Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Minimum size container? Are (5) gal. buckets too small?

RomanX · August 20, 2016

Thiss is my second year growing tomatoes in containers. This year's pcs at various stages are posted in the forum Photo Gallery.

I have siletz, cyril's choice and defiant in 5-gal orange buckets (Home Depot) with two drainage holes 1.5 in from the bottom. Growing media is 1:1:1:1 mixture of peat moss, MG potting soil, compost and perlite; additions were 1 cup Espoma Organic Garden Lime and about 1/3 cup 10-10-10 fertilizer. I water twice a day (three times, when temps go above 85) and fertilize with Jack's Classic water-soluble fertilizer as the plants show they need it (approx. every 2 weeks).

I also have Jasper (the only indeterminate and cherry tomatoe) in an 18-in patio container: same grow media etc.

Then there's my 2 Earthbuckets (self-watering etc) for mountain merit, celebrity, legend and another defiant (for direct comparison of container size). (Another mountain merit is in a 5-gal bucket on a neighboring patio.)

I'm ending this tomato season nesxt week (6 weeks early), so I feel I can draw comparisons now:

Tomatoes from plants (both mountain merit and defiant) are smaller and fewer than those from plants in the Earthbuckets.

Over the winter, I will buy another Earthbucket to replace 2 5-gal bukets.

I haven't decided whether to keep the 3rd 5-gal bucket, but if I do I'll grow another dwarf tomato plant in it and this time stake it with a STOUT PVC pipe!!!

August 20, 2016	#45
RomanX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: North Carolina Posts: 119	Thiss is my second year growing tomatoes in containers. This year's pcs at various stages are posted in the forum Photo Gallery. I have siletz, cyril's choice and defiant in 5-gal orange buckets (Home Depot) with two drainage holes 1.5 in from the bottom. Growing media is 1:1:1:1 mixture of peat moss, MG potting soil, compost and perlite; additions were 1 cup Espoma Organic Garden Lime and about 1/3 cup 10-10-10 fertilizer. I water twice a day (three times, when temps go above 85) and fertilize with Jack's Classic water-soluble fertilizer as the plants show they need it (approx. every 2 weeks). I also have Jasper (the only indeterminate and cherry tomatoe) in an 18-in patio container: same grow media etc. Then there's my 2 Earthbuckets (self-watering etc) for mountain merit, celebrity, legend and another defiant (for direct comparison of container size). (Another mountain merit is in a 5-gal bucket on a neighboring patio.) I'm ending this tomato season nesxt week (6 weeks early), so I feel I can draw comparisons now: Tomatoes from plants (both mountain merit and defiant) are smaller and fewer than those from plants in the Earthbuckets. Over the winter, I will buy another Earthbucket to replace 2 5-gal bukets. I haven't decided whether to keep the 3rd 5-gal bucket, but if I do I'll grow another dwarf tomato plant in it and this time stake it with a STOUT PVC pipe!!!