How do you grow tomatoes in pots?

Even if you don't have room for an entire garden, you can still grow tomatoes in pots. In order to succeed at this project, purchase pots of the right size, place the pots in the right location, plant the tomatoes correctly and care for the plants with water and food.

1. Purchase pots

   Purchase pots that are big enough for the plants. A container holding a single tomato plant needs to be at least 1 square foot, although 5 gallon buckets are preferable.

2. Place the pots in the right location

   Place the pots in a location that gets plenty of sunlight. Tomatoes need at least 6 hours of full sun a day, with 8 hours or more being optimal. Keep the plants from too much wind and out of cold weather.

3. Plant the tomatoes

   Plant the tomatoes deeply. Dig a hole deep enough that nearly the entire plant is covered by soil. Place the plant inside the hole and cover it with soil. If the pot isn't deep enough, plant the it sideways.

4. Care for the plants

   Care for the plants by watering them and feeding them regularly. Give the plants a good amount of water on a consistent basis. Make sure the soil is moist at all times without being wet. Overwatering the plants causes root rot. Feed your tomatoes with slow release fertilizer.