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General discussion regarding the techniques and methods used to successfully grow tomato plants in containers.

 
 
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Old June 17, 2018   #1
AlittleSalt
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Default A Fall Container Garden - Ideas?

The fall garden is going to be in containers, so this is the place to put this thread.

The Summer solstice is next Thursday June 21, and it's already time for me to think about a fall garden. I planted 12 tomato plants in 5 gallon buckets in spring, so I know they can and do grow well in them. How well? 3.5' or 42" (106cm) spacing is too close together, and rows 4.5' or 55" (1.3716m) apart is too close. I know that I could have trimmed the plants, but I needed to see how well they could grow in containers. Besides, my wife likes seeing huge tomato plants, and I like making my wife happy.

It's time for me to think about spacing. The garden is 14' x 17' (4.2672m x 5.1816m) There are 4 rows, so the tomato plants can be planted in rows farthest apart - that makes it much easier to plan out. The way they are planted now has 5 tomato plants in the 14' rows. I want to space them farther apart growing 4 tomato plants per 14' row. That means spacing is basically 55" apart or 4.5' (1.3716m). All of that adds up to growing 8 tomato plants in total which are plenty of tomatoes for a family of 11 (That includes the neighbors). Those 8 tomato plants will take up two of the four rows.

For now, I need to figure out which varieties of tomatoes to start seeds for. I would like to start the tomato seeds on the summer solstice (Thursday June 21) outside in dappled shade. I have done this several times before. The tomato seedlings grow up in the conditions they will be planted in as I start moving the solo cup stage tomato plants more into the full sun as time goes by.

If any of you are interested, I would like your ideas and thoughts on tomato varieties. At least 4 varieties have to be cherry tomatoes and I don't want to grow Sungold.

Limiting factors: 85+ DTM varieties may not have time before first frost in November.
It needs to be seeds I already have. I don't want to type the varieties I have because it would take about 3 days to type them all

1. Porter
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

That covers tomatoes. Now, what to grow in the remaining 2 rows. I have read many times about greens tasting better when grown in fall, but what else? Ideas and thoughts are welcome

I am fully into container gardening. It took this spring (My first container growing experience) to see it and understand it more. I have a lot of learning to do, and doing it is the only way to experience it. I am not afraid of failing, but I would rather grow successfully.

Tomorrow, Monday June 18, I'm supposed to get a package containing 12.5 lbs. 4-18-38 / 15.5-0-0 Calcium Nitrate / Magnesium Sulfate mix. That's what I'll be using to water the fall garden.

Last edited by AlittleSalt; June 17, 2018 at 01:03 PM. Reason: More info
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