I wish growing in the ground was an option for me, maybe someday, but no way for now. Did you let any sprawl in the containers? How did that work out if you did?
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The ones in containers were half sprawled if you will, b'c a flimsy 3 ft 3 ring structure was used only to get the plants up a little higher until the branches spilled over the top and hung down. And of course the lower branches would stick out through the lower rings as well.
Given my choice I would always allow my tomato plants to sprawl inground. Many in the south say, oh, I couldn't do that b'c of bugs and critters and so many spoiled ones that make contact with the soil.
Fact is, that when sprawled, you get what I call a nest of stems and leaves in the center of the plant and that's where most of the fruit set and maturation occur and very few are lost by making direct contact with the soil.
I think it's always useful to try different methods, whether it be sprawling, caging, a single pole where only two leader stems are allowed to grow upwards ( good for folks with little space), trellising or using a fence of cattle panels and growing plants on both sides of those panels.
But any comparisons should always be done in the SAME season with the SAME varieties so that direct comparisons can be made,
Carolyn
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Carolyn
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