The best tomato for growing on balconies has nothing to do with size
When you’re growing in a small space or containers and pots, often the advice is to add plants that are easier to manage for that size. Some varieties are even developed for growing in these environments so they are smaller and need less support.
But one gardener told nine.com.au that rather than growing tomatoes bred for balconies and courtyards, we should consider another factor that makes the process more fun and exciting.
While there are tomato varieties designed for growing in pots and small spaces, you don’t have to stick to those to get a good harvest. iStockphoto
“I always say go for ones you’re more likely to eat, first and foremost,” Felicity Moody, horticulturist and owner of plant store Wattle & Bee, said.
There are two categories of tomatoes available to gardeners; indeterminate, which require staking and trellises for support, and determinate tomatoes, which don’t grow as big and are well-suited to smaller pots.
Moody said both types can be grown on balconies and in small spaces, you’ll just have to do a little extra work to keep indeterminate tomatoes under control.
“In a small area, determinate tomatoes are great, but indeterminate ones are fine too; it's just a matter of being prepared to get a bit comfortable with your secateurs and cutting them back if they start getting too big.
“You can have fun with the indeterminate ones, the ones that sprawl around. You can build a little trellis for them, and they really don't mind being pruned. So don't be put off if it starts getting too big and unwieldy; just hack it back.
“Yes, you will have fewer tomatoes than you would if you left it to grow, but you're still going to get plenty. Tomatoes are really good at providing bumper crops.”
If you want to stick with determinate tomatoes to have a crop that’s easier to manage, don’t be put off by any negative opinions you might hear about their taste or yield not being as good as indeterminate tomatoes.
“Personally, I don’t think I could really tell the difference. Yes, you are going to have fewer tomatoes because the plant’s smaller, so that makes sense. In terms of flavour, possibly, but I haven’t come across that before,” Moody said.
“Anything homegrown is going to taste better than something that’s been in a fridge for weeks, then on a truck for a few days, and then in the shop for a week. All of that process of the fruit being removed from the plant does take away some of that flavour.
“So if you’re growing something at home, everything you grow at home will 100 per cent will have a stronger flavour [anyway]; that’s one of the many benefits of growing your own.”
Now is the perfect time to grow your own tomatoes whether it’s from seed or seedlings purchased from a nursery or garden store.
But if it ends up being a bit late and your tomatoes don’t ripen in time, Moody said green tomatoes are edible and make great chutney, so you will still be able to enjoy them.
When you do plant your tomato seedlings, Moody recommended burying some of the stem rather than having just the root ball below the potting mix. This helps the tomato grow even more roots to help the plant really thrive.
While a lot of gardeners swear by the trench planting method, where the bottom section of the stem is planted on its side, it’s not the only way to do it.
To grow indeterminate tomatoes on a balcony you’ll just need to add a trellis and prune as needed. Getty Images/iStockphoto
“You can definitely do that, but I find it works just as well if you just dig a deeper hole and plant it a bit lower down. You might have to remove a couple of the lower branches on the plant, but it will be a much happier plant, and it will grow bigger, healthier, and stronger if you bury it deeper,” she said.
The most important care tip to keep in mind when planting in containers is regularly fertilising your plants since they only have the small environment of that pot to get their nutrients from, unlike plants in the ground.
All being well you should have some fruit to eat in about two months from planting your seedlings, or even sooner depending on what variety you’re growing.
“Some of the cherry tomatoes in particular will be ready to harvest faster than, say, a beefsteak tomato or a big tomato plant, which are going to take a little bit longer,” Moody said.
