Growing Heirloom Tomatoes in a Container Garden

These days many people are choosing to grow their own vegetables. Even if you are a city dweller it is possible for you to grow almost anything on just a patio or a balcony in a container garden.

Tomatoes are among the most popular vegetables to eat and to grow. They are also among the easiest. They adapt very well to container gardening.

Heirloom tomatoes are just as easy to grow as newer varieties and more interesting.

Types of Tomatoes

There are two general types of tomato plants, ones that grow like a vine (indeterminate) and ones that grow more like a bush (determinate).

For container gardening, the bush type (determinate) usually are better suited unless you have quite a lot of space.

Most tomatoes plants also need to be staked or caged to keep the plants from drooping and ending up with tomatoes that will rot.

Choosing heirloom tomatoes is a sure way to add variety to your favorite salad.

Growing Silvery Fir Tomato

If you are looking for a moderate-sized tomato the Silvery Fir is an excellent choice. It is a very pretty tomato that grows well in containers since it is a bush tomato.

This heirloom variety comes from Russia and brings with it a slightly tart taste and grows to be about three inches in diameter.

The bushes will be about two feet tall and may need to be staked if they are loaded with tomatoes.

Growing Cherry Tomatoes

One of the best cherry tomatoes to grow doesn’t fit the criteria for being ideal for container gardening because it is a vine rather than a bush but it is popular none the less because of the superior quality of the tomatoes.

They grow easily, taste wonderful and are prolific. Gardener’s Delight will indeed be the delight of your container garden.

You need a three-gallon container per plant. As soon as the last frost has occurred you can plant your seeds or seedlings, it will take approx. 65 days to get your first crop.

Growing Yellow Pear Tomatoes

You will want to add variety to your container garden and what better way than to add a yellow tomato to the mix. Yellow Pear is another of the vine variety of tomatoes that can be a bit of a challenge for a container gardener but the results will impress everyone.

These tomatoes are beautiful, yellow and pear-shaped as their name implies and are a cherry tomato. They grow on a hardy vine that requires a larger pot than the Gardener’s Delight.

Each Yellow Pear plant will need a five gallon pot and a sturdy cage to support the growth. They take a little longer to grow as well, from seed to salad will be approx. 75 days.