How to Pot on Tomatoes
When growing cordon tomatoes, the upright variety, as the plant matures, it will need to be " potted on". This means repotting the plant into a slightly larger pot. During the growing season, you may need to do this about 3 times from the small plug plant stage, until the tomato plant reaches a size large enough to go into full size pot or grow bag.
It may be tempting to save time and put the tomato into a larger pot at the beginning, but this is not ideal. If you put a small plant into a large pot or grow bag, it will not thrive. Pot the tomato plant into a slightly larger pot each time increasing the size of the pot by a few centimetres, doing this 2/3 times until planted into its final large growing container.
It is a good idea to plant tomatoes deep, especially if your seedling is a bit on the weedy side. The only exception is in respect of grafted plants. For these plants, it is very important that the graft is above the soil level.
The last pot into which you plant your tomato will be the growing space for the rest of the summer. This means you should select a good sized pot with a diameter of between 20- 30 cm and the larger the better. Grow bags are promoted as a good growing medium for tomatoes. They are convenient, but the problem is the depth of compost is shallow, which is not ideal. In addition, this can cause problems when watering, as the water has a tendency to run off. With time the bag also has a tendency to flatten, increasing the difficulty in watering. A short 2.5 minute video illustrating how to pot on tomatoes.
When potting on a tomato plant is a good time to add a water bottle for effective watering, as per these images.
Step by step guide to tomatoes
How to grow tomatoes from seed and what to do about weedy seedlings
What are the easiest tomatoes to grow? Cordon or Bush?
Hardening off tomatoes for growing outside
Pinching out Side Shoots on tomatoes
Common pest and diseases when growing tomatoes
If you have found these tips helpful, why not buy the book: Success with Tomatoes The Sunday Gardener's guide to growing tomatoes, packed full of practical tips and helpful images, everything you need to know to grow a tasty crop. Only £6.20
If you have found these tips helpful, why not buy the book: click here for details Success with Tomatoes The Sunday Gardener's guide to growing tomatoes, packed full of practical tips and helpful images, everything you need to know to grow a tasty crop. Was £6.20 now £4.20 plus postage UK only.
