Expert: nick mccann - 4/2/2008

Question
The only sun left in my backyard is on my deck. I want to grow tomatoes so I thought I would do it with containers. Need size of container soil to use and type of tomatoes

Answer
Hi Paul, the best for containers are called "Husky cherries", but they are just oversized cherry tomatoes, if you want standard tomatoes, "celebrity" does well as does "early girl" stay away from the beefsteaks, they are too large for most containers, albeit any tomato can be grown in a whiskey barrel; use miracle grow soil, and be sure to add a couple of calcium tablets after about 3 weeks, and then one each week thereafter, the reason being, is calcium gets depleted from container soil by being leached out with the constant watering needed to keep the tomatoes viable; what will develop is called "blossom end rot" the tomato forms and then the bottom develops a rotting brown look, and the tomato is ruined, so keep the calcium in the soil by adding it.  When you plant your young tomato, strip all the leaves except the top 4 or 5 and then plant the bare bottom stemmed  part right up to the bottom most leaf, this will ensure a strong root system. That about covers it Paul, any other info, just log in and I'll be glad to help. Nick