Tips on Growing Tomatoes: Containers and Tower Gardens ®

I love growing cherry tomatoes because it is so easy to freeze the extra bounty to use all winter in soups and veggie sautés. But it’s fun to experiment with new varieties. If you’re evaluating your growing experience from this year, here are some things I’ve learned.

Which type is right for you?

Tasty cherry tomatoes are great when you grow your own and pick as needed.

Determinate tomatoes think of these as “bushes.” They may need light pruning but only for strengthening the plant.
Indeterminate tomatoes are “vining” tomatoes from 6′-10′ and will continue to grow, bloom, and set fruit until they are killed by the first frost of the growing season.
Dwarf varieties: these are the shortest of the tomato plants. They grow small fruits (like cherry and grape tomatoes) and require no pruning whatsoever.
Patio varieties: engineered to grow well in containers, these plants produce small to medium-sized fruit and usually don’t require any pruning.

Tomatoes grown in containers are great for people who don’t have many sunny locations. It may be the first vegetable people grow in a container. Try a determinate variety like ‘Celebrity’ or ‘Rutgers’ for a smaller growing plant. You will still need to stake or cage it but won’t need to prune it as much.

I’ve also had good luck with ‘Black Krim,’ a late season tomato that likes cooler fall temperatures. ‘Whippersnapper’ is also reported to be a sweet grape-type fruit.

Too many to count!

For people who are very busy and don’t feel they have time to tend a garden on a daily basis, the Juice Plus Tower Garden ® is an excellent solution. You can grow organic produce, with no weeding and 24/7 automatic watering and feeding.

GROWING TIPS for traditional and container gardens

Provide Lots of Light– Tomato seedlings need strong, direct light.

Bury Them– Plant your tomato plants deeper than they come in the pot, all the way up to the top few leaves. When planted this way, tomatoes are able to develop roots all along their stems.

Remove the Bottom Leaves– Once your tomato plants reach about 3 ft. tall, remove the leaves from the bottom 1 ft. of stem.

Water deeply and regularly while the plants are developing. Once the fruit begins to ripen, you can ease up on watering. Lessening the water will coax the plant into concentrating its sugars, for better flavor.

GROWING TIPS for Tower Gardens ®

Tomatoes love tower gardens!

Tomatoes love Tower Gardens ® because of the consistent watering and feeding. It’s been my experience that aggressive pruning of the vining type creates a stronger plant and more and bigger fruit. Don’t let too many side shoots develop on the main stalk by pinching out the suckers, the leaves that grow between where the branches meet. Because they grow so much more quickly in tower gardens, you may need to pull out suckers several times a week.

I have had the best luck with cherry tomatoes because they don’t overwhelm the Tower Garden ® and growing them makes it easier to get plenty of sun to the other plants you may want to grow. Herbs are paired nicely with tomatoes in a tower. My favorite is ‘Sweet 100.’ It features a cascade of 10 to 15 fruit on each stem. If you are looking for quantity, this is a great one.

How Tower Gardens® work

A pump in the reservoir pushes the nutrient solution to the top of the tower. The nutrient solution evenly cascades over the exposed plant roots.

Aside from checking water levels and cleaning the pump filter, Tower Garden® will take care of itself. And in just a few short weeks, you’ll be enjoying abundant homegrown produce, harvested at its peak (so you can be at yours).

Gwen O’Neill has been a gardener for over 40 years and has always been a passionate cook. Her own health challenges led her to experiencing a variety of healing modalities. After finding that her health improved with eating more whole food and improving her nutrition using a real, whole food based supplement called Juice Plus, she committed to sharing this experience with others. The Tower Garden by Juice Plus makes it easy to grow produce right outside your kitchen door.