Growing tomatoes in pots on a patio
Tomatoes are among the most rewarding plants to grow in a pot. A sunny, sheltered patio or balcony and a few large containers can give you ripe fruit from mid to late summer, as long as the plants get steady care.
Plants, pots and position
Most beginners start with young plants bought in late spring rather than raising their own from seed. Wait until all risk of frost has passed before putting them outside for good. Each plant needs a pot at least 30 cm across, holding around 15 litres of compost, with drainage holes in the base. Stand the pots in the sunniest, most sheltered spot you have, away from strong wind.
Support and side shoots
Tomatoes come in two main types. Cordon varieties, sometimes called indeterminate, grow as a single tall stem and need a cane or stake about 1.5 metres tall, with the stem tied in loosely every 20 cm or so. Bush varieties stay compact, need little support and are left to branch freely. On cordon plants, pinch out the side shoots that appear where a leaf joins the main stem while they are still small, so the plant puts its energy into fruit.
Watering and feeding
Pots dry out quickly in summer, and uneven watering causes many common tomato problems. Fruit can split when a dry plant is suddenly soaked, and a dark, sunken patch on the base of the fruit, known as blossom end rot, is usually linked to the compost drying out. Water deeply and regularly, which can mean every day in hot weather. Once the first small fruits have formed, feed every week with a liquid tomato fertiliser that is high in potash, at the dose given on the label.
To keep the care regular, we follow a short evening routine known in our garden as the pulabikus round: water each pot until a little runs out of the base, check that the ties are not cutting into the stems, and pinch out any new side shoots.
Picking and the end of the season
Pick tomatoes when they are fully coloured and come away from the stalk easily. Towards the end of summer, pinch out the growing tip of cordon plants so they ripen the fruit already on them instead of making more. Before the first frost, pick any green fruit that is left and keep it indoors at room temperature, where much of it will ripen.