What is your ideal tomato growing container?

[barryla61]

SWC's not included.
I would like to know what you think makes the perfect *OUTDOOR* tomato growing container that can be *used year after year*.
What size?
What is it made of? Plastic, wood, other?
Drain holes in the bottom or on the side? What size? How many?
Gravel in the bottom? How much? What size?
Feel free to add anything else

*Should have specified this earlier

[geeboss]

borrowed from timmy1 in drip system in bags of ProMix BX






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IStH2lLlxWw

And see CarolynPhillips
link http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=18309

using 4 gal pots with the following:\\\

4 gallon pots
Pro Mix BX
Fertilizer= 13=13=13, micro nutrients, epsom salt, calcium nitrate
Watered every morning manually

[sprtsguy76]

Well in my experience any kind of cheap tote doesnt last long at all. Maybe 2-3 years and they get fried and get frail. There has been talk about protective paint or sun blockers for them but I think my personal tote days are over. I like to use 5 gallon buckets for ALOT of my planting but then again they dont last any longer either. But I am in the construction trade and they come free to me, I'm always keeping and eye out for them and snag them when ever I have the chance. That being said it seems to me that these double walled ribbed pots you find at Home Depot and such last longer. They have some sort of foam insallation between the two walls too. I bought a couple 4 years ago and they are still in very good condition. So those would be the ideal design for me in about a 15 gallon size. Definitely one 1/2 inch drain hole at the bottom. No gravel at the bottom. For soil I like to build my own soil that drain fast and dries out fast as well.

I thought seriously about building my own box type containers in the 15 gallon range as well. Outsides would be made out of redwood and some sort of pond liner material for the inner shell. A work in progress for sure but the idea is getting serious consideration.

Damon

[Jaysan]

I have been using the grey 18 gallon storage containers from walmart, drilled with plenty of drainage holes for tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and broccoli. They run only about $4.50 so if I have to replace them every few years I don't mind.

[Elliot]

I use these large green containers sold at Home Depot. I change half of the soil every year

[Worth1]

Easy.

Planet Earth.

Self watering and if left alone will last for years with no help from us.
Worth

[NGGrant]

If I relied on my planet earth to water for me, I would have dead plants.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by NGGrant

If I relied on my planet earth to water for me, I would have dead plants.

So true planet Earth is a big container some places cacti some tomatoes.

Worth

[BarbJ]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Easy.

Planet Earth.

Self watering and if left alone will last for years with no help from us.
Worth

LOL! That is a truly HUGE container!

I used to use the planet earth all the time at my last home, but here at my newer home I have a biblical type plague of gophers, so even though I have the space, I grow in containers.

I've used all kinds of containers, wood, clay, glazed clay, plastic, double-walled plastic, 5 gallon buckets; paint kind and the black nursery kind, and totes too.

So far if we don't include SWC (which I like better) I like 5,7, and 15 gallon black nursery pots best. They are cheap or free if you find a landscape company planting a new garden. Usually they are happy to let you take them so they don't have to dispose of them themselves.
They last a long time and store easily. The black color is not great in a hot climate, but I've spray painted them a light color and that helps a lot. In cooler climates the black color may be an advantage.

The disadvantage is that they are pretty much butt ugly, lol! But for seasonal crops I can deal.

[NGGrant]

Originally Posted by Worth1

So true planet Earth is a big container some places cacti some tomatoes.

Worth

Speaking of cactus, mine are blooming!

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by NGGrant

Speaking of cactus, mine are blooming!

Beautiful I love cacti and agave and have more than my fare share.

One container people don't think of is the big plastic feed containers for livestock.

I have my elephant ears in 40 gallon containers sunk in the ground with no holes.

Worth

[waterman1971]

I use 15 gal containers. The large plants are right at 8'.





Volunteer pumpkin, not sure what to do with this thing?

[Jaysan]

I saw some rubbermaid 18 gallon containers at Lowes today that are supposed to not get sun damage. They were about twice the walmart ones but if they never need to be replaced....
Might have to consider switching over when my current ones go bad.

[sprtsguy76]

Delete-This post was meant for a different thead

[babice]

geeboss - what a great idea!
waterman - wow - what amazing results and pictures!

BarryLa61 - other than the 3 EBs I bought to use this year - I bought some 21" very light weight planters from Wally World on the cheap over the winter. They didn't have holes on the bottom - are meant to hold another pot and are the kind that "look" like they should be heavy but aren't. DH helped me drill holes in the bottom of these. I put about 4 inches worth of plastic bottles, empty soda cans, styrofoam peanuts, etc., in the bottom of these so they wouldn't be so heavy and to save having to use so much soil. Will have to tell you how these do. I'm trying the 5:1:1 mix in these (am trying the 3:2:1 in the EBs).