The Best Tomatoes for Containers and Tips for Growing Big Yields

Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable grown in gardens, but even small or no-space gardeners can enjoy a harvest of homegrown tomatoes when they plant in containers. Tomatoes are a vegetable that thrives when grown in pots and you can help ensure success when you pick the best varieties for containers and pair them with my seven strategies for growing a bumper crop of delicious tomatoes in pots.

tomatoes in fabric pots — I grow a wide variety of slicing, cherry, and paste tomatoes in fabric planters in my garden and polytunnel.

Growing tomatoes in containers: 7 strategies for success

When growing in containers, there are a few simple strategies you can use to boost success and keep plants healthy and productive.

1) Container selection

Match the pot size to the variety size. Some tomatoes, like ‘Micro Tom’ grow just a foot tall and can be planted in small, six-inch diameter containers. Others, like ‘Sungold’ can grow over seven-feet tall and need a large five to seven gallon container. When looking for the best tomatoes for containers, read the description of the variety noting its mature size and pick an appropriate-sized pot.

Once you’ve found the right sized pot, flip it over and check to see if it has drainage holes. Tomatoes need excellent drainage and if the pot has just a single drainage hole, you’ll need to add more. This is easy to do with a drill if the pot is made from plastic or wood, harder if it’s a ceramic pot. For that reason, I tend to grow my container tomatoes in plastic pots or fabric planters. Fabric pots are free-draining and don’t need drainage holes. Many companies also offer planters with attached trellises for easy set-up and an instant tomato garden.

2) Growing medium

Tomatoes appreciate a well-drained soil but also grow best when given plenty of organic matter. To keep container-grown tomatoes happy, I fill my pots with a 50-50 mixture of a high-quality potting mix like Pro-Mix Vegetable and Herb and compost. Or, can just use a compost-rich planting medium like FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil.

3) Plant the seedlings deeply

Tomato plants have the lovely ability to form roots all along their stems. Planting each tomato seedling deeply encourages strong, deep-rooted plants. I bury the seedlings half deep in the potting mix, removing any leaves that would be under the soil.

tomatoes in pots — Many container-grown tomato plants need support from a tomato cage, stake, or trellis.

4) Smart support

Super compact varieties like ‘Red Robin’ or cascading tomatoes for hanging baskets like ‘Tumbler’ don’t require cages or stakes. Most other types do. For determinate or dwarf varieties that grow two to three feet tall, you can use tomato cages. For indeterminate, or vining tomatoes, which can grow six feet tall or more, you’ll need to provide strong support for the vigorous plants. You can use heavy-duty, lifetime tomato cages, trellises, or stakes. As the plant grows, continue to tie the main stem loosely to the support every week or so. You can use twine or garden ties.

5) Plenty of sun

Tomatoes are sun-loving plants and produce the best harvest when placed on a deck, balcony, or patio with at least eight hours of light. If you have less light, avoid large-fruited tomatoes which need full sun to mature their fruits. Instead, plant cherry tomatoes which will still crop, although more modestly, when given 4 to 5 hours of daylight.

Heartbreaker tomatoes are ideal for containers — My Heartbreaker tomato plants grow about a foot tall and are the first to produce fruits in my garden. The pretty, heart-shaped tomatoes are sweet and perfect for salads.

6) Water

Consistent watering is essential when growing tomato plants in pots. Container-grown tomatoes are more prone to blossom end rot, a physiological disorder that results in a dark, leathery-looking spot to form on the blossom end of the fruit. Blossom end rot isn’t caused by a disease but rather calcium deficiency typically from inconsistent watering. If you’re allowing your tomato plants to wilt between waterings, you’re more likely to see blossom end rot.

Watering frequency depends on the size of the plant, size of the pot, composition of the growing medium (compost helps hold water), weather, temperatures, and more. Some summer days I grab my hose to water my container tomatoes in the morning and afternoon. Sometimes it’s just once a day or every two days. The soil should be slightly moist, but not wet. To check moisture levels, stick a finger down into the potting mix and if it’s dry an inch or two down, water.

Also be mindful that larger pots hold more soil volume and water. That means they need to be watered less often than small pots. Therefore, plant tomatoes in the largest pots you can. You can also buy or DIY self-watering planters which have reservoirs of water so that plants don’t dry out between waterings. Or install a drip irrigation system to make watering a snap!

7) Fertilize

Tomato plants are generally considered to be heavy feeders and require regular fertilization to produce a heavy crop of fruits. Many potting mixes come with a modest amount of fertilizer which is used up within the first few weeks. To ensure my plants have a steady supply of nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, I incorporate a slow-release organic tomato fertilizer into the soil when I fill the container. I also apply a liquid organic fertilizer every two to three weeks during the growing season. For more information on fertilizers, check out this excellent article by Jessica Walliser.