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

TC_Manhattan · July 23, 2016

This is my first year growing tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets, and they are HUGE. Started each bucket with 1 cup dolomite lime, 2 cups Plant-Tone (thanks, Worth!) and one cup Biotone starter fertilizer. I used the 5 gal. white buckets sold at Tractor Supply (white because I wanted to keep roots cool/er.) My planting mix consisted of 50% Garden Magic Compost/Manure (mostly peat with bird manure, I think), 25% perlite, 25% pine bark nuggets (small chips) from Home Depot. Tomatoes are pumping out full-size, but still green. I have to water every day, but it's working great!

Full disclosure: my in-ground tomatoes each got 1/3 bag Garden Magic Compost/Manure, 1 cup dolomite, 2 cups Plant Tone, 1 cup Biotone. They are growing larger and more productive than the ones in buckets, but what the heck, the buckets are doing great! First full-size tomato to ripen was Brandywine Sudduth of all things. That's supposed to be one of my latest varieties...go figure. It was tasty, too.

I grew eggplant last year in 5 gallon buckets, also. They did far better than I'd ever had luck with growing in ground. This year, I used the same mix as above, my plants are 4 ft. high and have been harvesting eggplant for 4 weeks now. I used the dark blue buckets from Lowes since they seem to love having hot bottoms. I can vouch for that given their size, and everything seems to thrive on the Plant Tone. I have given a couple of intermittent feedings of Texas Tomato food to everything, but not sure that was needed.

I am growing a large variety of peppers in 3.8 gal. black nursery containers, with same mix as above, and they too are happy and super-productive. The peppers, too, seem to like the containers much better than in-ground.

Hope this helps.

July 23, 2016	#5
TC_Manhattan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Ohio Posts: 457	This is my first year growing tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets, and they are HUGE. Started each bucket with 1 cup dolomite lime, 2 cups Plant-Tone (thanks, Worth!) and one cup Biotone starter fertilizer. I used the 5 gal. white buckets sold at Tractor Supply (white because I wanted to keep roots cool/er.) My planting mix consisted of 50% Garden Magic Compost/Manure (mostly peat with bird manure, I think), 25% perlite, 25% pine bark nuggets (small chips) from Home Depot. Tomatoes are pumping out full-size, but still green. I have to water every day, but it's working great! Full disclosure: my in-ground tomatoes each got 1/3 bag Garden Magic Compost/Manure, 1 cup dolomite, 2 cups Plant Tone, 1 cup Biotone. They are growing larger and more productive than the ones in buckets, but what the heck, the buckets are doing great! First full-size tomato to ripen was Brandywine Sudduth of all things. That's supposed to be one of my latest varieties...go figure. It was tasty, too. I grew eggplant last year in 5 gallon buckets, also. They did far better than I'd ever had luck with growing in ground. This year, I used the same mix as above, my plants are 4 ft. high and have been harvesting eggplant for 4 weeks now. I used the dark blue buckets from Lowes since they seem to love having hot bottoms. I can vouch for that given their size, and everything seems to thrive on the Plant Tone. I have given a couple of intermittent feedings of Texas Tomato food to everything, but not sure that was needed. I am growing a large variety of peppers in 3.8 gal. black nursery containers, with same mix as above, and they too are happy and super-productive. The peppers, too, seem to like the containers much better than in-ground. Hope this helps.