What is the best variety of tomato plant to plant in poor soil?

[Daisy]

The space I have to grow tomatoes is very rocky and I have tried for years to grow them there without much luck. I have even tried growing them in containers and huge plastic tubs and that didn't work very well either. Does anyone know if there is a variety that will grow in poor rocky soil?

 

[headfullofbees]

I don't wish to seem critical, but tomatoes should grow fine in "huge plastic tubs", so it may not be the soil that's the problem.

If you tell us how you grow them, the local climate, your feeding and watering regime, etc. and tell us in what way(s) they fail to do well, perhaps we can come up with a solution which will help.

 

[ChanellG]

My mom is growing a few different varieties of them in large Rubbermaid storage tubs and in hanging baskets and they are all growing just fine. Plants in containers have to fed more often than those planted in the ground - this is something I didn't realize the first time I tried to grow eggplant in buckets. Climate can also be a factor, but I'm sure your local garden center could tell you the best variety for your growing conditions.

 

[Daisy]

I don't wish to seem critical, but tomatoes should grow fine in "huge plastic tubs", so it may not be the soil that's the problem.

If you tell us how you grow them, the local climate, your feeding and watering regime, etc. and tell us in what way(s) they fail to do well, perhaps we can come up with a solution which will help.

No criticism taken and perhaps you may be right.

I think the year that I planted them in the huge plastic tubs, I got the dirt out of my mom's garden because she is the one that gave me the tubs. I can't remember the specifics, as this has been several years ago, but I think I only got a few tomatoes off of the plants and they were small. No, they weren't cherry tomatoes, they were a variety that was supposed to be large, but weren't.

As far as watering them, I watered them whenever they looked dry and I don't think I fed them anything. And how I grew them? I dug a hole in the dirt and set the plants in there. I have successfully grown tomotoes in a garden throughout the years, before I moved here, so I do know the basics. However, the soil at my present location doesn't seem tomato friendly, so I thought there may be a variety that would grow better in these conditions. I may talk to the owner of the feed store and see what he has to say.

 

[ChanellG]

However, the soil at my present location doesn't seem tomato friendly, so I thought there may be a variety that would grow better in these conditions. I may talk to the owner of the feed store and see what he has to say.

Why not talk to someone at the garden center about how you can improve the soil you have? It's a relatively simple process to amend soil and the average garden center has everything there. If the tomatoes were smaller than expected, they probably weren't well fed enough. A lot of gardeners think they already know what to do because of prior success.

 

[zigs]

Don't think there is a variety that will cope with a poor soil, like has been said, they need feeding as they are hungry plants. You could try ring culture, where you put a collar around the stem & fill that with compost. Tomatoes will put out extra roots from the stem, which results in a stronger plant.

 

[zigs]

Rubbermaid.

Not gonna google that one

 

[ChanellG]

Not gonna google that one

You are too twisted!