Topic: potsize for tomatoes

[albion]

Are 8 inch pots big enough for tomatoes?(Alicante, Gardeners Delight and Marmande). or are grow bags better or of course bigger pots. Would appreciate any views. Thanks.

[Amazingrotavator(Derby)]

I think grow bags would be better, a bit more room for roots.I always use them anyway.

[tim]

10l is ok - 14l is better!

[Mrs Gumboot]

Don't manage inch sizes, but I'd second Tim and say 10L is about the minimum.

Mine managed perfectly well in grow bags last year though. Just a bit tricky getting enough depth to get a cane to stand up straight! Ended up tying them to the gas meter which upset the meter man when he came round  ::)

[albion]

wow 10L minimum!!! My 8 inch pots are only 4 litres. thanks but this could prove expensive I was planning on about 15 plants but may have to rethink

[Mrs Gumboot]

4L def too small!! Apart from anything else, they'd be so top heavy you'd never keep them upright  ;D

[manicscousers]

we use the flower buckets(8 for 1.00) from morrisons  ;D

[Dadnlad]

we use the flower buckets(8 for 1.00) from morrisons 

Yep us too  -  for toms and peppers ;D

[Ian Pearson]

It can be worth having one or two plants in much smaller pots - the plants get stressed and produce an early (but small) crop. Once the main batch start cropping you can bin them.
Pulling off some of the lower leaves cuts down on transpiration, meaning you will be more likely to keep up with the watering requirements.

[Jeannine]

5 qallon buckets I find best for the big plants outside, but I used bottomless pots in the greenhouse, I think they were 3 gallon. XX Jeannine

[plainleaf2]

i usually go with 24 in pots with my sungold plants that i plant in pots.

[cleo]

Yep us too  -  for toms and peppers

Me too but I cut the bottoms out and then either plunge into a soil bed or into gravel trays as a variation on ring culture

[albion]

Think I will experiment with 10L up. Interesting post about smaller pots producing early crop of stress induced tomatos. Having a scout around for containers. How big are the Morrison flower buckets please?

[Vinlander]

I cut growbags in half and upend them - better crops from less plants, less frequent watering, less space.

[AndrewB]

I'm going to try a few variations - growbags cut in half, pots sunk in growbags and just pots to see what's best.  Last yr yield from growbags was poor - and they they were tiny.