Growing Container Tomatoes Espalier Up Courtyard Walls

181_1811 espaliered olive tree
Image by Kate’s Photo Diary via Flickr

“Oh, but I haven’t got enough room”, you might say, but here is a method of growing container tomatoes in very small areas that will be perfect for even the smallest courtyard or patio.  The method I am talking about is ‘espalier’ which means running the tomato plant up and along a trellis and there are several benefits to doing this.  In a courtyard the trellis needs to be against a wall that receives as much sunlight as possible because tomato plants require 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. (The picture is a perfect example of espalier, but with an olive tree.)

The benefits of growing espalier tomatoes.

There really are many reasons for growing tomato plants this way but if the only growing space available is limited then it is the answer to that problem.

Other benefits of growing espalier tomato plants is that when the plant is spread out it does tend to suffer less problem with diseases because the leaves stay dry and it is wet leaves that cause the diseases to flourish.  Also it is much easier to see pests moving around the plant when the branches are spread out.

The warmth from the wall is just loved by the tomato plant and under the right conditions tomatoes grown this way often ripen sooner than those in an open garden.

And the best!   The plants are usually situated near the kitchen and that makes it so much easier to manage them and of course, pick those luscious fruits at the end of the growing season.

Trellis.

A trellis is often used in a garden to support tomato plants, but in the courtyard or patio situation it is ideal because there is less room and the delight of growing your own tomatoes is still possible without taking up too much of the area available.  As well as that, they do look lovely with the bright red fruit hanging on the tomatoe vine.

Preparing to grow container tomatoes.

In preparation to grow espalier tomatoes in small areas there needs to be some steps taken to ensure success:

•    Choose the spot or growing the tomato and ensure that the wall has sufficient sunlight all day, then fix the trellis to the wall
•    Use a pot that has a minimum 18 inch top (12 inch could be used if absolutely necessary)
•    Cover the holes at the bottom of the pot with some very fine mesh to prevent soil loss and place about 2 inches of rocks in the bottom
•    Prepare the soil so that it is the right balance for tomatoes: pH level of 6.0 to 6.8, sufficient calcium levels, add plenty of compost (preferably organic)
•    Plant the tomato in the pot up to the top 4 to 6 leaves (yes, that is right as the stem will grow roots and be a strong plant to support the weight of the tomato tree)
•    As the plant grows spread the branches out and tie them with 2 inch old nylon stocking strips to the trellis (nylon stocking or rag strips do not cut into the stems)
•    Prune the leaves where necessary but try to keep the fruit covered with leaves so that they do not get sunscald

Generally speaking the only difference with growing container tomatoes the espalier style is the way in which the support of the tomato plant is done, otherwise all other tomato growing information is the same.  They will need watering correctly and they will need fertilizing the right way

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