We went to the local nursery to purchase a tomato plant for our Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planter and ended up purchasing an established larger tomato plant in a container for $30.
Yes, we have plenty of room to grow veggies normally in soil in our yard, but I thought it would be fun to grow a tomato plant on our deck; I just have to remember to water a couple of times weekly. I set an alarm on my iPhone every other morning to remind me!
It’s a very large plant, about 3 feet tall, and it’s exciting because there are already tons of green cherry tomatoes on the plant, and I can’t wait until they are ripe! It came with a wire rack around the plant to keep the plant from drooping, and DH also added a long stake that we will eventually “tie off” if it gets taller.
The label on the plant states that it’s a “husky cherry red” – I googled and it appears it’s a very popular type of tomato – hardy and great for container gardens.
Will it be worth the cost of $30? I don’t know, but I plan on keeping track of how many tomatoes we receive from the plant. If it works out, we’ll buy another one next year, and I could use this pot for a new plant.
We also bought a pepper plant, and will be keeping it on the deck as well.
Being at the nursery gave me so many ideas and inspirations. I am so bad at gardening, but I would love to grow my own veggies again. We’ll see.
UPDATE June 8, 2010: I went to check on the plants, and the tomato plant’s leaves were wilty looking. eeek. I watered, but I hope I am doing this right. I think I might call the nursery today to see if they have any advice for me.
UPDATE: July 5, 2010:
Photo of the tomato plant:
UPDATE: September 23, 2010: What a great season for tomatoes! I kept the plant watered with lots of sun on our back deck, and it rewarded us with hundreds of sweet delicious cherry tomatoes.
Here is one bowlful from the end of July. There was never a shortage of tomatoes on our counter! I would estimate that I’d pick a small bowlful (not always as much as the photo) every 2nd or 3rd day.
Unfortunately, the plant’s leaves were in rough shape by Auguest, with yellow and black leaves. I hope we’ll be able to take care of the plant better next season, with some sort of organic food/fertilizer. We rigged up an irrigation watering system for our weeklong RV/Camping trips, it worked very well, probably too well. It could have over-watered.
Bottomline, it was so worth the initial investment of $30 and I would definitely consider purchasing the same plant again next year. I think I’m spoiled, and might want a few more full sized plants as well. I think we might plant them normally in the yard, but still keep a large pot on the deck like this year.
Note on the Pepper Plant. eh, that didn’t work out so well. We did get a small pepper or two, but it didn’t really make it past mid July. Probably our fault for not taking better care of it!