Container tomatoes is not a special variety of tomato. As the name implies, it is about growing tomatoes inside a container! These tomato containers can be either made from buckets, tins, barrels, tubs, or any other material of sufficient size. Some gardeners will use permanent containers such as large decorative flower pots for early season tomato growing and then for flowers later in the season.

There are certain important things that you have to remember if you are planning to have a container garden:

The types of plant:
There are many different kinds of tomato plants and care should be taken to insure that the size and the length of growing season is considered. Although any tomato plant variety can be planted in a container, there are actually varieties of tomato plants that have been bred for this purpose. These plants have smaller tomatoes, and shorter, stonger vines with a small root ball. Also consider small tomato varieties such as the many cherry tomatoes. They are available in all sizes and colors.

Fertilizer and soil:
The advantage of growing tomato plants in a container is that the plant can grow in a contained environment. The plant has adequate space to grow as the container is sized just for the plant. It does not need to compete for nutrients with other plants.  Remember that the size of your "garden" is  limited by the size of your container. Plant only enough seeds or tomato plants that can survive once mature with the alloted space. NOTE: As it is common that some of your seedlings or plants will die; plant more than you will need and as they mature "weed" out the less desireables.

Using stakes:
If select a standard size tomato plant to put in your container, i.e. Beef Steak, Mighty Max, etc., then be prepared to place a wire mesh or stakes in the container to support the weight of your mature tomatoes. A piece of half inch wire mesh, dowels, or nylon netting works well. As you plants grow you can carefully place the vines on these support apparatus so the vines are not damaged and the tomatoes receive plenty of sun light.

Watering:
The amount of water necessary for a tomato plant in a container will be much less than one planted in the soil. The reason is that the container is going to retain much more of the water, and have much less evaporation than a soil planted tomato. Realize that your container tomato will receive less wind and sunlight, each of which dries the vines and the soil, than a tomato plant in the garden.

Other care:
Tomato plants are very delicate plants that respond to any changes in their environment. Wind, rain, heat, fertilizer, too wet, too dry, lack of nutrients and too much fertilizer. Having said this, tomato plants are very hardy plants and can survive in all types of soil. BUT, your goal is to have large, healthy ripe tomatoes for your salad bowl. In order to be successful with tomatoes they require attention and a consistent environment in which to produce those tomatoes for you. Enjoy your garden.