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Thread: Tomatos on my Deck

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  1. #1
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    Tomatos on my Deck

    I just bought 2 Big Boy Tomato plants and have 2 / 5 gallon contains I want to plant them in and grow on my deck which gets plenty of sunlight , I also got some very good organic soil to grow them in. So anyone grown Tomatos in a planter instead of in a garden...if so how about some tips..on getn the best bang for the buck...Thanks

  2. #2
    I am the self-proclaimed expert on everything under the Sun. Unfortunately only my cats see me for the great guy I am.
    I am a "Master Gardner" and got my official papers from Clemson to prove it.
    My 'mater knowledge goes way back as my Pop was an expert.

    You can surely grow delicious tomatoes in a 5 gallon pot. I presently have 6 growing in pots on my dock. My yard is now full shade and there is full Sun. Veggies require full Sun.

    'maters are like most vegetable plants. They want good soil, a consistent moisture level and lots of Sun. The ones we grow pale the taste of store crap. That makes our effort worth it.

    Growing in a container has good and bad. The good is that most times we add healthy soil with no disease or bugs. The bad is it can make moisture management harder.

    There are two categories --> determinate and inderminate. The difference is that one has a growth limit due to genetics and one does not. Determinate is better suited for a pot, but WTF, we can do both.

    Today most plants you buy are resistant to many problems. Thank to places like Clemson University for that.

    The big deal for pot growers is moisture management.
    'maters do best with a constant moisture level. Going dry and then being flooded is best for many plants, but not tomatoes. Also, plants with their feet in water will not be happy and will not make you happy.

    So, keep the soil moist but not wet. In a pot, that means water every day it does not rain and have drainage. Actually those "self watering" pots work well.
    If you have used something like Miricle Grow soil, don't add any more fertilizer. The objective is to end up with lots of tomatoes and not just a beautiful plant. Too much fertilizer (nitrogen) is bad for maximising your harvest.

    In the area you live, expect the crop to come in the first week of July. When you plant has little bearing as they do not crank up to full steam until the soil is above 65 degrees.

    On your plants will grow suckers. Those are stems that have no blossoms. Break off a few near the bottom and plant them deep with just a couple leaves above ground in June and you will have plants that will have September 'maters. The ones you have growing now will not give you much after first harvest. I pull them out and plant peppers then for a fall harvest in my pots.

  3. #3
    SMA
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    Hey, I'm only replying here 7 years or so after the original post. I too am a Master Gardener with the certificate framed and hanging on the office wall next to my college diploma. I haven't grown anything edible for several years. A friend gave me some homegrown tomatoes last year of the "Cherokee Purple" variety. They were so good I decided to grow some this year. I started some from seeds and they are now ready to transplant into bigger pots. In years past, I've had plants with small tomatoes on them already when it was time to plant them in the ground.
    Years ago, I got this small "green house". Well, sort of. It's 4 X 4 and has sliding glass all around. For my purposes, it works out good.
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    This picture was from several years ago, with tomatoes I had repotted several times getting them ready for the garden.
    I also like to grow leaf lettuce. This planter is made from ice deflector parts from an AT&T microwave tower. I had shredded leaves in it to compost, and added some store bought potting soil, and them planted a variety of lettuce seed. Again, this picture is from several years ago, but I have planted the same this year, and looking forward to salads. Unfortunately, when the hot weather hits, the lettuce gets bitter and not edible.
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    I wish I had taken a later picture when the lettuce had grown and filled the planter.
    Anyway, I'm getting back into doing a little gardening.

  4. #4
    CPT
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    Huntington Beach, CA (via Sunbury, Ohio)
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    Everyone's an expert at gardening as long as Mother Nature does her job and stuff just grows like it usually does and should. It's when stuff starts dying on you for no particular reason (or the bees stop showing up..); that's when you really find out what you know about gardening or don't know..
    Ode to 2020 (sung to the tune of "Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting") - ELG:
    "Everybody was Kung Flu fighting
    This virus panic struck like lightening
    Although the future seemed too frightening
    (Seemed too frightening)
    It's the book of your life that you should have been writing
    (Life that you should have been writing)"


  5. #5
    So far mine are off to a bad start.
    I replanted a few. I grow them on my dock in pots as my yard is shade.

  6. #6
    CPT
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    Dec 2011
    Location
    Huntington Beach, CA (via Sunbury, Ohio)
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    2,244
    Mine is off to a better start than last year (knock on wood..) as no wilted plants (for no discernible reason) yet. Have 4 toms, 2 pepper, 2 cuc, and 2 squash plants out with 3 rows of corn about to go in the ground in a few weeks...after the current 'cold snap' ends (as of course seeds in the ground just won't germinate until they know that spring as really sprung!). Best of luck to all YC gardeners this year!
    Ode to 2020 (sung to the tune of "Everybody was Kung-Fu Fighting") - ELG:
    "Everybody was Kung Flu fighting
    This virus panic struck like lightening
    Although the future seemed too frightening
    (Seemed too frightening)
    It's the book of your life that you should have been writing
    (Life that you should have been writing)"


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