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How To Grow Tomatoes:Obtain a healthy tomato plant. Most varieties can be grown in pots, but larger tomatoes will need larger containers. Tomato plants are also significantly easier to grow by transplant, rather than by seed.Use a large pot with drainage holes. Most tomato plants require a 15-gallon (60-liter), 18-inch (46-centimeter) pot in order to have adequate room to develop. Some small varieties may fit inside a 12-inch (30.5-centimeter) pot, but the roots will be restricted and your yield may not be very impressive.Be mindful about material. Sturdy clay pots may look nice, but a pot this large will get very heavy and you will not be able to move it without some strain. As a result, plastic pots with drainage holes and saucers may work best.Scrub your pot clean. This step is crucial if your pot once held another plant, since it may have left bacteria and microscopic insect eggs behind. At minimum, you should wash the pot out with hot water and soap. You can also use a little bleach for a more thorough cleansing.Prepare your potting mix. Never use garden soil, which may contain harmful pests and bacteria that can damage tomatoes, which are susceptible to disease. An all-purpose potting soil provides an excellent base, but you can also mix it with equal parts perlite, sphagnum peat moss, and compost to improve drainage and provide additional nutrition. Make sure that any compost you use has been heated to high enough temperatures to kill off potentially harmful organisms.Harvesting:Watch for fruit to appear 45 to 90 days after transplanting. On average, you'll need to wait about 60 days. Tomato plants usually have small, green fruit to start. Wait until the fruit is of good size with a bright, deep coloring: this means that the fruit is ripe and ready to pick. The texture of the fruit can Also, be careful of not allowing it to become overly ripe, which results in a very soft tomato.Realize that birds, possums, raccoons and some dogs will take ripened tomatoes, corn and sweet green peppers, etc.Pick fruit earlier to ripen indoors if you like. Fruit may be picked any time after it starts changing to its ripe color and set on a sunny windowsill. This will reduce the chances of it rotting on the vine or being eaten by a bird or squirrel.Tomatoes do, however, taste sweeter when ripened on the vine, so you need to balance risk of threats versus taste.Place a "zip-" of "snap-" seal sandwich type of bag over the nearly ripe fruit. Work very carefully, starting from the bottom up onto the stem. This should protect ripening tomatoes from predators.Close the bag from both sides at the top, above the fruit, coming near the stem, leaving about 1/4" (.6cm) on each side for air flow.Cut the lower corner for drainage and air flow. In hot weather, carefully punch more air holes, 1/2 inch slits (1.2cm), or smaller, will work.Don't be disappointed by losing fruit to the animals; spend the time bagging it!Another tip is to put red Christmas tree ornaments around the top of the tomato cage. The birds will peck at them, be confused and leave your tomatoes alone.