How to Grow Tomatoes and Strawberries in Pots? Planting Methods and Things to Note

Growing some or even all of your crops in containers can offer greater flexibility and opportunity. You can grow food in pots where you cannot grow it in the ground; easily move frost-tender plants under cover when it turns cold; or perhaps use containers to make the most of a suntrap courtyard.

1. Strawberries
Let's start with something sweet that is absolutely tempting: juicy strawberries. Who doesn't love the prospect of freshly picked berries, ripened to the most perfect flavor!

As with pots, try growing them in gutters, hanging baskets or purpose-bought strawberry planters. They need a nutrient-rich, moisture-retentive potting soil to truly thrive. For best results, mix some organic fertilizer into the potting soil before planting.

Container-grown strawberries should be able to escape the notice of most slugs, but you may still need to protect the developing fruit from birds. Make sure birds cannot get through whatever netting you use. A mulch of straw or gravel helps keep the fruit clean and the root zone cool and moist.

2. Tomatoes
Grow tomatoes in buckets and pots for a ready supply of flavorful fruit. Like strawberries, they need plenty of nutrients, consistent moisture, and of course sunshine if they are to ripen their fruit to perfection.

All types of tomatoes can be grown in pots, but the more stocky bush types and smaller tumbling varieties are the easiest, as they do not need any pruning or pinching out as they grow. Tumbling tomatoes can even be grown in hanging baskets. Plant a few marigolds with your tomatoes - they will add some color, and their scent is said to help repel aphids. Use a potting mix that contains some added fertilizer, which will help it hold moisture for longer.