Over the last two years I have put tomato plants in ex-large pots, on my screened patio in North Central Florida. I have also used fresh potting soil, and fertilizer. What is going on? Still my plants will not make it to even half full growth, and then they start what is referred to as bottom end rot? Any suggestions?

3rd year with potted tomatoes and always been very successful. From my little experience important factors are location, they need all the sunlight they can get, wind which makes the leaves move and accelerates growth. Frequent watering. I water them twice a day, since they are in pots. I actually planted a few 3 weeks ago (from seeds) and now one of them is 30cm tall and has 6-7 blosoms already. It is important that the trunk mid sections are short and thick. The shorter they are, the stronger the plant. I recycled last years soil, just added a little solid fertilizer in pellets. Make sure that the pot drains propely and that you are using no tray under the pot. If u cannot water them twice daily, then its good to cover the soil with expanded clay balls so it retains more moisture. One of the worst enemies of tomato plants is water. They simply hate it when their leaves are wet. It is better to offset water them at the edge of the pot. Hope it helps.

Need at least 6 hours of sun for tomatoes. Not sure a screen porch will work..

Need at least 6 hours of sun for tomatoes. Not sure a screen porch will work..