Tomato Plants Introduction

Tomato plants are easy to grow from seed or from plants and because the mature plants need a lot of water, they are ideally suited to GreenSmart self watering planters. These planters can hold up to 12 litres of water in the reservoir…. far more than any other self watering planter on the NZ market.

Labour weekend is the traditional time for planting tomatoes but they are ok to plant right up to Xmas.

This year I am taking a multi-pronged approach and am expecting several months of fresh tomatoes.

In mid September I bought a grafted dwarf tomato and have allowed most of the suckers to grow. As of late October it is going really well in the tunnel house. It is growing in a small pot with an 8 litres water reservoir. In the same pot I have also got a self-seeded cherry tomato and a few spinach plants. The dwarf tomato plant is just beginning to flower now (late October)

young tomato plant ready to attach to stake

I have also planted three types of heritage tomato seeds – Marmande, Cherokee Purple and Beefsteak. There are a couple of dozen seedlings in one small pot. When they are about 15 cm high I will transplant the strongest ones -some into larger GreenSmart pots and some into our regular garden. I will grow two or three tomatoes in each pot.

Heritage tomato plants in a small GreenSmart planter

Best Growing Conditions for Tomato Plants

When planting seeds, allow a few cm between seeds so the seedlings develop good strong stems.

When transplanting tomatoes it is worth burying them right up to the first leaves to encourage more roots. Alternatively try laying them flat in a shallow trough.

Tomato plants love sunshine – the more the better. Make sure that they are getting lots of warmth and sunlight. They also need good air circulation.

Fertiliser

Tomatoes in pots require plenty of nutrients. Make sure that the pot has got plenty of fertiliser – eg well rotted animal manures, sheep pellets, Yates Dynamic Lifter.

Last year I experimented with adding a couple of tablespoons of milk powder under the roots. I also added liquid milk into the water sight glass. It worked well so I am doing it again this season. The theory is that it adds calcium to the tomato plants. Calcium is a macronutrient.

When flowering commences, every week or two add liquid fertiliser directly into the water sight gauge.