How to Grow Tomatoes in Containers

Gord: Gardeners love the plants, planting containers and tomatoes are becoming more and more popular just for that. So we came to see Marsha Goldberg to give us some of the secrets of how to plant tomatoes in containers and get a beautiful crop. Hi Marsha! Marsha Goldberg: Hello. Gord: So you have got three tomatoes here and you got a fairly large pot, is this going to be good for a nice crop of tomato Marsha Goldberg: Bigger the pot it is better. Gord: Better. Marsha Goldberg: Especially if it is wider because tomato plants, the roots grow well. So what you want to do is plant as deeply as possible into one of this pots. So, we are going to take here.. Gord: And that was sort of a need. Marsha Goldberg: This is one of the different foliage plants, it is called sulfur. it is a Russian heirloom and it is determinant plant. Now, the determinant plant means they do not get very big and one to two feet maximum. It produce all there fruit at once and that is the end of it. So there idea for containers for that reason and what we will we do here, I want to make sure you have a well establish root system. I am going to put in one of my secret ingredients. Gord: I was going to ask you about that. Marsha Goldberg: This is oyster shell. You mix it in oyster shell is loaded with calcium and one of the reason that you want to make sure this a calcium for tomato plants is to avoid terrible condition called blossom in dry. And this is what is good about the oyster shell when you mix it into a good container just mix it in the plant and pet in a middle couple of a little handful of it, just like so. Gord: You want me to grab that for you. Marsha Goldberg: No, this one here is just an organic base fertilizer that is very good for tomatoes. I am just going to sprinkle a little bit handfuls in that in. It is really important to get that nutrition going in a container because they suit of they are limited. You are limiting the space hat the roots can go and find things. Now, what we do with most plants and tomato plants as we crop off this lower leaves and we burry the plant up to where that formation line is, is just like so. Gord: Just like her most gardeners to get use to that. Marsha Goldberg: Did is but I have been showing you so you do not feel afraid about it. And use planted in like so and there is your plant. Now, if most of the determinant varieties are very tough heavy about ones day produce fruit they can be so, you can take a tomato cages at this stage also. And just put it in like so and in your set in your great the whole of bottom of the pot. Gord: Excellent! Now you have got this variety, maybe can tachyon, if they would work in a container and what needs about them. Marsha Goldberg: These are all determinant of varieties. This one calls sashes all thigh, it is very well heirloom now we been working with for about the last five years. It has the most amazing tomato flavor in a small tomato I have ever experience. So I love sharing one with people and it is very small plant maximum 1 foot. And these one here is my pet. This is called mishka very good in containers also. Mishka is a plant that I been working with rather last 10 years and I have been selecting it is paste variety. It is what is good about this one. It is ability to make a paste very, very quickly when you are boiling it down. It does not produce sauce it produces paste. Gord: It that one I was name that. Marsha Goldberg: That is the one you said, that is my point of joy. Gord: Perfect, Oh, Marsha I thank you very much for showing us how to grow container. Marsha Goldberg: You are very welcome and this way, any one who has an apartment can have a tomato on their balcony. Gord: Excellent.