will have less work supporting a determinate kind. She outlines the advantages and disadvantages of using one or the other. They produce the best of both a compact-sized tomato plant with a full-sized, full-flavored tomato. Shape the wire into a cylinder that’s about 18 inches wide, then push the ends of the wire into the ground around your tomato plant. At the bottom of each 5′ tall cage, I cut the bottom layer of horizontal wires so the vertical wires would serve to stick into the ground for stability. The “original” way to stake tomatoes involves … Well that’s exactly what got me excited about growing my own food. I'd like to receive the free email course. To support indeterminate tomato plants, use: As with using tomato cages to provide support, staking tomatoes should not be an afterthought. So first the best tomato plants for growing in pots and then we’ll look at pot size. Don't rip them, which leaves a larger wound and encourages disease. Popular heirloom tomatoes to grow in pots include the following: Brandywine – a large indeterminate tomato producing beefsteak type slicing tomatoes. This variety is a prolific producing determinate tomato bush ideal for pots and containers. Journey with Jill is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. You can do this many ways — one of the easiest being to train and tie each plant to one tall tomato stake. It was easy to understand and the photos were great. Vines grow to 6 feet tall. Tiny Tim – As for the best small tomato to grow in pots, a very popular variety perfect for pots is Tiny Tim. If you decide to use cages, make your own by securing galvanized fencing wire that stands at least 5 feet high. Photo by Jacopo Werther licensed under CC BY 2.0. 15th, at 2 seeds per pot (not transplanting). Continue to wrap the twine around the stakes and plants, until you’ve gotten to the tops of the plants. Not so much for cayennes though, they get too tall. Once your stake is in place, you will have two jobs for the rest of the growing season: Prune out suckers whenever you find them. Letting them grow along the ground (especially unpruned) invites diseases, and the fruits may rot if they are lying on wet earth. Begin early because it is easier to keep a tomato plant under control if you start training it while it is still young. Growing indeterminate tomatoes means harvesting fresh tomatoes for salads throughout the growing season. Indeterminate tomato plants can grow very large at 6-8 feet (1.8-2.4 meter) tall. It seems like a bit of extra work to give your tomato plants some support, even if you use a simple method like a tomato cage. Make your tie an inch or so above a flowering stem so that the fastener does not cut into the stem after it becomes weighed down with fruit. This site is owned and operated by AJH Trade Group. For my indeterminate tomatoes I do a combo of florida weave, staking, and doing a large wood trellis similar to your T post and Rebar but very tall at 7 feet. I guess just painting with a Rust-Oleum would do it too. A hatchet works best for this task, but hatchets are dangerous, so take all the safety precautions you can. In a video from Burpee Gardens, Chelsey Fields demonstrates how to use a stake and a tomato cage to support your plants as they grow. Pound the stake about 15 inches into the earth using a mini-sledgehammer. I loved that my cage ended up doubling as a bean trellis. These tomato plants come in both determinate and indeterminate varieties. While large varieties of tomatoes grow well in pots, they do take more care. But the really important tip here is – the tomato plant variety must be matched to the correct pot size to produce optimum growth. Selecting the right pot size to grow tomatoes will be determined by the variety of tomato you grow. The tomatoes using the tomato cage were planted in a different area of the garden. This worked beautifully for my Roma tomatoes but not the vining, indeterminate varieties. The cages should be at least 5′ tall — enough to accommodate most vining tomato varieties. When using the basket weave method of staking tomatoes, Penn State recommends spacing the plants about 18 to 24 inches apart. Heirloom varieties mean they are open-pollinated and their seed will grow true to type. Bush Beefsteak – For those gardeners keen to grow the classic beefsteak tomato, Bush Beefsteak produces large fruit on a bush tomato plant. Some varieties reach heights of 2.4 meters. Just how much trouble it will be for you to support your tomato plant depends on whether it is a determinate type or an indeterminate type. Do you want to make delicious, homemade salsa from fresh-picked ingredients you grew yourself? So why even bother? We may earn a small commission. What about you? If you were to purchase this concrete reinforcing wire, you would have to pay over around $165 for a roll. The first thing you have to get right is working with a stake that will be effective. You might not have a green thumb yet, but that’s all about to change! I listened to the podcast today and found your results fascinating. Required fields are marked *. You won’t have to do much to combat pests. I’m growing this year for the first time. Push the stake into the ground next to the plant at the same time you plant the tomato in the garden. Either way, if they get less disease being caged I’m all about that haha! You also will want to prune most or all of the suckers. When deciding the best tomatoes to grow in pots, you might come across the terms determinate and indeterminate tomatoes. Staking Tomato Plants – Find The Best Way To Stake Tomatoes The Tomato Cage. "Early Girl" tomatoes in cages require less maintenance and pruning, while those staked take up less room in the garden. Growing Heirloom Tomatoes in pots means you can save the seed for the next season. They're also indeterminate, which means that they keep bearing until fall weather nips them. Using the staked tomatoes, I was able to spot tomato hornworms more easily. What Are Determinate and Indeterminate Tomatoes? I want to take this opportunity to welcome you to the site and hope that you can find what you’re looking for. San Marzano tomato plants are a large plant growing 4-6 feet (1.2-1.8 meters) tall and will require staking. They need less support due to their smaller size. And they are perfect for growing tomatoes in pot and containers due to their smaller size. But for me, the ease of cage (once it’s built) and not having to prune the plant makes this an easy decision for me. The best tomatoes to grow in pots will thrive in your climate and provide you with an abundant tomato harvest during your growing season.