How to plant tomato seeds in containers.

Tomatoes grow well when they get the needed soil, water and light. You can get lots of tomatoes by simply growing them in a few containers. Tomatoes are easy to grow from seeds. There are two varieties of tomatoes namely determinate or bush varieties and indeterminate or vine varieties. The bush variety is easier to grow in a container. The vine variety needs lots of space to grow. If you are living in an apartment or if you don’t have much space in your garden, then it’s best to grow the bush variety. The container size for growing the bush variety is 14 inches deep and 8 inches wide. You can grow a single tomato plant in this container. You can either buy native heirloom seeds or you can buy a high-yielding variety seeds. 

Growing Conditions for Tomatoes

Tomatoes need lots of water and sunlight to grow well. They need 6 to 8 hours of sunlight every day. You can soak the seeds for 8 hours before you sow them. The optimum temperature for tomatoes to grow well is between 26°C to 29°C (79°F to 84°F).

Plant tomato from seeds

You can start your seeds indoors before the last frost and transplant the seedlings during the spring season when the soil temperatures are warm. Take a seed tray and fill it with potting mix. Sow the seeds and water them. Keep the seed tray in a place that gets good amounts of sunlight. Germination takes place within a week. When your seedlings grow about 6 inches tall you can transplant them into bigger pots.

When you transplant them, make sure you remove the bottom leaves, and bury them deep. This helps the plant to develop thicker stems and a better root system. The potting mix is 60 % compost, 20 % coarse sand and 20 % garden soil. After transplanting keep the plant in shade for a day or two so that it can recover from transplant shock. After your plant has recovered from transplant shock, place it in a location that gets good amounts of sunlight. Make sure you water your plant consistently. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and they will need fertilizer quite often. Feed your plants with fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus to improve yields.Here are a some organic fertilisers that are rich in potassium and phosphorous. If temperatures are too high that is above 32°C(90°F) make sure to give them afternoon shade as it can affect flowering. Make sure to provide support for your tomato plants so that they do not fall.

Your plants will start to flower within 40 to 60 days. Fruiting will happen within 65 to 70 days. You can harvest your tomatoes when they turn bright red.

Pests and Diseases

Tomatoes can get affected by leaf miners, whiteflies and fungal diseases. You can use neem oil or insecticidal soap to control these pests. You can also make pesticides from chillies or garlic and use them on your plants.