Cathy Isom reviews the different varieties, as well as gives you tips for growing tomatoes in hanging baskets. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Having your own freshly-picked homegrown tomatoes can still be done even if your short on space, like a small garden or even a balcony. That’s because tomatoes will happily grow in hanging baskets. Additionally, growing hanging tomatoes is also a great way to improve air circulation, giving you healthier plants that are less likely to succumb to pests and diseases.
Some of the best suited tomato varieties for hanging baskets include: Tumbler, a classic, sweet cherry tomato that’s known for its trailing habit. Hundreds and Thousands: a highly productive cherry tomato with a bushy appearance. Tumbling Tom: This heavy cropping variety produces lots of sweet cherry tomatoes in both yellow and red. Other heavy-cropping varieties include: Maskotka, Cherry Cascade, and Balcony Red. Balcony Red isn’t a trailing type, rather a compact, cherry bush tomato that also thrives in pots and window boxes.
When it comes to selecting a hanging basket, the bigger the basket the better. This all depends on how much space you have available, of course. For most people’s needs, a 12- or 14-inch hanging basket will be fine.
Most of the varieties we’ve mentioned will happily grow in small or medium-sized pots or baskets. Just try not to overcrowd the container when you plant it up. Overcrowded baskets can stunt root growth, so the plants won’t grow to their full size and will produce less fruit.
I’m Cathy Isom…
