to start off with I'm growing, it in a mix of regular potting soil and miracle grow. like i said the plants a indetererminant heirloom variety called "Cherokee Purple".

i got it as a sapling i guess from the nursery 20 days ago and after planting it looked like this.

after 12 days it grew to this.

now I've been watering it lightly everyday since the soil always seamed dry when i would check it. but fro the past five days or so its been raining, occasionally but there was always a shower at-least once a day. so in fear of over watering i left it alone. now i come back on day 20 and it looks like this.


with the bottom few branches sagging as if there wilting. again I'm new to this and don't know if this is a problem or not. i seek you help on this and anything else you can tell me about growing tomatoes. thank you in advance for the help.

That said, my guess is that you might be over-watering the plant. The few tomatoes I do grow in containers I am watering like once a week at most.

I know you said the soil seemed dry, but has the plant ever seemed in distress? Also, how big is your container?

You are growing an indeterminate variety. The only branches it will ever have are what are called "suckers." If you remove them, you will remove the vast majority of the plant's potential for fruit.

Some people will tell you suckers steal the plant's vitality. Not true.

Some will tell you suckers don't bear fruit. Not true.

Some will tell you the fruit will be smaller if you leave the suckers in place. Perhaps a bit smaller -- but you will have much more fruit.

If you prune to one stem, you are placing all your eggs in one basket. If anything happens to that one stem, no tomatoes! And plenty of things can happen: accidents, hornworms, hungry wildlife, hail, vine borers, kids being kids, domestic animals being domestic animals....

If you prune to one stem, there will be fewer leaves to shade your fruit and protect them from getting sunscald (sunburned bad spots).

There is only one reason to prune a tomato, and that is lack of space.

You have an indeterminate which wants to be a large plant. It's currently in a rather small pot for an indeterminate (ideally it should be 10 gallons at the minimum). If you want to know the exact size, measure the inside of the pot and calculate how many cubic inches there are. Then divide that by 231, and you'll have the size in gallons.

So you may want to prune a bit because of the size of the pot. Or repot it into a larger pot.

Something else you need to consider is how you're going to support the plant. Cherokee Purple usually grows to at least 5-6' tall; the fruit are usually in the 1/2 - 1 lb. range.

Whatever you decide, have fun!

===

That said, there are only three things that grow from the main stem. The first two are leaves (which are compound leaves and have their own stem, called a petiole) and blossoms (which grow in a group called a cluster which share a single stem; different varieties have clusters of different sizes). The third thing that grows from the main stem is the sucker or branch, which grows in the angle between a leaf and the main stem.

IIRC, indeterminates put out three leaves, then a cluster of blossoms, and this pattern is repeated.

It would help to answer ? if you posted a growing zone- as there maybe more than one zone in New Jersey. But anyway, for Cherokee Purple I would be growing in the garden - but a 14 gal. container or grow-bag could be ok. Typically 72 qts. of soil, (weight varies). You should prune the bottom branches as already mentioned, and if you mulch the soil there is less chance of soil splashing. - RS

Four different zones in NJ.

This small tomato plant bottom left of picture was on May 4th when it was about 18-20 days old, was same size as yours when you planted it. It is a Better Boy Bush tomato.

Here it is today after another 34 days.

As a "Bush" tomato it is only supposed to get 36-40" tall, and it is over 48" after 53 days, was about 3" tall when planted.
I counted 32 small tomatoes on it yesterday, largest about the size of a silver dollar currently.

To me even for a Bush tomato the container should be at least 20-24" across the top, at least 15 gallons. Preferably larger for an Indeterminate that grows 8+ feet.
Should drain like your kitchen sink.

I keep my soil Ph between 6-7.

Fertilize every 9-14 days with MG Tomato.

Your's looks like it might very well be too wet and not enough sun. Check your drainage, you should be able to flood that top few inches of pot with water and have it drain right out like you pulled the plug in a bathtub.
The plant isn't showing any signs of disease, so probably water/weather related. How cold has been in NJ lately?

In my mind, if you don't prune them, then you either must use a florida weave style of staking, or some kind of cage. Just this evening I was fixing my watering problem with some stuff from ace hardware, and when I was in the store, I saw a guy with half a dozen of those funnel shaped dinky wire tomato cages that were only about 2 feet tall once put in the ground. Those would be good pepper cages, now that I think about it! But each time I see those I hear this voice in my head that says "insufficient"

I would probably carefully dig the plant up, being as careful as possible to not disturb the roots.
Cut off many of those bottom leaves, add enough potting mix & compost/manure to fill that pot close to the top then replant it DEEP so the trunk is buried past where you cut the leaves off.
That will give you a larger root system and an extra gallon or so of soil. Water it in with MG Tomato or similar fertilizer.
Then make sure you have several holes in the bottom so it drains really well and add what ever mulch you like on top.

i do have some five foot length of chicken wire left over from a fence i put up could i use that as a cage?

i think I'll try digging it up and use that time to test the drainage and add more soil and mulch and stuff. as for how cold its been. it got a little cold the other day but mostly its been warm. i don't know exactly how but generally warm.

Rocks are not really necessary, I don't have any in any of my pots, all it does is take up soil space.
I have about a dozen holes in each pot and virtually no soil washes out.
Chicken wire is a bit tight weave for Tomato plants I think. you kinda need something where the plant can grow "through" easily.
A good cheap cage can be made from flat wire mesh, I think it is called "Concrete remesh wire".
Here is a video how to make in the link.

My deck is kinda the same, tall trees all around, deck is about 20+ feet off the ground.
But still manages to get decent sun.

The USDA hardiness zones measure the lowest likely winter temps: in your case (and mine), 0-5 degrees Fahrenheit. So it's a good measure of what will survive our winters. That's not so applicable to tomatoes!

But it also gives an indication of when spring planting can probably begin, where people might live, and what the summer temps might be.

Now granted, if the canopy is full then obviously you wont get any benefit. However, if there are gaps where light filters through, then that counts for something.

In my case, I only get 4 hours of direct sun. However, I also get about 3 hours of moderately filtered light, and I am averaging over 10 tomatoes on each plant thus far. Good luck to you.

now on to the topic of feeding what should i give it. i know some people said m grow tomato should i use that. also I'm growing eggplants too, i know this isn't the place for those but if i get the M grow tomatoes can i also use it on my eggplants or is it just formulated for tomatoes?

Rocks in the bottom of a pot are a BAD thing so you actually did good in leaving them out.

Container grown plants don't need drainage substrate in the bottom, and in fact, don't want it. In every growing medium, in the ground, and in potted plantings, there is a level at which the soil's "wicking" ability to suck water upward (think about a paper towel dipped in water) balances the downward gravitational pull. This is called the perched water table. Below the perched water table, the soil is saturated with water, which can suffocate plant roots and encourage root rot. Above this level is usable soil. By adding a gravel substrate, instead of increasing drainage, you're actually moving the perched water table UP in the container, so the plant has even less room to grow. In other words, skip the rocks.

Betsy

Plants that are grown in any kind of container will need feeding more often than plants that are grown in the ground because each time they are watered, the water run off carries away vital nutrients. Many container growers will use a dilute solution of a liquid fertilizer every week or two depending on the condition of the plant.

The following articles are based on growing tomatoes in the ground in a garden, but the nutrient balance remains the same whether the plant is in the soil or a pot. What changes is the frequency and strength of the feedings.

Cornell University suggests, "On most soils, you can sidedress about 1/2 cup of 5-10-5 per plant and work shallowly into the top inch of soil when fruits are about 1 inch in diameter and again when harvest begins."

Ohio State University has a good document on raising tomatoes in the garden and they recommend "tomatoes need 2 to 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer, such as 6-24-24, 6-12-18, and 8-16-16 per 100 square feet of garden area, or apply fertilizer based on soil test recommendations."

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service suggests the use of a balanced fertilizer: "For home gardens not soil tested, apply 5 pints of 8-8-8 per 100 ft of row and work it thoroughly into the top 8 inches of soil." They also suggest, "Sidedress tomato plants with 2 to 3 Tbsp. per plant of a complete fertilizer such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 after the plants have started to set fruit and 4 to 6 weeks thereafter throughout the growing season."

If you can find a liquid that matches any of the NPK ratios mentioned, it would be a good one to use, even better if it contains micronutrients too.

Oh, and click the links, there is a lot of good info I didn't quote from all three sources.

I hope that helps.

Betsy

If anything one of those globes will only keep your soil wet.