Great Tomatoes Plants Grown in Containers

If you live in an apartment, townhouse or have a large deck it's easy to grow tomatoes in containers to provide delicious tomatoes right outside your door!

1. Start off by picking out your tomato plants and containers. Cherry and patio tomatoes need at least a 3 gallon container, while the larger tomato plants needs a 5-7 gallon container. Make sure the containers have good drainage.
2. Pick up an all around potting soil. You want a potting soil as it isn't too heavy so the soil won't compact to the point extreme hardness.
3. Place rocks or broken ceramic pot pieces to cover the drainage holes.
4. Remove the bottom branches of the tomato plants, the small ones.
5. Fill the container with the potting soil about 3/4 full, place the plant in the container and fill in around the roots and bottom half of the stem. Firm into place.
   
6. Mix a good vegetable fertilizer with water and water the tomato plant well, but do not soak. You will need to fertilize weekly.
7. Water daily as your tomato plants are 95% water and will suffer if not enough water is supplied while growing.

You may need a to use a pest control as there are plenty of insects that love tomatoes! I use a simple "slightly soapy" solution in a spray bottle weekly to keep insects at bay but you can buy an organic or chemical spray.

You can also grow lettuce, beets, beans, zucchini or many other vegetables in containers right on your balcony or patio as long as you feed, water them and have plenty of sunlight!

I would love to hear from you! Drop me a line comments below.

Create a new garden plot

I detest grass!!!

Well.. maybe not grass itself,but cutting grass. Since I do not like to cut grass I prefer to have gardens. To make gardens I have to get rid of the grass! Vicious circle! There is hope though, a technique I heard of a few years ago and it makes creating that new garden in your lawn much easier and without the backbreaking work of removing sod.

Instead you "smother" the grass. Yes I said smother! Simple concept using newspapers, compost and mulch.The reward for smothering grass is a new beautiful plant bed, ready to plant in 60 days.

How to Smother Grass

1. Determine the size and shape of the new bed. Mow the grass in this area to a height of 5 centimeters. Now spread newspaper over the mown grass. (Make sure its newsprint not glossy paper) Wet the newspaper thoroughly to ensure decomposition and do this to each layer as applied to a depth of 2-3 centimeters. You want this soggy.
   
   
2. Cover the soggy mess with blood meal and composted manure. Sprinkle the blood meal over the newspaper and then layer 4 centimeters of manure on top . This retains the moisture and holds down the newspaper.
   
   
3. Finish this by putting on top 5-7 centimeters of a chunky hardwood mulch. This discourages weed growth and holds the bottom layers in place.
   
   
4. Spray the area with water to keep it moist for the next 45-60 days. Do not allow to dry out completely or the decomposition will stop. In about a month and a half Test the garden. use a trowel to cut several small holes in different places. If the newspaper has disappeared and the grass is suffocated ( I do like the sound of that!) it is time to plant.
   
   
5. When planting don't disturb the soil too much. Dig out an area just large enough to slip in a plant and then replace the soil around it.

You now have a beautiful garden with out removing a single blade of grass to do so!