Comparing notes...water on top versions

[Ed of Somis]

I think it would be good to compare notes with our water on top container tomatoes. Some learning may happen....I have provided fast draining custom mixes which have served me well...I think. My containers are mostly 15 gal nursery pots or similar. I water every day in our mild SoCal temps, and lightly fertilize 3-4 days a week (liquid and tomato tone alternately). I have only pruned towards the bottoms.
Here are my results: The tomatoes in full day sun are definitely doing best. The half-day sun plants are much weaker. My indeterminates are "only" 3-3 1/2 feet tall. However, My Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, and Early Girl all have from 10-15 nice looking large tomatoes right now. The plants seem to have slowed a bit...but look good. What are you doing/learning?

[clkingtx]

Good idea for a thread, I have several in nursery pots, mostly around 5 gallon(I used what I had). I think the most useful thing I learned, was if I can get the potted plant into afternoon and evening shade, I don't have to water every day(more like 1-2 times a week)in our Texas heat.

I learned severe heat can do funny things to plants, even if they are watered adequately. Some of my potted tomatoes have different shaped/sized fruit than the same variety, planted in the ground. I have had some very off type shaped fruit. Too many varieties for it to be a coincidence(or stray seed). Some plants are producing multiple shapes/sizes of fruit. I also have exerted(I think that's the term) stigmas on most plants...not all flowers on the plants, but some flowers on almost every plant. I am told heat is a potential cause for that, but it is interesting to see it so widespread, on varieties not known for it.

[Ed of Somis]

C...I can appreciate where you are coming from, and your different growing conditions. Both of my sons have lived in Texas (Round Rock and Grand Prarie), and I know about your heat. I need full sun for my 80 degree days. We need to make adjustments for our climates and enjoy our fruits. haha.

[cythaenopsis]

When you're taking the watering on top approach, do you end up dealing with fungus gnats?

I'm using SWC containers and try to water from the bottom mostly. I only water from the top if there have been long stretches of no rain, so that the top region of the soil doesn't dry out. But we ended up with a lot of rain across several days straight and suddenly I was faced with a fungus gnat problem--the moisture underneath the mulch was at the level the gnats enjoyed, so they moved in and multiplied.

[Ed of Somis]

C...the truth is: SoCal weather is really pretty awesome. When I read the posts of growers from the East Coast, South, Midwest....I kind of feel a bit guilty (not that much). haha. We just do not have rain, high humidity, oppressive heat, etc. I figure if you guys can grow good tomatoes...you are a lot more skilled than me.

[cythaenopsis]

^ I used to live in Northern California. The summers in Silicon Valley were mostly mid 80's with minimal humidity and not much rain. Long stretches of what North Easterners would call "perfect weekend weather" for weeks. I sure miss it!

[greentiger87]

I only get the quality and quantity of harvest I expect with containers if I use pots made of fabric, and very large ones at that. Fabric pots work out much cheaper than the equivalent plastic though, so I can afford to buy larger. The main issue is heat in the root zone for me. Fabric pots don't solve the problem, but they greatly reduce it. The root system in these things is entirely different from those in black plastic pots. There's no circling, just incredibly fine branching. Granted, these are on bare ground, so they basically act like big raised beds as far as water movement is concerned.

I haven't had any success with earthtainers here... at least not what I expect from a tomato plant. I'm will gladly admit that I'm probably doing it wrong. Some people that have had "success" on their balconies with them in Houston, when pressed for details, admit that they only got 5-10 tomatoes. When I compare that to a plant in the ground that is more red than green, it's hard to consider it success.

[AKmark]

When I switched to Smart Pots my yields improved, 15-20 gallon is best, or enough I should say, to grow any variety into gigantic plants covered with tomatoes.

[Ed of Somis]

I have gardened for many years...but serious tomato growing is really new this year. I have learned a lot here, and reading online books. My container plants are not really big for some reason. The three I have in full sun have the following hanging... 3 1/2 foot Cherokee Purple - 28 tomatoes...3 1/2 foot Brandywine 15 tomatoes (2 one pounders)...3 foot Early Girl (planted late)- 16 tomatoes (several 8-10 ouncers). I am happy with this...

[SharonRossy]

I've been mostly container growing for years. This year I bought Hydrofarm grow bags, used a fast draining mixture and have had really amazing results..some of my plants are at least 6 ft and over. I learned that 20 gallon is the minimum for most indeterminants as they dry out too fast in anything less. I did have some issues with staking properly and dealing with windy conditions. My plants have been really productive and in some cases the same variety grown in a container out performed the one in the ground. I have only watered from the top, always careful to only water the soil and never the plant. I'm thinking about getting some bases to set them in so they will have the overflow to absorb. Most of my pots are on a stone surface which heats up fast and the containers dry up quicker. I'm also very vigilant about fertilizing frequently but with a weak solution. However, next year I'm going to prune better because its been hard to keep it manageable and I've lost a few stems to bending and snapping.

[Ed of Somis]

Sharon...it sounds like you are doing a good job! Next year I will be going to 20 gal containers, as well. Can you please tell me what exactly your soil mix is??? thanks

[cythaenopsis]

Sharon, congratulations on having such good success with your grow bags! You should definitely raise your bags up on that stone surface. You might want to think about using planks of wood to enable good air circulation. My containers are on a metal fire escape, but they rest on 2" slats so that they don't absorb heat from the warmed metal.

As for container size minimums, I've seen people claim to have reasonable success growing tomatoes in 5 gallon containers. Mine are in 6 gallon sub irrigated containers and the only thing that really held them back was not fertilizing enough and using top soil instead of a potting mix. Despite the soil mistake, when I stepped up fertilizing the plants responded really well. The main trouble with a smaller container is the need to frequently water it. With many fruits in progress, the reservoirs will go dry in a little less than 2 days. So I add water about every 1 to 1.5 days. With a larger container, the watering frequency is less... although with longer standing water it may require periodic cleaning across the season.

The grow bags look to be an interesting approach. There is no water reservoir, yet the bag helps retain moisture better than a typical pot. Also, if it is shielded at the top I'm guessing you don't have to worry as much about over-watering during heavy rains.

[SharonRossy]

The other thing I found is that heavy foliage also keeps the containers from getting too much water, I guess they will absorb from the water on the surface where they are sitting. Unlike those in the ground, my containers have not had an issue with too much water from rain, even during that period where all it did was rain. One year in my early gardening career I used a growing medium with water retention particles, what a disaster. When it did rain, these containers just got flooded. Never again. Bad stuff.

[cythaenopsis]

^ I hear a lot of people using perlite and vermiculite in their potting mixes. The ratio is really key, as too much vermiculite will cause significant water retention. I think it best to use them sparingly.

[ArthurDent004]

I'm experimenting with 3 part mixed coir, 2 part coarse perlite, and 1 part coarse vermiculite in a 5 gal SWC for a tomato plant. I monitor the water in the reservoir by using a 1/4 inch square dowel that I marked in half-inch increments. Once the reservoir is half empty I top water with a half-gallon of water and then check my reservoir level again in 24 hours. I tried pouring water down the fill tube one time and found that a little over a 1/3 of the water flowed out the overflow hole. Top-watering with a half-gallon water left little or nothing going out the overflow hole.