How Deep Do Containers Need to Be for Tomatoes?

By Erin Marissa Russell

interrogative sentence : I want to grow tomatoes in a container garden . How deep should the container be for cherry tomatoes and full - size of it tomato ? — Allen Y.

ANSWER : The question of how deep the container for your Lycopersicon esculentum should be depends on the size of it of the mature works . It does n’t matter whether a plant produces large slicing tomatoes or cherry tomatoes . To determine how deep its container should be on the recommended spectrum , hold in into the mature size of the plant life .

How Deep Should Containers Be for Tomatoes?

Containers for love apple should be at least between 24 and 36 inches . Miniature , terrace , bush , or dwarf Lycopersicon esculentum works can be planted in container closer to 24 inches , while plants larger than three invertebrate foot tall should be planted in deep containers . Of of course , you may plant love apple in even deep containers without a job .

What Other Guidelines Are There for Container Size When Growing Tomatoes?

There are a few other guidelines out there for the appropriate size of it of tomato for containers that do n’t valuate the container by profoundness . These guideline measure the container by diam or volume . They may be easier to use in some situations , so we ’ve list them below .

Of naturally , if you start tomatoes from cum , you will likely need to use seed - set off tray or another small temporary container while the plants are young . Raise them through the seedling phase in these small container , then when it ’s fourth dimension to transplant the unseasoned Lycopersicon esculentum plants , you could move them to the larger recommended container size .

Some gardeners recommend planting tomatoes in especially wide containers . These nurseryman say it is n’t only the deepness of a container that ’s authoritative when it come to growing tomatoes . Instead , they say that tomatoes have an specially wide geographical zone where their root are growing and will need the surplus breadth to overspread out in a container . For example , a large determinate tomato plant can have rootage that strain up to two base on either side of the plant .

tomatoes growing in container with text overlay tomato gardening how deep do containers need to be for tomatoes

Why Is Container Size So Important for Tomatoes?

Container size is n’t something you could stint on as a gardener . The sizing of the container a plant is spring up in has several different effect .

How Can I Tell If My Tomatoes Need Larger Containers?

If you suspect that the containers you ’re using are too small for your tomato plants , they probably are . There ’s no negative effect that comes from spring up your plant in container larger than they need , so when in dubiousness , we recommend scale up . Some people are able to rise their tomatoes or other plants in containers that are too small most of the fourth dimension without a problem . They may suddenly part seeing problems in seasons when the weather is more utmost as plants come under more climate - relate stress .

If your tomato plant need to be prompt into a container that will harbor more dirt , you may notice some of the effects we talked about in the last section . We ’re talking about evolve blossom end putrefaction , wilting , sucking up pee , or give way little plants with small harvests . You may also be able to see the roots of the flora overlapping themselves in circles around the sides of the Mary Jane or at the bottom . This is a stipulation anticipate a“rootbound ” plantthat means the plant life ’s roots are struggling to detect more soil and more alimentation .

Now you know several road map to aid you find the skilful size container for your Lycopersicon esculentum as well as several planetary house that a love apple plant needs a big container . Just choose container sizes cautiously , scale up when in doubt , and keep ticker for these signal in your garden as your flora grow and their needed container size increases .