How deep does a container have to be for tomato plants?

I have containers that probably aren't more than 8-10 inches deep. Is that deep enough to plant a tomato plant in?


I'm not really sure, but I think that might be a bit too short for the tomato roots to give the plants a good foundation. But you can always start with those containers and transplant later if the plants don't seem to be thriving. Make sure they have good support, because as they grow tall, that short container will be likely to topple over. Maybe cages secured to a deck railing or something similar?


Wouldn't be deep enough to drive a supporting stake once they get big. I'd think 24" would be a minimum.


Maybe 18" if you staked from outside or supported with a trellis...


They have those tomato "bags" that hang upside down, so I have to believe there's enough dirt in 8"-10" to provide good nutrition, so I think the staking is the main issue. Tomatoes get awfully tall and floppy.


Most vegetables have pretty shallow roots, so it is less important how deep  the pot is, but rather how wide. I have grown smaller heirlooms in 12 inch pots about 6 inches deep, they are not as leggy as some of the other types. And if you pinch some leaf buds at the top of the plant, they tend to branch out, instead of up.


I've grown tomatoes in the past in a raised garden bed that was less than 10" deep. They did fine.



PeggyC said:

They have those tomato "bags" that hang upside down, so I have to believe there's enough dirt in 8"-10" to provide good nutrition, so I think the staking is the main issue. Tomatoes get awfully tall and floppy.

 I tried these bags the second year I lived here (in an attempt to thwart the tree rats and bunnies) and the load of the tomatoes tore the bags apart mid-season.  They went back into the ground after that!  LOL!



spontaneous said:

I've grown tomatoes in the past in a raised garden bed that was less than 10" deep. They did fine.

 My raised beds are 12" and my tomato plants did fine.  I won't have these raised beds in the new house, so next summer I will attempt the tomato pails they sell in Gardening Supply Company that I'll keep on my patio.


We have raised beds we want to set out in the yard at the new house, but we haven't done it yet. Because of getting ready to move, we will do our growing this year from plants, not seeds. But we might not even get to that point in time.



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