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General discussion regarding the techniques and methods used to successfully grow tomato plants in containers.

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Old November 1, 2015   #1
bajaOne
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Default new to container gardening, in southern baja

Hi all, grew up in the chicago burbs, had great soil and water. Hated the burbs/flatlands. So now I live down in baja Mexico (a real desert, 3 inches of rain a year) and decided to try to grow some tomatoes.

We have horrible water and horrible soil. Not sure if salt air is also helpful, certainly not to metal objects. Water is 3000 ppm dissolved solids with a high salt content. Very few plants can survive with it. Soil is sand. No nurseries in the region, one home depot that does have pro-mix.

So water and soil are premium. I saved my AC water and have about 600 gallons. I have to minimize water evaporation and soil is expensive from Home depot. So wanted smaller containers. So after reading many things online did as we all do our own hybrid of everything. I have some very small containers so I am worried about what problems I will be encountering.

Would like some feedback before I get myself in trouble. I did a test with two containers starting 4 months ago and could not get the flowers to produce fruit. So went to a farmers market and the local growers said it was still to hot here. The heat finally dropped below 90 during the day and 84 at a week or two ago and I have tomatoes forming finally. actually ate my first one yesterday.

I am using two 3 liter bottles to grow in, one the top cut off and slid over the bottom of the other. I have a hole drilled in the top bottle at the bottom of it with a wick through it to get the wick to bottom reservoir.

I fill the bottom reservoir using a gravity feed system like the water bowls for cats and dogs to keep it at a specific level. To do this I have a cut off 3 liter bottle that is attached to 1/2 inch garden irrigation tubing that has 1/4 inch tubes into the 3 liter bottle reservoirs. Then I just fill a 2 liter bottle and drop it into the opening of the 3 liter and it keeps the water at a fixed level.

My problems I am having are I have to shade my new plants, did not have to with my first ones but they were in a different location. Should I have to do this, I am about at the tropic of cancer. It seems some of my plants are very long stemmed vs dense growth I see by pictures by others. IE is this an indication of an issue? I have a diverse bunch of types growing from the first I planted were from Costco cherry tomatoes, to some Big Boys from seed packs , to some starters I bought from a urban co-op gardening center that has locally stabilized versions like purples, and on and on.

Also my cucumbers sprout grow for 2 weeks and die? I have a cantaloupe and honeydew that are doing fine. But they drink too much water.

[IMG][/IMG]

The 5 gallon jugs on the ground are reycled free from the water company. I have peat moss, composted cow manure and some so called local dirt. I will hook them up to a wicking hybrid system shortly.

So things are optimized for lack of water and lack of low cost soil. Winter will be about 70-80 daytime and 50-60 night once january hits. Right now 87 daytime and 75 night time. About the same as florida but much lower humidity.

Oh forgot to mention we have significant wind here, winter is 10-25 mph winds for 4 hours, 5 out of 7 days. Summer just 6-8 mph everyday. So they are wind sheltered.

So please chime in on what I better start doing before I get myself in trouble.

Last edited by bajaOne; November 1, 2015 at 08:59 PM.
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Old November 1, 2015   #2
Spike2
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I can be of no use to you what-so-ever BUT I am in awe!! I really started using tubs for the first time this year but nothing as grand as what you have going on in that picture!
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Old November 2, 2015   #3
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You have a really interesting setup that I'd like to see more about. Hope you continue with the updates.

With Promix, I have read somewhere that if the potting soil contains dirt, you could encounter wicking problems.

I'm no pro in this matter, but perhaps you can look into hydroponics and see if it's an option for you at a later date. I'm not entirely sure about water usage and evaporation ratios with true hydroponic systems, but maybe a direction. That way you won't have to worry about finding potting soil.

Hope to see more of what you do.
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Old November 2, 2015   #4
Ricky Shaw
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Absolutely stunned, no idea anyone still drank Diet Coke!


Containers that small, without fresh nutrients coming in, will be be hard to keep from stalling. Any access to fertilizers?

You have taken on a tough gardening gig here. There's a reason fishing villages dot the peninsula as opposed to farming ones. Maybe you end up consolidating, discarding the weak and combining soils. I'm saying, you get out of this with a producing cherry plant and a couple of Big Boys from what you have, will be amazing in itself.
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Old November 2, 2015   #5
bajaOne
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ya, been simple sugar intolerant since college.

yep should be lots of fish oil here.

when you mention access to fertilizers, well, home depot sells a 17-17-17 and it also sells miracle grow. that is it. Are these good enough?

I have both. But the 17-17-17 wiped out 2 of 6 plants in bottles that I tested it on so have not done that again. So do not have a good way to add it unless someone can give me a suggestion. So went back to Home Depot moved to miracle grow in a weaker than called for solution. About 1/4 what the directions call for.

I just emailed a friend who is from Montana driving down day after thanksgiving to PLEASE bring me some dolomite lime.

Last edited by bajaOne; November 3, 2015 at 10:37 AM.
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Old November 2, 2015   #6
bajaOne
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KC.Sun View Post
You have a really interesting setup that I'd like to see more about. Hope you continue with the updates.

With Promix, I have read somewhere that if the potting soil contains dirt, you could encounter wicking problems.

I'm no pro in this matter, but perhaps you can look into hydroponics and see if it's an option for you at a later date. I'm not entirely sure about water usage and evaporation ratios with true hydroponic systems, but maybe a direction. That way you won't have to worry about finding potting soil.

Hope to see more of what you do.
the bottles are pure pro-mix from home depot so no soil added and they are wicking water to the top. It has a moist feel to the top of every bottle.

For hydroponics I would not have access to even the basics down here for ph adjustments, or nutrients and on and on. At the farmers market met a guy growing 1/2 his farm that way indoors and he says he has to bring down everything from the states in bulk and mixes all his own. He has invited me out to his farm and will take him up on it.

will post a few more pics as time goes.
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Old November 2, 2015   #7
Ricky Shaw
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Yes calcium, that was one I meant, and there's some vital minerals. On the nutrients, something water soluble would be easiest to dose with. How much and what, and in your system? I'd be guessing.

I'm just getting my mind around this container growing. The nutrient stream is a constant though with the successful people, TomatoTone gets a lot of nods, there's commercial stuff. Maybe some other will chime in.
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Old November 3, 2015   #8
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Go to the Home Depot in Los Cabos or La Paz and grab a few bottles of "Fertilizante Foliar" Comes in 1L bottles, 7-8-14 with micronutrients. (86 pesos) Probably the best bang for the buck down there. They sell cheap worm castings (brand is Rancho los Molinos, 30 pesos for 2kg ) you can use it as a base for tea. They also have a sheep manure/tobacco compost that's pasteurized that I've been using succesfully in my potting mix (80 pesos for a big bag of aprox 1-1.5 cu ft, also from Rancho Los Molinos).
Ready to go potting mix is a bit of a rip-off on the MX side. Bring down some compressed coir and concenrated liquid/dry nutrients on your next trip.
I have about 30 of those converted Ciel-Bonafont water containers, tomatoes are happy in there. One caveat, the plants do better when they're painted and light doesn't get through. With mulch on top they retain moisture quite nicely.
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Old November 8, 2015   #9
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Shade cloth, if you can put it, would help a lot. High temps and harsh sun are not going to make the plants happy.
Also consider minidwarfs for such small containers. They produce around 1 kg and are happy with 3L no problem. Bigger varieties will work only if you manage to have constant moisture at all times, they will get root bound immediately if it dries out (roots will grow to look for water).
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Old November 8, 2015   #10
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Good explanation of how the process of root binding is accelerated.
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Old November 9, 2015   #11
bajaOne
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so far, my system has only had one day where just one plant was lacking a continuous water day. One of the 1/4 inch feeds got clogged so I added a inline filter. High tech filter, on the feeder have a pop bottle cap and with a small drill bit drilled 40 or so tiny holes for a low budget large particulate filter.

Right now 7 of the plants are consuming about 2-4 liters total a day, ie upto half a liter per plant.

I have shade cloth, a part can be seen in the upper right, it is blue. I am trying to harden the larger plants now, I have them heading behind the shade cloth. (tied them against the pictured bamboo) and past the shade cloth protection to see if they will stop or keep growing. Did it about 4 days ago and today seemed to be the first day they were getting use to it. Another one is even growing on its own past the shade cloth to the bamboo where there is a gap of unshaded section.

I am getting fruit starting to set, certainly nothing like what i remember from the chicago burbs. And have the original two test plants that I started about 4ish months ago with a lot of fruit sets.
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Old November 12, 2015   #12
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update, today is 80 degrees and real strong winds with gusts; 18 mpg luls with gusts of 30mph. I have them in a somewhat protect space but still getting some movement anyway. The largest plant wilts a lot when the winds hit showing I assume it can not get enough water through the plant. I use about half a gallon a day on the top row of plants when it is windy, another test of the plants. The plants have risen above my shade fabric covered area as I had hoped in the top back part. Some are about 6 inches past it. Almost all are with fruit set now, if that is the proper terminology.

In the second picture I did a test with a 5 gallon bucket that I have a wicking rope covered with a hose into a 3 liter bottle. I still have to water it by hand from above everyday. I have it intertwined with what I think is a Jasmin plant. The Jasmin plant is about 15 years old and has survived with the bad water we have here. It has a red fruit that the birds leave alone, and it is sturdy.

Being sturdy the wind does not seem to effect the Jasmin so figured the tomato would appreciate the wind block and support support. So using those benefit I have tied my cherry tomato plant into it and it seems to thrive I have another more exposed cherry tomato that is older and not even an apples to tomato comparison. The other one is not a happy plant, just half of fruit, but it could be that the first endured the heat for 4 weeks more than this one did as this one is younger.

I probably have about 100 fruits or more growing on the younger one intertwined in the Jasmin plant right now. and 50 on the older that is not wind sheltered.





here is the Jasmin tree from the side you can see the tomatoto plant integrated into it. Yesterday we again had major wind and this co-dependence is working great as you can see.


I am still waiting for epsom salts and lime to make it down here. The salts tomorrow and lime another 2 weeks. I just received some 1/4 inch grommets, 10 of them and using those for the reservoir (the lower) bottles as I make more or retrofit. They work great, much better than a large blob of silicone to seal the hose to the bottle. So ordered more, they will be here in 3 weeks, and 10 is fine. Still to date the most expensive part was the potting soil, the fertilizers, all the other stuff was free or just laying around and/or retasked. Also started my composting bin.

Last edited by bajaOne; November 13, 2015 at 10:53 AM.
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Old November 13, 2015   #13
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woke up today to see a new friend protecting a tomato plant.

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Old November 13, 2015   #14
Ricky Shaw
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Excellent thread, I'm enjoying the adventure immensely.
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Old November 13, 2015   #15
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Quote:
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Excellent thread, I'm enjoying the adventure immensely.
Exactly what Ricky said and I am really enjoying the pictures!!
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