Q&A for How to Grow Tomatoes in Pots

Some of the most common signs of overwatering are cracks on the fruit and evidence on the lower leaves like blisters or bumps.

It often depends on several things, like sun, humidity, and the size of the plant. For a large sized plant, during the middle of the season, it would be best to water once or twice per day.

It is best to have full sun for tomatoes. Aim to provide a full 8 hours of sun each day for best results.

I recommend you grow them in large pots. This will make it easier for the roots to get aeration.

A small pot is fine to begin plants in, however you more than likely will have to replant to a larger pot once the plant begins to grow

If you see a dark, rotting spot on the bottom of your tomatoes, it could be blossom-end rot. This problem, caused by a calcium deficiency, can be solved a few ways.

It can mean you are overwatering. Touch the soil before watering to make sure it is not very moist.

If there are too many tomatoes in one area of the plant, it may mean that those tomatoes will face a lack of the nutrients that they need to grow. I suggest cutting some of the tomatoes off to ensure full growth for the rest of the fruit.

Compost it or throw it away.

It depends how big the pot is, but with most pots, no. If the pot is oval and thirty gallons or more you could probably do it but you won't get the most successful yield.

If a blossom is not producing fruit, do not cut it off unless the flower is brown. If the blossom is brown and hasn't produced fruit for more than two months, cut it off.

It generally takes somewhere between 50-90 days from planting to when you'll actually see ripe tomatoes. This process can be sped up slightly by continually exposing your plants to the right amount of sun each day, as heat boosts germination and production.

Suckers are branches, tomatoes or leaves that take nutrients from the tomato plant but do not provide any necessities for the plant (rotting or diseased tomatoes, branches or leaves). You should not pick early flowers off unless the flower is brown or has not produced any fruit for more than two months.

Most gardening or home improvement stores carry a vast array of vegetable fertilizers. Read the packages thoroughly to find one that suits your needs. You can also, sometimes, buy fertilizers online or for in-store pick-up.

Try shaking the cage to try to pollinate the flowers. If possible, move the pot outside so bees and butterflies can pollinate the flowers.

Blossom end rot. The plant needs calcium. You can get that from composted eggshells.

Yes, once you've composted it (meaning let it age for several months). Don't use fresh manure, because it can "burn" plant roots with its ammonia content.

It's possible that your tomatoes didn't receive an adequate amount of sunlight. Or, they might've been over- or underwatered. The next time that you plant tomatoes experiment with varying watering amounts to determine what works the best for your area.

I water my tomatoes in the morning before I go to work, keeping the watering can close to the ground.

Small spikes or bumps on the stem are just the beginnings of roots. The tomato sends these out above ground if the weather has been very humid. They don't do any harm, so you can leave them on the plant.

A tomato flower can turn sterile and fail to fruit if the temperature gets above 30ºC in the day or above 24ºC at night. Put up a shade cloth during hot weather, or just cross your fingers that the weather will cool down in time for your plant to make another attempt. The curling leaves are probably a response to stress (like extreme heat or too little water), especially if they're mostly at the bottom of the plant and "rolling" upward.

Tomato plants need four main things to flower: water, sunlight, the right weather (warm, but not heat wave temperatures), and nutrients. The last one is the only one that can be tricky if you aren't used to it: fertilizers too high in nitrogen can cause the plant to grow leaves instead of flowers. Go for phosphorus-high fertilizer instead.