Moneymakers are an indeterminate variety, wg, meaning they will keep on growing and producing fruit during the season. They can reach 6' or more unless you nip out the growing tips. For indeterminates, as a rule of thumb, the bigger the pot the better to let them reach their full potential.
Given that, you also have to factor in your available space, including access to sunlight for as long as possible during the day, and how many plants you want.
Once you get into pots below 30cm (in diameter) you start to compromise their potential. But, as I say, you are ultimately at the mercy of the available space.
One important thing, though. The plants will need to be staked and tied up to the stakes. Stakes in pots can be a problem if the pot isn't deep enough to give the stake decent stability. A strong wind can tip everything over.
You wouldn't want a pot shallower than 30cm with a proper stake in it. There's not enough soil to support it.
With toms in general it's a good idea to have as much space between the plants as possible. It aids air circulation which is a help against fungal diseases. Fungal spores love lots of foliage crammed up together. Keeping the air moving keeps the spores moving. As a rule of thumb, 3 feet is about the minimum distance you'd want between plants. More if possible.
3ft? so in a 6 ft x 4 ft green house you'd grow 4 plants? Yes in an ideal world, we all would have a 3ft spacing, but we actually live in the REAL world, I have a 12' x 10' greenhouse, I grow 12 indeterminates stright down the middle in 14" pots, I then grow cuc's on back wall, and tumbling toms down the sides.. I do have great ventilation, 2 auto louvre, either side, and 4 top windows also auto, I bought and built this way purely for this ventilation, I live on the side of a hill and catch the breeze. Touchwood, never had blight, whitefly or any other problem. My greenhouse is situated in my back garden, far away from veg crops so maybe this helps too?
Italophile, I don't have any fans in my setup, however telling people a spacing of 3 foot or greater is going to freak most newbies out.
BB, sounds like you've got great ventilation - including that breeze - so that gives you a huge head start.
Yes, around 3' between plantings is the acknowledged preferred minimum. And, yes, it's in an ideal world. Obviously not everyone can achieve it. As I said to windowgardener further up the page, you are ultimately dictated to by your circumstances.
Unless you spray against fungal diseases, air circulation is your best means of minimising the chances of fungal diseases. Plant spacing is only one of the numerous bits of housekeeping you can practise.
Others include keeping the foliage as dry as possible, nipping off excess branches and foliage to avoid impenetrable clumps forming and hindering air circulation, and maintaining a gap between the lowest foliage and the soil. Fungal spores can and will fall from the foliage to the soil and be splashed back up again during watering. The gap helps against this.
Ultimately, the closer you plant the toms together, the more care you need to take.
Me too Verd. I don't grow many as I don't have the room here but I've had good success in previous years in a conservatory and a porch. This year is the first time I've grown from seed too and they are coming on really well. The extra info here has been a real benefit. Conditions vary throughout the country too- I wouldn't try having any outside in Scotland without protection!
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I can confess to being a bit of a clean freak too, I religously scrub the inside from top to bottom every spring, my GH is also North South and the back wall is actually not glass, it's attached to the end of my summerhouse. The floor is gravel, perhaps because of the lack of soil (the pea gravel is about 4" thick), I don't have the humid conditions for fungus to enjoy? I do damp the floor down on particularly hot days, but as I say I'm either exceptionally fortunate, or my system is particularly efficient. Many tips on here from you Italophile, I'm sorry if I came across as rude, wasn't intended.
my plants are currently covered by old drinks bottles to try and make a mini greenhouse for them. but now reading about fungal infections im worried that this was a bad idea?
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Moneymakers are an indeterminate variety, wg, meaning they will keep on growing and producing fruit during the season. They can reach 6' or more unless you nip out the growing tips. For indeterminates, as a rule of thumb, the bigger the pot the better to let them reach their full potential.
Given that, you also have to factor in your available space, including access to sunlight for as long as possible during the day, and how many plants you want.
Once you get into pots below 30cm (in diameter) you start to compromise their potential. But, as I say, you are ultimately at the mercy of the available space.
One important thing, though. The plants will need to be staked and tied up to the stakes. Stakes in pots can be a problem if the pot isn't deep enough to give the stake decent stability. A strong wind can tip everything over.
i think i will have to chuck a few plants out!
so deeper than 30cm? do they need to be spaced out any certain distance? i have a big long rectanglar pot so i could put a few in that.
You wouldn't want a pot shallower than 30cm with a proper stake in it. There's not enough soil to support it.
With toms in general it's a good idea to have as much space between the plants as possible. It aids air circulation which is a help against fungal diseases. Fungal spores love lots of foliage crammed up together. Keeping the air moving keeps the spores moving. As a rule of thumb, 3 feet is about the minimum distance you'd want between plants. More if possible.
...lots of good information on this thread... I'm afraid I break all those rules Italophile...
3ft? so in a 6 ft x 4 ft green house you'd grow 4 plants? Yes in an ideal world, we all would have a 3ft spacing, but we actually live in the REAL world, I have a 12' x 10' greenhouse, I grow 12 indeterminates stright down the middle in 14" pots, I then grow cuc's on back wall, and tumbling toms down the sides.. I do have great ventilation, 2 auto louvre, either side, and 4 top windows also auto, I bought and built this way purely for this ventilation, I live on the side of a hill and catch the breeze. Touchwood, never had blight, whitefly or any other problem. My greenhouse is situated in my back garden, far away from veg crops so maybe this helps too?
Italophile, I don't have any fans in my setup, however telling people a spacing of 3 foot or greater is going to freak most newbies out.
BB, sounds like you've got great ventilation - including that breeze - so that gives you a huge head start.
Yes, around 3' between plantings is the acknowledged preferred minimum. And, yes, it's in an ideal world. Obviously not everyone can achieve it. As I said to windowgardener further up the page, you are ultimately dictated to by your circumstances.
Unless you spray against fungal diseases, air circulation is your best means of minimising the chances of fungal diseases. Plant spacing is only one of the numerous bits of housekeeping you can practise.
Others include keeping the foliage as dry as possible, nipping off excess branches and foliage to avoid impenetrable clumps forming and hindering air circulation, and maintaining a gap between the lowest foliage and the soil. Fungal spores can and will fall from the foliage to the soil and be splashed back up again during watering. The gap helps against this.
Ultimately, the closer you plant the toms together, the more care you need to take.
Me too Verd. I don't grow many as I don't have the room here but I've had good success in previous years in a conservatory and a porch. This year is the first time I've grown from seed too and they are coming on really well. The extra info here has been a real benefit. Conditions vary throughout the country too- I wouldn't try having any outside in Scotland without protection!
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I can confess to being a bit of a clean freak too, I religously scrub the inside from top to bottom every spring, my GH is also North South and the back wall is actually not glass, it's attached to the end of my summerhouse. The floor is gravel, perhaps because of the lack of soil (the pea gravel is about 4" thick), I don't have the humid conditions for fungus to enjoy? I do damp the floor down on particularly hot days, but as I say I'm either exceptionally fortunate, or my system is particularly efficient. Many tips on here from you Italophile, I'm sorry if I came across as rude, wasn't intended.
my plants are currently covered by old drinks bottles to try and make a mini greenhouse for them. but now reading about fungal infections im worried that this was a bad idea?