Finally, we have the net back up!
So much has been going on in the garden, everything has grown amazingly and started producing for us. I bought three deep growbags and planted out the tomatoes that have been grown in the mini greenhouse and indoors. They don’t look the happiest plants in the world, but as long as i keep watering them, they should be fine. The main problem with growbags, as with hanging baskets and raised beds is that they don’t retain moisture well.
I planted three tomato plants per bag, but a couple of bell pepper plants in each one too. These were bought from a garden centre as a bit of an experiment, we’ll see how they go. One of the plants has a nice little yellow flower on it…which should soon develop into a little green tomato.
I do think the tomato plants look like ships sailing though.
I’m going to try and update daily next week as i’m on half term, and like i said, so much has been going on.
Tags: gardeners' delight, growing tomatoes in growbags, oregon spring
May 24th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
I have been trying to justify the expense of buying some large pots (and a lot of compost) for some tomato plants (to have in the garden in addition to the ones on Ming’s allotment).
This post has given me some amunition. (I tried Grow Bags once before and didn’t like them.)
However . . . if I buy pots, they will be clay pots, not plastic (hate plastic pots - would rather do without the tomatoes!) but clay pots dry out quickly too.
I feel rather as if I’m writing to an Agony Aunt - but - would you be able to advise?
Esther Montomery
ESTHER IN THE GARDEN
May 25th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Dear Esther, thankyou for your letter (lol- trying to be Agony Uncle!)
…there are lots of different styles of growbags out there, some you can even sit pots in along the length. I find you have to buy good quality ones though as some look good on the outside, but are full of rubbish that nothing can grow in. We use them because they fit the space and are not peat based. I don’t see why you cannot use clay pots…maybe with some water retaining gel, or just a watering morning and night. An excuse to get outside maybe. You could also grow them in hanging baskets, although the watering issue resurfaces.
I think growbags are your best bet, but check what’s out there…you might find somehing that does the job. Either way, i think they hold the water better than my raised beds!!!
May 25th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
There are lots of ways of overcoming problems with water retention. Until this year I’ve always grown my tomatoes in pots on my roof. What I find the most important thing is to make sure you use a large enough pot. I use 30L pots, which is large enough for almost all tomato varieties, perhaps more than enough for some kinds.
If you have a water tap nearby, you might get a drip water system on a timer. Gardena makes a good system, that’s a little on the expensive side, but perhaps you can also find something cheaper. If you don’t have a tap, maybe you can use something like a ‘bag of water’ (try Googling on it, and I think you’ll find it.
What’s important about tomatoes is they like to be both wet and dry sometimes, preferably in the same day. Ideally, you would give them water early in the morning and by the following morning they would be dry again and ready for more water.
If you give tomatoes too much or irregular waterings, the fruits split open. If you don’t give them enough water, they get blossom end rot. If you use a larger pot with more dirt, it’s easier to regulate the water cycle.
May 25th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Than you both for your advice.
Most of our tomatoes will be grown on Ming’s allotment and the garden is mainly a place to sit in and eat in so I’ve decided against growbags on aesthetic grounds.
I was hoping to have two tomato plants in the garden but I’ve just got back from the garden centre where I was totally taken aback by the price of plain, ordinary, large pots - and found we could afford only one.
(Ming suggested having two smaller ones but I tried them two years ago (not ’small’ but smaller than the one I’ve just bought) and they really weren’t very good.)
So - one large pot - and I’ll take Patrick’s advice about the watering - thanks.
(Our next phase of marital disgreement will be when I refuse to side-shoot my one tomato plant - but Ming can side-shoot to his heart’s content at the allotment - I will hold my ground!)
Esther
May 25th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Esther,
I’m sorry I didn’t mention it before, but tomatoes also don’t usually like to share their root space with each other and prefer separate pots. I don’t know how big the pot you got is, and maybe if it’s big enough it won’t matter.
Also, I’m with you on the side shoots. There’s really nothing to be gained by taking them off. It makes the plant grow taller, which isn’t usually what you want since tomatoes usually grow to around 2 meters anyway. It also forces the plant to keep regrowing it’s foliage instead putting energy into new tomatoes. Some people say it also makes the plant weaker and more disease prone (but this honestly probably isn’t a big issue). It’s often said this issue brings otherwise sane tomato growers to blows, but I’m with you, as long as I don’t have to do it with my tomato plants other people can do it anyway they want!
May 25th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Patrick - My intention is to have only one plant in the pot.
When I’ve grown tomatoes directly in the ground, I’ve grown pounds and pounds of tomatoes from the one (un-sideshooted!) plant.
I hope this will be just as productive.
The plant which would have gone in the other pot (if I had bought it) will now have to go to the allotment after all!
Esther
May 27th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Good luck Esther! Thanks for the advice Patrick, this is my first year at trying more than 2 tomato plants, so i may try both methods and report back!!