 Home
Varieties
of Early Tomatoes
How
To Grow Fast Tomatoes in a Container
2009
Growing Journal: Early Girl Tomato vs.
Jetsetter Tomato
2010
Growing Journal Start Page:
- Siberian
Tomato vs Stupice Tomato
- Bloody
Butcher vs Gregori's Altai Tomato
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How To Grow Early Season Tomatoes in
a Container
The following instructions are just one way to grow Eary Season
tomatoes. There are many different techniques and rules that
gardeners follow that come from their own experience, access
to convenient supplies, nationality and ethnic origins, economic
factors, growing zones and weather patterns.
This article is aimed towards beginners and will show you how
to grow Early Season tomatoes in a container which is one of
the easiest ways to get started with your new hobby. Whenever
possible, we will make these directions easy to follow. The
trend in recent decades is to over-complicate gardening in general,
and growing tomatoes in particular. I prefer to keep it as simple
as possible.
Let's get started.
Early season tomatoes are popular and will probably be offered
as starters (tomato plants 6 to 8 weeks old and ready to transplant)
at your local nursery, farm supply store, or big chain hardware
store. The three most likely to be offered are Early Girl, Early
Wonder and Jetsetter tomatoes. However, there are other fast
growing tomatoes available but you will probably have to start
them by seed as they are not as popular. The fastest growing
tomatoes are:
- Siberia = 48 to 55 days (not commonly available)
- Sub Arctic = 49 to 62 days (heirloom)
- Early Girl = 52 to 62 days (hybrid)
- Early Wonder = 55 days (heirloom)
- Prairie Fire = 55 to 65 days (heirlom)
- Siberian = 55 to 60 days (heirloom)
- Glacier Heirloom = 55 to 65 days (heirloom)
- Stupice = 55 to 68 days (heirloom)
During the 2009 Season, we matched up Early
Girl Tomatoes against the Jetsetter Tomatoes and
the Jetsetter produced ripe fruit a little bit faster, but the
Early Girl was a great producer. For the 2010 season, we wil
be matching up the Siberian
against the Stupice for speed, production and disease
resistance.
Since it is more fun to start your tomatoes from seed, and
because you can't always rely on your local nursery supplier
for the cultivar you want, we'll show you how to start your
tomatoes from seed, which is more fun anyway.
Know your hardiness zone and the last day of frost:
1. Tomatoes are usually transplanted when they are 6-8 weeks
old. To know when to plant your seeds, you need to know when
the last day of frost is for the area you live. If you don't
know, try doing a Google search for "last day
frost -------" and fill in the blank with
the nearest major city. Be aware of the fact that this is only
an estimate based on averages over a long period. There is no
guarantee and you could still get a surprise late frost. In
the area where I live, the last day of frost is April 1st. To
play it safe, I hold back from planting for two more weeks or
on tax day, April 15th. This date then tells me when to start
my seeds by counting backwards 6 to 8 weeks, which is Feb 15
to March 1st.
You will also need to know the Growing Zone or Hardiness Zone
for your zipcode which can be found here,
or with a more exact map here.
There are many ways to start tomato seeds but we'll show you
this one since it's easy and the germination rate is 96 percent.
The simplest way to start your seeds is with peat pellets and
greenhouse domes like the two pictured below. These are sold
about anywhere that seeds and vegetable gardening supplies are
sold.
 
In the first image, the peat pellet as it comes compressed.
The one on the right has been hydrated with water
and expands on it's own. |
Four hydrated
peat pellets in their tray with tomato seeds visible
in the top two. I use the tip of my pocket knife to
pull back the soil 1/4 inch. One seed in each pellet
is enough. |
  
The peat pellets in their tray. Trays come in many different
sizes. |
The
clear plastic top acts like a greenhouse by keeping
the seeds/pellets warmer than room temperature. Condensation
will also build up on the inside. The "climate"
inside is "warm & muggy" even if you
are starting in Feb. |
In
7 to 10 days, your tomato seeds will sprout. Germination
rate with peat pellets is pretty good, and it's only
necessary to plant one seed in each pellet. |
The greenhouse tray must then sit in your
window that get's the most light. If you you live in the
Northern states that don't get enough Sun during the first
8 weeks, you may need to get a growlight. However, if you
are just a beginner, you may not want to invest that much
money at first.
  
LEFT:The seedlings pictured here in front of the window
are approx. 2 weeks old. I like to let them grow a
bit too long in their pellets so I can plant them
DEEP. Planting your tomatoes deep now and when transplanted
outside is very important for root development. |
Center/Right:
Seedlings are transplanted into peat pots or other containers
that are 3 to 4 inches wide at the top. You must make
2 small holes in the bottom to let water run out. Place
your starters in the window and water about every other
day for until they are six weeks old. |
2. Hardening off your Early Season tomato plants:
All tomato plants started indoors (and not in a greenhouse)
need to adjust slowly to outside temperatures and breezes before
transplanting. This is called "hardening off." This
is usually done April or early May when temperatures are suitable.
On Sunny, breezy days, place your tomato pots outside in the
Sun for a few hours during the warmest part of the day. Keep
an eye on them so they don't get damaged by the wind or temperatures.
If it's too breezy, use a windbreak or take the plant back inside,
and let it get Sun and breeze from an open window. You can also
run a fan on them while they are inside for about 1 hour per
day. This will help make them stronger.
3 . A common problem at this stage is tomato
starters that are too "leggy" -as in the main stem
is tall but the foliage seems sparse in comparison to it's height.
This is caused by not enough Sunlight on your young plants (if
you have a top notch greenhouse or a growlight, you will probably
not encounter this problem). Tomatoes need lots and lots of
Sun from the first day they sprout and you need to get more
Sunlight on your starter if you can . This condition is why
I like to transplant my starters at 6 weeks instead of 8, and
6 weeks is also recommended by Seed Savers Exchange, one of
the best gardening organizations in the world. As discussed
above, I plant my seeds on March 1st so they will be 6 weeks
old on April 15th when I transplant them.
4. Soil Preperation: With an eye toward transplanting
your Early Season tomato starter outside on April 15th (which
is suitable for my growing zone & may be different than
yours), the next step is to prepare our container. Selecting
the container size is important and related to whether or not
the plant is a Determinate Tomato, or Indeterminate Tomato.
Indeterminate tomato plants produce vines up to and over 6ft
tall, and produce fruit all season long. Since these vine plants
are quite large, it's advisable to grow them in a container
10 gallons or more. A 5 gallon bucket is undersized for an indeterminate
tomato, and better suited for a determinate cultivar. Determinate
plants will perform well in a 5 gallon bucket, but will probably
do even better in a larger container. However, since most people
have easy access to 5 gallon buckets, they should do just fun
for you, as they have for us.
At the bottom of your 5 or 10+ gallon container, drill 2 holes,
on opposite ends, using a 3/8 inch drill bit, to allow water
to flow out.
The trend in gardening these days seems to be to over-complicate
the soil mixture. While this might be fine for an experienced
gardener, beginners should keep it simple. To this end, keep
your mixture at 1/3 organic matter, and 2/3rds top quality organic
soil sold in 1 to 1.5 cubic foot bags under the brand names
of Scott's, Miracle Gro, and Schultz. This soil is a higher
quality than regular, plain top soil which is priced much cheaper.
If you do use regular top soil, use 1/2 organic matter, and
1/2 regular top soil. Suitable organic matter, also sold in
1 to 1.5 cubic foot bags, includes: Peat moss, Manure, and Compost
of various origins. Many gardeners like to buy one of each,
mix them all together, and use that mixture as a their organic
elements for soil.
IMPORTANT TIP!
Besides the organic ammendments and soil, you'll also
need to mix in 1 to 2 cups of garden lime per
container. Agricultural lime is calcium carbonate
which will be necessary later on to prevent blossom rot,
also called bottom end rot. Blossom end rot is caused
by a lack of calcium getting to the fruit and IS A
VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN FAST GROWING TOMATOES.
It is much easier to prevent blossom end rot when preparing
your soil, than it is to fix it after it spoils your tomatoes.
Instead of garden lime, you can also use crushed eggshells.
Crush them up fine and work them into your soil. |
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Combine and mix the soil and ammendments together thoroughly.
5. Ideal ph levels for tomatoes are between
5.8 to 7. Inexpensive ph meters are sold in most garden stores.
You can raise ph levels with wood ash or agricultural lime,
and lower it with organic matter.
6. Transplant your 6 week old Early Season
tomato starter when nighttime temperatures are
above 55 degrees and a week or two after the last frost
for your growing zone. Dig a hole in the center of your
container with a handsize garden shovel. Dump in some
tomato or vegetable fertilizer pellets (if desired) and
a few crushed eggshells into the hole that you've made.
Carefully seperate the tomato from the container and place
it into the hole. (If you are using peat pots, like the
one at right, they can break apart easily and are biodegrable
and you can leave the pieces in the hole.
Watch the weather for the next couple of weeks and if
temperatures look like they will drop below 55 degrees,
cover your tomato or move the container inside your garage
or shed until the next day. |
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7. A tomato cage or support system will have
to be put in place immediately after you transplant your tomato
starter. It's better to put it in now when the tomato roots
are small, then later on when the roots cover more area and
you have to slide it over the tomato plant.
If you are planting indeterminate Early Season tomatoes, the
3 to 4ft wire tomato cages sold in garden and hardware stores
are going to be too small. Indeterminate means
vines, not a small bush determinate, and vines can easily grow
6 to 8 feet tall or taller. There are many different styles
of cages and stakes that you can use, but make sure you get
one that is tall enough and strong enough to support a tall
plant if you are growing an indeterminate vine tomato. However,
if your early season is a determinate bush tomato, the 3 to
4 ft tomato cages should do just fine.
8. Lots of Sunlight: Tomatoes thrive on 3
things: Water, organic matter and Sunlight. After you have transplanted
your starter into a 5 or 10+gallon size container, and installed
your stake or cage, get your tomato plant in the area of the
yard where it will get the most Sunlight for at least 8 hours
a day, and 12 hours a day is fine too. The nice thing about
growing in containers is you can move your plant around if you
have to.
9. Container grown tomatoes will need to be watered
more than those grown in the ground since their root system
is more susceptable to heat and dehydration from the Sun hitting
the outside of the container. When it comes to watering container
grown tomatoes, keep these 3 rules in mind:
- Always water at the base, directly on the soil, and never
on the leaves or upper stem.
- Water gently and not with a high pressure as this could
damage the roots and splash soil based diseases onto the bottom
level of leaves.
- Water once a day, in the morning, and until the container
fills to the top with water and it's running out of the holes
in the bottom - then stop.
10. Mulch and monitor the moisture when the
weather is hotter. Mulch basically means a layer
of organic matter (pine needles, wood chips), inorganic
matter (plastic, landscape fabric) or rocks which keep
the roots and soil cool, and prevents soil based diseases
from splashing upwards. Mulch also slows down the evaporation
rate and keeps the moisture in the soil longer. Personally,
I prefer to use white quartz river rock as this has kept
my soil moist for 24 hours and in temperatures in the
80s when the outside temp was 100 degrees. Click on the
thumb to see rock mulch. |
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Moisture meters like the one shown above help
monitor your plant's watering needs. A meat thermometer
with at least a 5 inch stem stuck into the soil will help you
monitor the temperatures for your tomato's roots. When temperatures
get above 90 degrees, fruit production begins to drop off dramatically.
It is the temperature of the roots, and not the leaves and stems,
that matters more.
Fertilizer, Compost Tea & Rainwater
11. After a few weeks, your Early Season tomato plant should
be doing pretty good on it's own. It is recommended that you
fertilize your tomato plant once a week with tomato fertilizer
or vegetable fertilizer. Look for some at your garden supply
store. You can also make a compost tea by allowing organic matter,
either compost or manure, to sit and mix for awhile in a bucket
of water. I prefer 5 gallon buckets filled with rain water.
(By the way, rain water is always 10x better than garden hose
water which is treated, often with chlorine and flouride). Compost
tea is more organic and environmentally friendly. If rain is
in the forecast, place as many buckets and containers outside
to catch as much rainwater as possible and use them. Well water
is good too. If you fear blossom rot as much as I do, mix in
1 cup of lime (calcium carbonate) in with your 5 gallon bucket
of compost tea.
Pruning
12. When your Early Season tomato starts to get about 2 to 3
feet tall, you will need to prune it in order to send the sugars
and nutrients to the places you want, and keep them away from
areas where they will do no good. I could tell you how to prune
your tomato but I found a webpage
that explains it better than I could and they have some nice
diagrams and a video.
Summary:
And finally, if all goes well, your Early Season tomato
plant should be producing ripe fruit in 50 to 60 days
after you transplanted it. Maturation dates are always
based on when the plant is transplanted, and not when
the seeds are started.
Remember These Important Tips:
- Start seedlings 6 to 8 weeks before you want to plant
them outside.
- Find your last day of frost and add 1 or 2 weeks if
you want to play it safe.
- Mix organic elements and lime in your soil to prevent
blossom rot.
- Use 5 gallon buckets for determinate, and larger containers
for indeterminate tomatoes.
- Place cage or stake in container after transplanting.
- Catch rainwater whenever possible and use it to water
your tomatoes.
- Water at the base.
- Use a moisture meter and meat thermometer to monitor
your watering and the temperature for the roots.
- Fertilize or use compost tea once a week.
- Place mulch down when temperatures start to get hot.
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