How to grow tomato plants in containers

The one good thing about the big shut down a few years back is that so many people are more interested in growing their own food! Since a large number of people live in apartments or just don't have a yard to plant in, container gardening has become a way they can still grow some of their own food...even with limited space!

If you would like to grow some of your own food in containers then tomatoes are the perfect plant to start with. As long as you have sunlight, tomatoes can be grown anywhere. Growing tomatoes in containers is not limited to people with a lack of gardening space though. Plenty of home gardeners grow their vegetables in containers, even when they have free space in the backyard.

There are many reasons for container gardening, but we grow tomatoes in containers mostly for convenience, control, and flexibility. Also if you have a problem with deer in your garden, putting your plants on your porch in containers can circumvent that! Not many deer are comfortable walking up onto your porch! Nor are rabbits which can really damage a traditional garden! 

Growing tomatoes in containers is not too different from growing tomatoes in the outdoor soil. Like planting in the ground, it's best to raise young tomato seedlings carefully indoors until they're strong enough for transplant. This gives them a few extra weeks to grow instead of waiting to plant seeds when the soil is warm enough.

Vegetables That Grow Well In Partial Sun

My garden is mostly in full sun, but because it's situated approximately 20' from the edge of the woods, it takes awhile for the sun to get to it in the morning. 11 am to be exact. The definition of full sun is at least 6 hours of direct sun per day, partial sun is 4-6 hours of direct sun per day, partial shade is about 1-4 hours of direct sun that isn't the hot afternoon sun.

From the second the sun comes over the trees, till about 7 pm in summer, the garden gets sun.

That should be all there is to it, but because of plant placing there are a few areas that don't get as much sun as others. For instance, since my tomato plants grow to be about 4' tall, anything planted behind them doesn't get as much sun. Asparagus creates the same problem. 

When planning my garden I need to take this into account.

We talked about figuring out how much sun your garden gets in How to Make a Sun Map for your Garden. If this is your first time gardening in your location (or you're moving the garden plot) you'll want to make a sun map first. If you've been using that spot for a few years you're probably familiar with the way the sun moves across your property during the growing season.

Knowing which parts of your garden has less sun, or which plants will block the sun once they're full grown is essential to planning a garden where all your plants get the correct amount of sunlight for optimal growth! 

How to start seeds cheaply

Lots of people are looking to start a garden this year! I can totally understand that, especially with the way food prices are. Unfortunately because food prices are up people don't have a lot of extra money to spend on a garden. It's a real catch 22 isn't it? Don't worry, you're in the right place! I love to talk about frugal gardening and seed starting is no different. 

Over the years I've come up with lots if ways to save money on seed starting supplies and today I'd like to talk about them. I'm going to do a mini round up here with a bunch of the posts that I've already written on parts of this topic and I'm going to round it out with some new ideas, so let's get started on how to start seeds cheaply!

How to use Arnica

Earlier this year I had surgery. I was lucky to get a doctor that believes in supporting modern medicine with natural methods. She prescribed arnica and pineapple as ways to support my body as it was healing. I have used arnica for years, but had never thought to use it after a major medical event like this.

Mostly I use arnica for bruising. I have a cream made with arnica and I have some homeopathic tablets and I would use one or both to help myself heal from bruising or muscle strain. 

My stepdad had a really bad injury on his arm a few years ago and I decided to get him some arnica cream to help it clear up more quickly, so I looked online and I found that there is a whole line of arnica products and these are now sold in every major grocery store! 

I find that absolutely amazing because the last time I had to buy it, I had to go to a specialty herbal shop because I couldn't find it anywhere else.

How to make a corn heat bag

Today I'm going to put together a simple tutorial on how to make a corn heat bag. I have several of these in different sizes and they are amazing used hot or cold for basically any injury you might have. I've had my original one for over 20 years and other than the fabric getting kinda dingy, it still works great!

I've made several more since that original one and I keep a smaller one in the freezer and the larger ones just in the cupboard to warm up when needed. Depending where you're at in an injury, you could use hot or cold, so I like to have a few ready. I swear I get hurt more living on a farm than any other time of my life! But I digress...

Let's talk heat packs!