It is no longer that unusual to cultivate tomato plants on the balcony or terrace. Not only to increase the harvest, but also to be able to grow vegetables when you only have a small garden or even no garden at all. And instead of growing in the normal pots, you can also grow tomatoes in a planting bag. How does it work and what are the advantages compared to the pot?
Potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes – they can all be planted in the plant bag and will feel right at home there. But in order for the whole thing to really work, you should pay attention to a few things.
What does the plant bag represent?
It is a non-woven bag that is now available in a wide variety of designs. The fabric used ensures that the bag can breathe, so to speak. This breathable property effectively prevents waterlogging, which would be very damaging to the tomato plants.
At the same time, this also means that watering should always be done regularly. Because better ventilation also means faster drying out of the tomatoes in the planting bag.
Tipp:When watering, the water runs out the sides and bottom due to the water permeability. Consider this when choosing the location and, if necessary, place it on a surface.
What does the bag for tomato plants need to contain?
In principle, the only thing that should be right is the size of the tomatoes in the planting bag. There shouldn't be a lack of soil because these vegetable plants grow quickly and need lots of nutrients and moisture. For this reason, the size should not be too small.
- About 15 liters are recommended per plant so that it can thrive.
- Larger varieties, such as bush tomatoes, need more space. Here you should get about 20 liters.
Which species are suitable for the type of cultivation?
We have good news: If you want to grow tomatoes in a bag, in principle all types of tomatoes are suitable. Nevertheless, when growing in containers, most people choose bush tomatoes or vine tomatoes because they are not availablehave to look out, so you can also choose these for the plant bag. Small types of tomatoes, such as the cherry tomato, are also ideal. Then, if necessary, even a smaller bag can be used.
You can choose these varieties, for example:
- ‘Bajaja’
- 'Lizzano
- ‘Primabell’
- 'Little Red Riding Hood'
Growing tomatoes in a planting bag – this is how you plant them
It is also important that the soil used is nutrient-rich so that the young plant is immediately provided with everything it needs. Which earth is forTomatoes in the bucketmost suitable? Special vegetable soil is available in stores for this purpose, which is ideal.
If you want, you can also mix your vegetable soil yourself. To do this, use equal parts compost, normal garden soil and coarser sand. The sand is intended to make the substrate more permeable and prevent clumping and waterlogging.
So once you have got the bag, plant and soil, you can get started:
- Fill the bag with soil. However, leave a good distance to the edge so that when watering the water does not immediately run out but remains in the container until it has seeped in. Ultimately, the first leaves should be above the bag (keep in mind that you may remove some of the first leaf shoots).
- Now you can plant the plant bag. You should now be able to easily dig a hole in the loose soil and the flexibility of the bag into which to place the root ball. The plant should be deep enough to surround part of the main stem with soil. This allows it to develop additional roots there, which makes it stronger.
- Now remove the first few leaf shoots. This is also an advantage because you don't risk wetting the leaves when watering, which can lead to disease.
- Finally, add a trellis to support the tomatoes as they grow.
How to care for tomatoes in the planting bag
- Location
Since tomatoes don't particularly like rain, the tomatoes are best protected in the planting bag. This could be a roof overhang or a custom-made tomato house. Make sure that the plant does not lack sunlight, as this has a strong negative impact on fruit production.
- Fertilize
After about 6 weeks the nutrients are pretty much used up. Then it's time to fertilize for the first time after planting. From now on you should repeat this regularly. Liquid fertilizer, which you administer with the irrigation water, is optimal.
- Pour
Not only in the garden bed and container, but also tomatoes in the planting bag need plenty of water, especially during the heat of summer. So don't neglect this. Daily watering is a must if you want to harvest juicy, aromatic fruits.
As already mentioned, be careful not to wet the leaves when watering to avoid fungal diseases.
Also important:When to plant tomatoes in 2024: Favorable dates for gardening
