Food-Gardening Lessons From A Wartime Victory Garden

My Tomato Containers are Not Producing

“I have tomatoes in pots on my deck but they haven’t bloomed. The plants are beautiful. I water frequently. I used Miracle Grow potting soil. The tomatoes in the garden are fruiting. I live in Texas, it’s very hot this year.Where did I go wrong? Question from Donna of Cross Plains, Texas


Answer:  Tomato containers are always more demanding. These veggies are heavy feeders and drinkers, so they need large containers with plenty of space, everyday water and diligent feeding, which it sounds like you are providing. So, high heat is most certainly the problem. Most tomatoes are sensitive to temperatures above 95 degrees and many varieties stop producing when days ans nights remain too hot. This is especially the case with container-grown tomatoes because their roots are more exposed to ambient heat.

Water and feed your tomatoes well, place them under shade during the hottest time of day and they should perk up once temperatures cool down. You also might consider planting them in the ground and see if they come around. Tell me how they do!

We also recommend a soil with high water-holding capacity, like Black Gold All Purpose Potting Mix, which feeds plants for up to 6 months! We also encourage you watch our video about how to grow great tomatoes in containers (below)!

Happy Gardening, Jessie

 

About JESSIE KEITH

Plants are the lens Jessie views the world through because they’re all-sustaining. (“They feed, clothe, house and heal us. They produce the air we breathe and even make us smell pretty.”) She’s a garden writer and photographer with degrees in both horticulture and plant biology from Purdue and Michigan State Universities. Her degrees were bolstered by internships at Longwood Gardens and the American Horticultural Society. She has since worked for many horticultural institutions and companies and now manages communications for Sun Gro Horticulture, the parent company of Black Gold. Her joy is sharing all things green and lovely with her two daughters.

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