Tomatoes are one of the most commonly grown fruits or vegetables in the United States. As a result, tomato container gardening is growing in popularity. This is especially the case when the only sunny spot a person has is a porch, balcony, patio, or deck. Not only this but the need for smaller scale gardening may be triggered when the only land you have is unsuitable for gardening.

For instance, if your gardening efforts have been thwarted by soil that is full of rocks, by poor, shallow soil that is deficient in nutrients and/or humus, or by an uneven slope that makes the soil too dry on top and too wet at the bottom of the slope, tomato container gardening may be your only option if you have a passion for growing your own tomatoes.
Your First Tomato Container Gardening Project

No matter what climate you live in you may want to prepare some homemade foods such as Chili, Spaghetti, Tacos, salads, or BLTs.

image: woman adding soil to container
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Fortunately, there is a way you can have as many homegrown tomatoes as you like. How?, you may ask. Via tomato container gardening. In short, with tomato container gardening you can have a fresh tomato with a quick flick of your wrist.

All you have to do to start your tomato container gardening project is go to your local grocer and ask for any five-gallon buckets they may not need. Once you have your bucket at home wash it well so there are no pesticides or chemicals that may harm you and your family.

Now that you have your container it is time to put your tomato garden together. You will need to start with a drill and a 1/4 inch drill bit. You need to drill about a dozen holes into the bottom and sides of the container. Once you have drilled the holes you need about seven or eight empty soda cans that you have washed out. Crush these soda cans just a little, then place them in the bottom of the container. The soda cans will occupy some space in the container for easy maneuvering of the roots and for water run off so that you don't over water the tomato plants.

We are now ready to add the soil, making sure to leave a hole about the shape of an ostrich egg in the middle of the container. You are now ready to place the tomato plant in the hole, making sure not to press too hard around the plant so that there is room for the roots to grow. Also keep in mind that when growing tomatoes you need a stake or gardening trellis to help support the tomato plants.

Once the tomato plant and stake are in place you will need a string, zip tie, or twist ties to secure the plant to the stake. Now that you have started your tomato container garden you will need to keep all insects that like tomatoes away from the plant. Some of these bugs are Aphids, mites, white flies and many more.
Your Homemade Tomato Plant Bug Spray

To prevent these pests from harming their tomato plants, some people make up their own bug spray in the following manner. Put one teaspoon of liquid dish soap and one cup vegetable oil in a jar and shake vigorously. You can then place two teaspoons of the mix and one cup of water in a spray bottle and spray each plant once every 10 days.
Tomato Container Gardening: Conclusion

image: tomato and juiceOne way to ensure success in your tomato container gardening is to provide a saucer below each container in order to catch some of the water after you have watered the plant. Obviously, with frequent watering some of the water will drain through the soil and run off. This water loss can be somewhat circumvented, however, by placing a saucer beneath each container. In a word, doing this will result in some water that stays behind and seeps slowly and throughout the soil.

Now that your tomato container gardening project is finished, all you have to do is to place your tomato plant in the sun, water it frequently, spray the leaves every ten days with your bug spray and you will have great tasting tomatoes within a few months.

Copyright 2009 - Denny Soinski. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, and give the author credit.
About the Author

Denny Soinski writes about garden decor, gardening, bronze garden sculptures, water fountains, and outdoor metal sculptures. For more information, please visit http://www.water-fountains-and-garden-decor.com right away!