My neighbor said my tomato pots were too crowded...

I had 4 tomato plants crammed into a 2 foot long planter box on my balcony... they were all fighting for room and barely produced anything. After she told me to give each plant its own 5 gallon pot, I moved them into separate containers last spring and got like 30 tomatoes off just one plant. Has anyone else been told their balcony setup was too tight?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamieperez17d ago

Wait, so do the stressed plants really attract more bugs then?

susan_ward17d ago

Did you know that some studies show plants release chemicals when they're stressed from overcrowding? I read an article from a university extension office about it, and they said tomato plants basically send out distress signals that attract pests. Your balcony neighbor probably saved you from a whole mess of problems. I tried cramming peppers once in a similar way (total disaster, they got all leggy and sad). Giving them space really is the secret, I learned that the hard way too.