This is a complete guide to help you choose the appropriate grow bag size for your tomatoes.
Here are key insights based on my experience, books, research papers, and experts!
Contents
What Size Grow Bag For Tomatoes Should You Get?
The freshly grown tomatoes from my garden are the best. It is easy to grow tomatoes with appropriate care.
One of the perfect solutions to grow tomatoes in a limited space is using grow bag.
Why? Because it is portable, reusable, long-lasting, inexpensive, environmentally friendly, and reduces the possibility of pest infestation. Also, it is breathable, provides good drainage, and easy-to-clean.
If you are new to growing tomatoes in a grow bag, it can be confusing to know the ideal size grow bag for your tomatoes.
The minimum required size for growing one tomato plant is 35 to 40 liter or 10 gallons grow bag. It will depend on the variety of the tomato you are planning to grow, location, and watering requirements. You will need 10 gallons of grow bags for determinate tomatoes and 20 gallons of bags for indeterminate varieties.
Now, let us discuss how choose the right grow bag sizes for tomatoes.
Ideal Size For Grow Bags
A minimum of 10 gallons or 35 to 40-liter grow bag is required for growing a tomato plant. It will give you 15 inches (38cm) in diameter and 12 inches (30cm) in depth. It will help in establishing roots and getting the right amount of nutrients.
If you plan to grow more than one tomato plant, you may choose a grow bag between 20 to 30 gallons. It gives a depth of 14 inches.
Take care not to use small grow bags as it may lead to poor water and nutrient intake. It may further lead to lower tomato yield.
Few gardeners, I suggest using a growing ring to provide sufficient growing room. You need to tie them to deck or balcony rails to prevent the tomatoes grown in grow bag from tipped over by the wind.
If you are interested to know how to grow tomatoes in grow bags, you may check this informative video:
Next, let us see the different factors determining the grow bag size.
Factors Determining The Grow Bag Size
The grow bag size depends on the tomato variety, garden soil, the location of placing them, and watering conditions.
Tomato variety
The variety of tomatoes will play a vital role in determining the size of the grow bag. If you are planning to grow a determinate variety, then you could use a smaller grow bag.
5-7 gallons size grow bags can be used for patio dwarf variety, including cherry tomatoes. But, 10 gallons of grow bags are preferable for determinate variety.
An indeterminate variety will need 20 gallons and larger grow bags as they are tall.
Table: Best Grow Bag Size for Various Tomato Varieties
| Variety | Grow Bag size |
|---|---|
| Compact dwarf variety | 5-7 gallons |
| Determinate variety | 10 gallons and more |
| Indeterminate variety | 20 gallons and more |
Location of Plant
The grow bag size will also depend on the preferred location of growing tomatoes.
The plant care, watering, and soil requirements will vary depending on growing tomatoes indoors or outdoors. So, you may choose a grow bag depending on the location.
Watering Requirements
Tomato plants prefer to be moist but not soggy. Your grow bag size may vary according to the watering requirements.
Grow bags smaller than 8 inches may require watering twice or more every day. You may choose a bigger grow bag depending on your tomato variety if you can not water at regular intervals.
Click on this video for more information on grow bags:
Overall, the bigger grow bag is better for your tomato plant, irrespective of the tomato variety.
Summary
We hope this guide was helpful in choosing the right size grow bag for your tomatoes.
If you have any experience with growing tomatoes in grow bags that you want to share, feel free to share it in the comments section below.
Don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family who might find it useful.
Happy Gardening!
