Nothing quite beats a freshly picked tomato, whether you’re snacking on a plate of them or using a batch to make a fresh pasta sauce. A relatively easy plant to care for, they’re a popular choice for gardeners looking to grow their own vegetables at home, but you don’t necessarily need a garden in order to get your own home-grown tomatoes.
Sarah Anne, who runs the Instagram account @theplantedbean, has shared a “dummy-proof” method for growing tomatoes at home that only requires a few items you can easily find at your local garden centre. In the caption of the video, the plant enthusiast said: “Growing tomatoes can be super easy and thankfully you don’t actually need a garden to grow them.”
Having a garden doesn’t mean you can’t grow your own vegetables at home, as Sarah demonstrates, many gardeners simply keep tomato plants in pots.
Planting tomatoes in containers is a popular method of growing the plant, and all it requires is getting your hands on a pot or bucket that you can transform into a home for tomatoes.
How to pick the right container for growing tomatoes
For her tomatoes, Sarah uses a five gallon bucket from a DIY shop that measures 30cm. The Royal Horticultural Society advises that the larger the container is, the easier it will be to look after the plants.
After choosing an appropriately-sized pot, Sarah instructs viewers to drill holes into the bottom of it, making sure there’s enough to avoid any root rot. She also adds a tomato cage to help keep the plants propped up.
Where should you keep tomato plants?
While relatively easy to care for, tomatoes should be kept in a sheltered location where they can still get at least six hours of sunlight.
How often do you need to water tomato plants?
Soil needs to be kept moist for tomato plants. The Royal Horticultural Society advises watering regularly, and at least once a day in hot weather when the plants grow larger.