Creating a Tomato Hanging Basket: Ideal for Your Porch or Patio
Growing tomatoes in hanging baskets is a space-saving and aesthetically pleasing solution for gardeners with limited space. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to grow tomatoes in hanging baskets, including the best varieties to choose and essential care tips.
Choosing the Right Tomato Varieties
The best tomato varieties for growing in hanging baskets are those that have a determinate or compact trailing growth habit. These varieties include:
- Tumbling Tom Yellow F1: A small, cascading determinate plant that produces yellow cherry tomatoes. Its trailing habit makes it ideal for hanging baskets, providing both a decorative and productive display.
- Tumbler: A cherry tomato well-known for growing all summer long, specifically bred for hanging baskets. It produces abundant small tomatoes and cascades well, making it perfect for patios and smaller spaces.
- Tomato Donna Red F1, Tomato Husky Red F1, and Tomato Peardrops F1: These varieties are bred for container and hanging basket growth due to their compact size and manageable growth habit.
These varieties are ideal because they have a determinate or "bush" growth habit, or are specially bred for trailing ("tumbling") behavior, which means they don't grow excessively tall or require staking. Their manageable size suits the limited soil volume in baskets, and they produce small to medium-sized fruits (often cherry tomatoes), which suit the smaller yield capacity of hanging containers.
Caring for Hanging Tomato Baskets
- Watering: Water tomatoes in the morning and check the soil later in the day to see if it is moist due to the container drying out quickly.
- Soil: A hanging tomato basket could contain a lot of soil, which when wet, will weigh a lot, requiring a very strong support. Use a well-draining potting mix to prevent waterlogging.
- Plants don't require staking or cages: Plants grown in hanging baskets don't require staking or cages, as the small varieties are naturally compact.
- Pest Control: The practice of growing tomatoes in hanging baskets minimizes insect pests that overwinter in garden soil. Few weeds will find their way into a hanging tomato basket.
- Fertilizing: Use a slow-release product, either added to the soil at planting or worked into the top of the soil.
- Sunlight: Give the tomato hanging basket as much sun as possible, especially in hotter climates where there should be some dappled shade in the hot afternoon.
- Positioning: Hanging tomato plants can be moved for maximum sun exposure.
Other Hanging Tomato Basket Options
You can make a hanging tomato basket using a bucket, wire, wicker, or plastic container. Tomatoes can be grown tumbling out the top of hanging baskets or upside down through holes in the base. An inverted tomato planter takes advantage of gravity to evenly deliver nutrients and water.
By following these guidelines, you can enjoy a bountiful harvest of fresh tomatoes just outside your door, with minimal effort and space required. Happy gardening!
[1] Tomato Growing Guide [2] Tumbling Tom Yellow F1 [3] Tumbler Tomato [5] Hanging Tomatoes: A Guide to Growing Tomatoes in Containers
- Incorporating cooking with homegrown tomatoes can elevate your food-and-drink lifestyle, as hanging tomato baskets provide a decorative and productive display, helping to bring the garden's freshness into your meal preparations.
- To maintain a rich gardening lifestyle, one can pursue diverse planting projects like growing tomatoes in hanging baskets or tending to home-and-garden projects such as gardening with hanging baskets filled with various flowers and herbs, making outdoor spaces even more pleasing for one's senses.
