Growing Patio Tomato
in Northeast Florida Vegetable Gardens
No room for tomatoes? Well with ‘Patio’ tomatoes, that is just not possible! Bred for use as container grown tomatoes for patio and porch areas, the Patio tomato is the perfect fit for small spaces. Compact habit, sturdy stems and smaller 3-4 oz fruits make growing Patio tomatoes in just about any location a breeze. Patio tomato is a determinate tomato selection with a maximum height of just two feet tall! Harvest begins about 70 days from planting.
Origins, Foliage, Fruit and Use of Patio Tomato for Northeast Florida vegetable gardens:
Patio tomatoes are a hybrid cross chosen for their compact habit, sturdy stems and high fruit production.
Don’t let the size on this little plant fool you, the yield is still big, producing as much as 50 and more tomato plants in trials. Fruits mature red and are 3-4 oz each.
Use them fresh, in salads and sandwiches or for cooking! Good all around tomato selection.
Planting Season for Patio Tomato in Jacksonville and St. Augustine Florida and the surrounding areas:
Patio tomatoes are considered a warm season crop, they are frost sensitive and should only be planted in frost free months in Northeast Florida vegetable gardens. However, tomato growing season is split into two seasons in Northeast Florida as tomato production will slow to nearly nothing during the hottest summer months of June and July.
Start your tomato plants in February from seed, and February straight through March and April from S & J Nursery transplants. The second growing season for tomato plants in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area garden is August and September, Patio tomato’s can be planted out again in those months and allowed to grow up until the first killing frost.
Sun Exposure for Growing Patio Tomatoes in Northeast Florida Vegetable Gardens:
Plant your Patio tomatoes in a full sun or afternoon sun location for the Jacksonville and St. Augustine area garden. Make sure they will receive a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight for best results.
Soil Preferences for Patio Tomato in the Jacksonville and St. Augustine Florida areas:
Patio tomato plants will do best in the Northeast Florida garden when grown in soils that have been generously amended with compost and cow manure. Be sure to plant into well drained soils and not in an are that will have standing water after a hard rain.
Care of Tomato ‘Patio’ in the Northeast Florida Vegetable Garden:
Watering your Patio Tomato Plants:
Newly planted tomato plants will require watering daily for the first few days to a week after being planted from seed or transplanted from an S & J Nursery container.
Once the tomato plants are established and growing, be sure to keep the soil moist by watering at least twice per week if rainfall is scarce. Container grown tomato plants will need watered 3 to 4 times per week, or every time the top two inches of soil is dry to the touch.
Mulching your Patio Tomato plants:
For maximum growth potential, mulching plants generously, this will help conserve moisture.
Fertilizing Your Patio Tomato plants:
Feed every two to three weeks with an all purpose fertilizer like 6-6-6.
Or for an organic approach, try fertilizing with a mixture of fish emulsions and seaweed (kelp) at one ounce each per gallon of water. Apply semi weekly as a foliar spray.
If your vegetable plants look like they could use a boost, give them a good watering with homemade compost tea as soon as the top few inches of soil around your plant is dry to the touch!
Harvesting Your Patio Tomato in the Northeast Florida Vegetable Garden:
Patio Tomato can be harvested when green and allowed to ripen indoors if needed but best flavor will develop when they are allowed to ripen on the plant and picked when fully red.
Store at room temperature for 2-3 days once picked from the vine. For best results do not refrigerate.