What a joy to enjoy juicy and tasty tomatoes all summer long! If you have little space, plant tomato plants in pots. Placed at the edge of the terrace, on the balcony or in a small patio, you will harvest many tomatoes of red, yellow, green, black or orange.
Easy to grow in pots or trays, start planting vines tomatoes on your balcony or your terrace. clusters, cherries, cocktails, there are many varieties that produce tasty and refreshing fruit in a small space. Produce them yourself tomatoes, must-have stars of the summer.
When to plant potted tomato plants?
Tomato plants are sensitive to cold, so wait until the last cold snaps have passed to plant them. In the South, planting can take place from April, directly in place. Elsewhere, wait until mid-May with, in some regions, winter protection in early May.
What are the conditions for successful cultivation of potted tomatoes?
Here are some favorable conditions for picking beautiful tomatoes:
- opt for a jar of suitable size to accommodate the developed root system of a tomato plant. Bet on a diameter and a depth of 40 cm;
- choose one substrate rich because the tomatoes are very greedy;
- adopt varieties suitable for pot culture. Favor the cocktail and cherry varieties which require little space and can be led on stakes to occupy the space vertically.
- prefer a sunny location because tomatoes are vegetables called du sun who need heat to mature.
How to plant a tomato plant in a pot?
Here are some steps to successfully install a tomato plant in a container:
- watch out for the drainage hole in the bottom. Non-existent, pierce it to allow excess water to drain away;
- lay down a 5 cm drainage layer made of gravel, pebbles, marblesclay or terracotta shards;
- fill the container with a special vegetable enriched soil or add a handful of mature compost to a special planting substrate;
- soak the bucket then break up the clod;
- position the root ball in the center by placing the small rootlets (small white parts at the base of the foot) underground;
- fill in the gaps then tamp down;
- place a stake to then fix the stems and hold them so that they do not break;
- water copiously and mulch if necessary.
How to maintain a potted tomato plant?
Follow these five tips to have beautiful tasty tomatoes :
- as soon as the planting, stake the foot and as the stems develop, tie them with flexible ties;
- gourmet vegetable, bring fertilizer to the tomato. Take advantage of a watering session to nourish the foot with fertilizer liquid mixed with water. Do it every 15 days from July to August;
- make regular water supplies. Soil in a pot tends to dry out much faster than in the ground. Adapt the watering to the containers. Test the soil moisture with a finger. It should never be completely dry. Preferably water the bottom of the plant and not the foliage, which could accelerate the appearance of diseases. You can also install a drip irrigation with a timer, all connected to the tap for more tranquility and regularity;
- mulch the surface of the pots to limit watering chores and maintain constant humidity. the mulching hemp or linen may be suitable;
- cut or not, according to the place, the stems of the foot of tomatoes and remove the greedy ones (departures of leaves in the armpit of the leaves) which will unnecessarily exhaust the sap present in the stems. Leave less than 10 bunches of fruit for a plant grown on a balcony or terrace.
The Gariguette strawberry, resulting from the crossing of the Belrubi and Favette varieties Highly appreciated, the Gariguette strawberry variety was obtained at INRA by crossing the Belrubi and Favette varieties in 1976. © YannGarPhoto – CC by-nc 2.0
The tomato and its many varieties Tomatoes come in many varieties, from green to red to yellow. The shape, size, taste and texture are also very variable. © Frédérique Bressoud, INRA photo library
Garlic heads and their cloves Display of garlic heads at a fruit and vegetable stall in Copacabana Market, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. © Jean-Marie Bossennec, INRA photo library
Breadfruit and its tropical fruit Native to Oceania, breadfruit is grown in the tropics for its edible fruit, breadfruit. The fruit is also called “country chestnut” in the French West Indies. © Jean-Marie Bossennec, INRA photo library
Exotic fruits: dates, lemons and coconut Carambolas, lemons, dates, or coconuts belong to the large family of exotic fruits. © Jean Weber, INRA photo library
Carambolas, these star-shaped fruits Star-shaped fruits, carambolas are often used by pastry chefs to decorate their creations. © Christophe Maitre, INRA photo library
A purple cauliflower from Sicily Who said cauliflower had to be white? This violetto di Sicilia type Italian cauliflower, originally from Sicily, adds color to our plates! © Véronique Chable, INRA photo library
Cross section of a red cabbage This photo does not represent a maze but a cross section of a red cabbage. Present it this way to your children, they may want to taste it! © Anne-Hélène Cain, INRA photo library
Quince, quince fruit The quince, fruit of the quince tree, is native to the island of Crete, Greece. When ripe, the quince is covered with a yellow finery and can be eaten in particular in jam. © Anne-Hélène Cain, INRA photo library
Cucurbitaceae: Halloween vegetables Some Cucurbitaceae, used as decoration for the Halloween party, really take on a hideous appearance for the occasion! © Jean Weber, INRA photo library
Gourds and pattypan squash, two cucurbits The gourds and squash, two cucurbits, have various shapes and colors and are logically used in decoration. © Jean Weber, INRA photo library
Reunion papaya, a tasty berry Papayas, originally from Mexico, are also grown in tropical countries. These berries can overshadow currants and blueberries because they can weigh up to 5 kilograms! © Bertrand Nicolas, Inra photo library
Varieties of peppers and peppers Varieties of peppers and peppers are particularly studied in the genetics and plant improvement unit at INRA in Avignon. © Christian Slagmulder, INRA photo library
Yellow pears from the market Yellow pears neatly lined up on a market stall are mouth-watering… © Bertrand Nicolas, INRA photo library
Capsaicin, the molecule of peppers and chili peppers Bell peppers and chili peppers belong to the same genus (Capsicium), but differ in their content of capsaicin, the molecule responsible for the spicy taste. © Christian Slagmulder, INRA photo library
Faba bean or fodder bean Faba bean, or fodder bean, produces pods that contain two to five grains. © Gérard Duc, INRA photo library
Brussels sprouts, plant buds Brussels sprouts, often denigrated by children for their bitter taste, correspond to the axillary buds of the plant. © Anne-Hélène Cain, INRA photo library
The amazing Yellow King mandarin The Yellow King mandarin, with its more than special appearance, belongs to the SRA Inra-Cirad collection in San-Giuliano, Corsica. © Camille Jacquemond, Inra photo library
An old variety of Cantaloupe melon There are many varieties of melon. Here, we can observe an old variety of melon grown in France, of the Cantaloupe type. © Michel Pitrat, Inra photo library
Eggplant varieties There are a large number of varieties of eggplant, from the most primitive with small pale fruits (on the right) to the most advanced which are mainly eaten (on the left). © Marie-Christine Brand-Daunay, INRA photo library
The walnut and its husk, this green envelope As a nut ripens, the pulp (or husk) that surrounds the shell cracks and dries out. © Anne-Hélène Cain, INRA photo library
A blooming beefsteak tomato The deformation of this beefsteak tomato comes from a defect in the flower, and therefore affects the fruit. This phenomenon occurs especially in large-fruited varieties. © Philippe Esteve, external author, INRA photo library
Endives with their roots The endives are “forced in the dark”, that is to say grown in unnatural conditions. The bud obtained from the root constitutes the white and edible part of the endive. © Claire Dore, INRA photo library
White currants, a low-acid variety While red currants are very acidic, the white currant variety is much less so. © Michel Pitsch, Inra photo library
Landraces of potatoes The primitive varieties of potatoes have very specific shapes. © P. Rousselle, INRA photo library
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