Grow Amazing Tomatoes In Containers 🍅 (COMPLETE GUIDE)
Join @jacquesinthegarden as he shares his expertise on growing tomatoes in containers: from selecting the right tomato variety to container size and support. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned gardener, Jacques will guide you through the process, offering insights on which tomatoes thrive best in containers and tips for successful trellising.
IN THIS VIDEO
→ Tomato Seeds: growepic.co/4dxT9I4
→ Tomato Cage: growepic.co/3QDR4R7
→ Epic Grow Bags - Lined: growepic.co/3JVrJ1i
→ Epic Grow Bags - Unlined: growepic.co/3QCJCFZ
→ 5" Cube Pot: growepic.co/4acggVJ
→ Felco 6 Pruners: growepic.co/3QENd6b
→ Single Hole Plantable Fabric Covers: growepic.co/3WxeICw
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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:26 - Determinate VS Indeterminate Tomatoes
01:58 - Container Size & Types Of Containers
04:23 - Choosing Soil Types & Filling Containers
05:40 - Planting Tomatoes
07:41 - Companion Planting & Supporting Structures
09:34 - Mulching
10:42 - Tomato Cage
11:59 - Indeterminate Tomato Cage
12:41 - Net Trellis Structures For Containers
13:34 - String Trellis Structure For Containers
14:04 - Fertilizing Younger Tomato Plants
15:45 - Fertilizing Established Tomato Plants & Watering
DISCLAIMER
Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. More info on our process: www.epicgardening.com/disclai...
Curious what you all think of these "plantable fabric mulch" covers we have for the grow bags? It's a new thing we're testing out. We've found them helpful! growepic.co/3WxeICw
They look convenient and functional 🤷🏼♂️
I’m in Eastern Arkansas… The heat and humidity get stifling! If that cover will assist in retaining moisture while not baking the soil… it’s a win-win! Love the idea.
First, under what conditions would they be beneficial in contrast to Method 1? My (uninformed) preference would include a complimentary plant (for pollinators, pest control, etc.) and straw mulch with a small Buddha or Baby Yoda, of course. 😁
I have been covering my grow bag soil with pieces of weed cloth cut into circles to prevent squirrels from burying / trying to dig up nuts (and destroying my plants in the meantime). It works but it's ugly and annoying lifting the weed cloth to water. These covers look like a permeable, elegant alternative.
A couple years ago, I was working in a disturbed area and thought I was clever and bought a 36" coir version of these to put around some alder seedlings to keep the grass down and avoid mowing them the first year. Super clever girl with her clever girl thoughts. Then the coyotes agreed with my clever girl thoughts that they were amazing, dragged them all into one place, tore them into shreds, and apparently made a bed. 🤣🤣🤣 Not relevant for pots in a suburban yard but I am still recovering from that experience.
Might be one of the most perfect how-to ever. Right length, easy to see, text explanations, and only subtle product mentions.
Thank you! These are very kind words!
This is the best tomato growing video on the internet. Straightforward, to the point, well explained, excellent. Excellent. I saved it, and I'm going to share this with everyone I know. Thanks, Jacques. Well Done!!
Glad to hear this!!!
Thank you!
Super helpful, agreed!
I am limited to growing indeterminate tomatoes in containers. This video was incredibly helpful and gave me insight into what some of my issues with my plants were last summer. Thank you!
My 1st yr growing tomatoes, I think I'm growing over 20 diferent varieties 😅
That's great😊😊😊
Don’t. I’ve gone and bought over 40 varieties… not all will be planted this year. Just about 4 of each variety. From red, yellow, purple and black. WHAT HAVE I DONE?!!!
Heck yeah! ~30 for me this year 😅
This Is The Way❤
Yeah that'll happen lol
I can't put into words how much easier you and the Epic gang have made life. I watched your grow bag tomato vid from last year the other day, and then found this puppy waiting for me. Just perfect timing. Thanks for everything you all do, KZhead is lucky to have you, and we're even luckier!
Love to hear this so much!
I always see comments saying "I was just searching this. Perfect timing" and my time has finally come! I was just searching this. Perfect timing.
We got you :)
That grow bag cover is genius.
This is my very first year doing a summer garden and I've only been gardening since last August. I'm planning to transplant my determinate Roma tomato plant tomorrow. It's my baby because I grew it from seed and its the only tomato plant that survived, lol. So I want to make sure I don't transplant it incorrectly and kill it. This was so helpful. Great video, Jacques!
This is by far one of the best tomato videos. Best explained . Very well done
Glad it was helpful!
Jacques is a wonderful teacher!! I always learn a lot!!
03:00 can we just appreciate the background so full of colours, the butterflies must love those two plants
Wish you guys had a UK store; those cages are exactly what I’ve been looking for and can’t find anywhere over here! Plus your pots and cells look ace 😊
Hopefully soon!
Great video, thank you! Got 4 indeterminates cherry tomatoes growing like mad on our veranda in Tokyo, such a fun endeavor with my 10 year old boy (who loves tomatoes) figuring out how to support the branches etc. Some great tips here.
Jacques, Thank you for the best instructions I've come across! Clear and concise! I feel like I know exactly what to do now after watching this video. With love, Your serial plant killer.
I’m so freakin excited to get the new grow bags and the little lids too! Excellent video, cool to see Jacques solo on the main.
Just wanna say thanks Jacques for just keeping it real. Too much bs out there😂. I enjoyed the Frittata video too. Yall had too much fun
I almost couldn't pay attention to your video due to the amazing orange and blue/purple flowers behind you! Lol. Beautiful.
Gorgeous right?
They are orange clock vines and Pride Of Madeira!
Stunning!
Jacques, your garden is a Beautiful mix of veggies & flowers. Extremely pleasing to the eye as well as the palette. Great video without a lot of chit chat. 💖👵🏻👩🌾❣️
Thanks for sharing your gardening knowledge. This is the first year I have grown from seed and have seen a tremendous difference. I have over 250 tomato plants now instead of just a few plants that I bought. And they are thriving!
250! Wild!
You can never have too many tomatoes...
Grown from seeds...250 tomatoes plants.. you're growing cannabis plants admit it!😂
Thanks Jacque! Because of your informative videos ( this is the best on tomatoes ever!) , I've become brave enough to grow so many more tomatoes than ever before. May the constant science experiments in my backyard continue! Such an adventure and so joyful.
This year, I started my cherry tomatoes on April 12th. It was obviously not soon enough. Next year, I will start them on March 1st.
I love all the flowers in your garden!
❤ I’m a experienced Gardner but I always learn from your video and get reminded of important details. Need to try lined fabric pots next year( my tomatoes are mostly planted and producing).
This vid is excellent!! Thanks Jacques. I am helping a neighbor gardener at my complex get a grow bag garden going. Very good information. Stoked to see if she tries these mulch do-dads!
Thank you so much! I live in Maine zone 5a with my last frost date in the middle of May. My growing season is so short and I think grow bags are the answer to my prayer! Also, what are those beautiful orange flowers and the blue bottlebrush looking flowers! I know I can't grow them here but they are lovely. Thank you again!
I like to add an extra stake to opposite sided of the cage. I zip tie them to the cage. It really adds to the rigidity on the cage.
Absolutely the info I needed! Much appreciated! Getting my tomato plants to settle on their final resting ground ( zone 6A ).
An excellent, informative video - thanks again, Jacques!
I love my Epic grow bags. I usually plant my cherry tomatoes, flowers and herbs in them. Oh, I like the grow bag tops.
Thank you Jacques!
Lots of great information here. I just planted my tomatoes today.🍅🍅
That new mulch insert is so cool!!!
Great job Jacques!
I LOVE the fabric mulch, what a genius idea!
Thank you! 😊
Those fabric covers/mulch are great...I would get them to keep the chipmunks out of my bags, too! lol
That is a great point, I didn't even think of the fact that it would stop digging pests!
@@jacquesinthegarden A few weeks ago, I put sachets of lavender in grow bags containing blackberries. No sign of gophers or whatever it is since.
Thank you so much. I'm growing an indermanint tomato now. I love all of your idea's and suggestions.
You are so welcome!
I like the mulching technique,amazing tomatoes i also planted tomatoes & i can say timing is key💯
I grew those yellow tomatoes last year and they were great. 😊
Super helpful - thanks! I was wondering about these exact issues.
I love Epic’s lined grow bags! A big improvement over other companies’ bags.
Love to hear!
Thank you, Jacques. 😊
Holy Cow! Is that a thunbergia behind you???? Also, thanks for the mater planting tips. Planting my containers today and you've given me some ideas ;-)
It is! I have been letting it take over this random chunk of my yard for a while and it is one of my favorites. Glad you enjoyed the video!
This is my 2nd year growing Dwarf tomatoes. I was happy with them last year
The flowers behind you are spectacular!
I try to make sure I have something blooming for most of the year!
Great straight forward information easy to understand thanks
Perfect timing! I have 5 roma tomatoes that I'll be putting in grow bags :)
Patio Choice Yellow has been my favorite dwarf/bush type tomato this year. Lots bigger tomatoes than the other small plants I tried and good flavor. Thinner skin, which I think is important for such a small tomato.
i swear you guys read my mind - i was JUST researching videos on growing tomatoes in grow bags! perfect video and always love seeing jacques in the garden :)
Perfect!
First year growing tomatoes. My cherokee purples are the first to ripen and they are delicious! Growing different varieties of determinate and indeterminate to see what I like.
Wow. Cherokee purples in may. What zone are you in?
Zone 8/9.
@@CricketsBay do you use a greenhouse or are these outdoors? My purple Cherokee’s are barely flowering and I started indoors in March. Zone 10. Teach me your secrets 🙏
@@herrerad3 I'm in zone 9A. I transplanted really early, mid March.
We used the outside of the kids trampoline as the support for our indeterminate tomato vines on a gridded net attached to the base poles of the trampoline and the upper support poles of the safety net. Worked a treat and gave us a very cheap trellis and efficient use of space. Had the added benefit of stopping the 10yr old boy, throwing his entire body weight against the safety net, which was starting to bend the poles.😊
First year gardening and I’m growing a few different types this summer, planning on way more in fall here in Texas! Growing dwarves, so far I love them! Only fruit on my yellow canary, 9 inches tall and 30 tomato’s and counting! Got a late start on the rest
Great video thank you epic garden
Great information, thank you!
Thank you for explaining!!!
Great information ❤
Excellent video! I like how the mulch covers work, however, I plant basil with some of my tomatoes and marigolds with others. I didn’t have any tomato hornworms last year. I think this is why they were not a problem but it will take another summer to test it!
Excellent tomato DIY!!!!!!
Dwarf tomatos have become my staple crops. I get from Victory seed and amazing, especially for containers
I think you should add velcro to the cut side of grow bag "mulch" so it stays sealed.
great video jac
Damn this is high quality content, the to-the-point style of your videos is excellent.
Thank you!
Ive had my determinate Goliath bush tomato since the beginning of last year and this year the toms on it look alot bigger and nicer, honestly ive neglected it quite a bit yet it will not die, been growing toms for years and this is definitely a first for me 😅
Dude! I thought this was a Jacqes in the Garden video until I saw the logo. Way to be the solo presenter on the main channel! Eric must like you or something.
He's on to something...
1:35 Cherry folls lol yellow patio choice is classic grows great in a modest container
GREAT VIDEO! THANK YOU!
I have tomato plants that are over two years old that produce nonstop…inside, in a kratky setup. Zero pesticides. Zero worry. Why people grow in soil for certain things blows my mind…
What nutrients do you use
@@yusrakhot4121 - Masterblend 4-18-38, calcium nitrate and epsom salts.
Loving the new covers. Great idea. God bless 🙏
More to come!
Last year a tomato plant grew between the expansion gaps in my driveway and I let it grow. I ended up getting a dozen decent sized tomatoes off that plant.
Could you please talk about semi-determinate and the differences between all three? Thanks!
PLEASE do this same video but for peppers
Patio Choice are delicious 😋
Came here looking for Eric and settled for Jack instead. Love seeing all those varieties of Tomatoes out there. Who is the Tomato Titan between you two?
Only one way to find out...
Epic trash talker. I’m here for it. 🍿 👀
Some answers speak for themselves 🙈
@@jacquesinthegarden oooh, The silent violence 👊 I knew this would heat up 🔥 Watch your back bro 👀
I am only growing dwarf varieties this year and one determinate. No full-sized indeterminates. Not sure what I will think about this but want early varieties that will just get it done. I'm using everything from hugelkultur beds to trial a dry-farmed variety, hot beds that are now just very deep raised beds, and 15 gallon grow bags for the dwarfs.
My determinate tomato was fruiting all summer long well into October.
Helpful video! Thank you!
You're welcome!
Good video, as always. I'm trying out some dwarf tomatoes in a raised bed and in bags. I'm looking forward to see the results. Also, what is that beautiful bush with the bright orange flowers in the background in the first part of the video?
Great video! Thx
Did we ever get a results vid on grafted tomatoes? 🍅 I'd love to see more of an in depth look at differences in production, disease, etc
Kiddie pools can help with the water problem in the summer.
Both my gardens and my grow beds are full! That said, I just ordered 10 Red Snapper tomato plugs.. they have to go somewhere! 😊… mineral buckets and 15 gal bags it is… they are Determinate.. HOSS brand tomato.
Thank you! Impeccable timing! Hey everyone! Remember when shot glasses made most of us happy for a different purpose? 🤣 Sign of the times or am I just getting older?
Can you do a video on watering tomato seedlings?
If you don't want to buy over-priced grow bags and/or already have them, try lining the inside of the bags with cardboard, if you already have boxes lying around from that tropical named shipping website you already have all you need to help keep water in your fabric pots.
I loved your tutorial! Best and most concise and understandable on tomatoes ever. Can you give me some advice though? This is only my second year growing tomatoes. I have three going strong. But two I didn't put in my grow bags, but in those smaller wood barrel type planters that aren't very deep. Can I move those tomato plants to grow bags now? they already have fruit on them. But now I'm worried they won't do as well. But also concerned if I moved them will it kill the fruit already growing or kill the plant entirely? Thanks for all you guys do. So very helpful especially for us urban gardeners with not a lot of acreage.
I would not transplant if fruit is on them - Kevin
Hi Jacques, this is a great and incredibly informative tutorial. Thank you so much!!! I am on a tight budget, could using coffee grounds work to fertilise the soil? I have read I would need to dry them to prevent too much nitrogen being released? Is that true. Many thanks!
Always had a garden but recently moved to central FL. Love the idea of the bags but not sure how well they will do here! I usually grow grape tomatoes and patio tomatoes any other suggestions? Also what do you do when torrential rains are predicted??
Thank you for your insight and all your great tips Jacques , I live in Quebec zone 5a do you think I should go down in size for fabric pots , since my growing period is shorter ? Thank you .
great video! Just what I needed. As a first year tomato grower I still have a lot of questions. Some people say watering tomatoes from the bottom (in containers) is actually better. What is your take on it? Having only my window sill (indoors) for the plants, any special tips you could provide? How to prevent the plants from getting too high? (not knowing how big my mystery seeds actually grow) Can I just cut them back at the top before they get fruits? How would they actually pollinate indoors? Do I have to help out? Thanks in advance for any answers and tip I get here.
If you're are growing tomato indoor even by the window it should be paired with a quality full spectrum led grow light to get good results. You need less light of you're growing lettuce but fruit producing plant needs alot more light. A single grow light unit that has energy consumption of 100w for example (which is "equivalent" to 300w incandescent brightness), or atleast 60w+, but not those thin led bars that is 20w each they are not strong enough. There are apps on your phone called Lux Light Meter, it's not as accurate as a dedicated meter but it give you a rough estimate of how bright your light source is. For something like a tomato plant indoor, the plant should get about 15,000 lumens (debatable) for decent really. For lettuce you can probably get by with 5000 lumens. If you don't want to spend money on expensive lights try something like one or two 100w bulb. You'll also need a cheap wall outlet timer as the plant don't want lights on 24/7. Without adequate light tomato plants will grow more leggy, it will have thin stem and grows tall, because it's looking for more light. You shouldn't grow indeterminate indoor, which are very big plants, but smaller dwarf or microdwarf. For microdwarf, these plants can grow in 1.5 gallon container and only gets up to 18 inches tall, I recommend Tiny Totem and Fuzzy Wuzzy microdwarf, these are two tasty variety I've grown, you'll have to buy the seeds and start them yourself. Of course you won't get much of a harvest from microdwarf, it's not novelty. For better yield you want to grow a dwarf or indeterminate tomato in a 3 to 5 gallon container. Yes you can top off the plant of it starts to get too tall. For indoor container growing, use brand new potting mix (not potting soil), the bags should be stored under a roof at the store and not rained on. Look up how to deal with fungus gnats and spider mites, which are a problem for indoor food growing. Fungus gnats is a primary feature of MiracleGro bags stored outside in hardware stores. This is another reason to not reuse old soil or soil from outdoor, to reduce pests and diseases. The other thing is nutrient. With potting mix you'll need to add extra nutrient, I recommend Osmocote which is expensive but you don't need a lot and it doesn't smell so it's good for indoor. But you can certainly use something more affordable like those miraclegro liquid fertilizer as long as the NPK ratio is more geared toward tomato and not have too high in nitrogen. Also growing fruiting plant indoor, tap the blossom once a while to help with pollination. You do not want to water very often for indoor plants as the soil is slower to dry out. Bottom watering is to prevent splashing dirt into the tomato leaves, also fungus gnats prefer soil surface that is wet. You can cover your soil surface with vermiculite to reduce fungus gnats.
I'm growing mystery tomatoes donated by birds in a bucket containing nothing but small to tiny size gravel. Who would've thunk. Lol. P.S., I'm getting ready to trans plant it into a pot.🌱🍅💚
I'm guessing it's some type of Tomatillo. Those things will come back forever and grow anywhere. Green salsa!
@@nlitenurmind 'Tis the season!
I know it's a habit from childhood but hearing renember instead of remember is funny to me. Never change bro.
I got local cherry tomato seeds thats said to be "relatively indeterminate" so we shall see what that means lol. But this video was perfect timing, I have better footing going into this now!
Good video
Could you give some insights into how you use the alyssum as a companion? Do you just use one or two plants per container or spread the seeds to create a complete ground cover for the container ?
Ooo patio choice yellow! I have the f1 going now, up to about a foot tall
Nice!!
what is that canopy of orange flowers in the background. It is stunning!
I grew some sun golds in 5 gal containers last year that did pretty well. Roots were coming out of the bottom but I was surprised that the rootball wasn’t so big when pulling the plant out. Curious if the growbags were full of roots or not.
I live in South Korea in an apartment with no outdoor balcony/patio, just with a veranda with floor to ceiling windows. I know that you all probably don't do too much indoor gardening, but it'd be really nice if you guys made a video pertaining to indoor gardening for those like me who have no outdoor gardening space! :)
More on this to come
@@epicgardening Can't wait!!
Great update BUT what the heck is that lovely full of flowers behind you and is it winter hardly hi from the UK thanks for your time 👍👍👍
I love watching this channel. My question is could I use sand also for the covering instead of straw
Yes