A revisit of 2 gallonville

[BlackBear]

Hi all,

I have been actually trying to get the best 2 gallon / no. 2 container Toms ...

one way around this is to put 2 plants that would do well in the one gallon container :

1 gallon plants for me would include : Red Robin, Rejina Red, Rejina Yellow , Venus , yellow Pygmy , Hahm's gelbe , Andrina , Tiny Tim , (I pass on Micro Tom ) Anmore Dewdrop , Whipper Snapper, Minibel , Mohamed also yellow canary).

if you know of any more one gallon types I am keen to know .


2 gallon ; I have had success with Silvery fir , Cyril's Choice , Yaponskiy karlik ,
Kootenai , Elfin , Lyana

3 gallon I have actually grown to much to mention all in (They said it couldn't be done !) ....but the tall (deeper) skinny works better than the regular shaped 3 gallon :

Pipo , Sophie's choice , .. I suspect Nevsky , Extreme Bush ,Krainey Sever , Taimyr , Ditmarsher, Siberia (dwarf rugose), Mano .

I did grow many in 3 gallon containers that were not supposed to work !

I do go for a 7- 10 gallon now for my standard container stuff but I am still keen to work on the 2 gallon pursuit.


Does anybody have any new suggestions /experience for 2 gallon Types ? .......

it is amazing what can be done with the right variety .

[NarnianGarden]

Oh. I think the largest buckets I have are 5 gallon (in Americanese.. 10 liters here), I did grow two currant / cherry varieties in a 20 liter container last year and plan on doing the same this season.
The determinate varieties go to smaller pots, with the exception of Black Seaman...

2 gallon would be around 4 to 5 liters, I think some smaller hybrids bred might be great. I have a Heartbreaker Vitae in one such pot. Golden Nugget is perhaps worth trying as well.

[BlackBear]

yeah I forgot to put down gold nugget ...I did actually grow it in No.2 /2 gallon pots last year and it was am outstanding winner ! Nobody tells you these things ...I just fluked out and found it out .

[NarnianGarden]

Good to hear it grew well in a smaller pot... I am looking forward to seeing and tasting it.
I have Mohamed as well, in a small clay pot - I might transfer it to a larger one later in the season. or perhaps not..
Last year, I had both Mohamed & Red Robin in small pots and they were Ok until the spidermite invasion They are neat varieties to have on your window sill. That's the reason I prefer to keep them in smallest possible containers, so I can prolong the season and have them inside as long as they stay alive. Lack of light will eventually stop their growth, but with a proper light system I might be able to have them survive over winter...

[BlackBear]

I have Rejina Red and Rejina yellow they did well in 1 gallon pots and taste fabulous....I have them from seed ...but for some reason Rejina Red takes really long to germinate ....and maybe that is why many give up on it .

Red Robin and Tiny Tim did well in 1 gallon . Minbel is going good ..

for some unknown reason my Mohamed seedlings went Kaputz and crop fail .

My " Monsters" for the 1 gallon pots were actually Yellow Pygmy and Venus (orange cherry) ....they over wintered in the garage with lights and prolonged

fruit ....they both were so prolific there was even volunteers in the bottom of the pot where fruit had dropped . They were good for outside inside under lights and in greenhouse.

I also did a complete cycle of Silvery fir from seed to seed in winter under garage and lights (with low temperature stress as well ) . Some people call Silvery fir
a "spitter" but I think it is beautiful and most adaptable ...as even the regular hybrids would not produce under such marginal conditions.

I am also trying Andrina and Hahm's gelbe this year ...will let you know .

For me the Yellow Pygmy and Venus are a for sure keepers (Yellow and Orange) for 1 gallon culture.

I am not sure I have found yet a "Red" that is a keeper in the same sense of

prolific/under lights/ greenhouse /volunteers/ the reds were .. to me ...Just O.K.

[NarnianGarden]

This Venus keeps on popping up. I'll have to try it one day in the future, if I can find seeds for it ..

[Bipetual]

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

This Venus keeps on popping up. I'll have to try it one day in the future, if I can find seeds for it ..

Caseysheirloomtomatoes.ca

[NarnianGarden]

Yes, I noticed they have quite impressive array of different, also less known varieties
Ah well, I am trying to contain myself...

[Bipetual]

I know how you feel. I don't have a lot of space or any energy, yet I still find myself tempted. Maybe something small like Venus would be more practical, though.

[BlackBear]

Why do you think they call them "containers " anyway ......

It's so the Tomato growers can "Contain" themselves ....ha ha ha

With smaller containers one can theoretically have more varieties in smaller space. ...They can be brought in and extended or overwintered ...in kitchen window or under lights ....Moved out of cold fall rains etc. But a good soil /prep in the 1 gallon format is most necessary to give them the best for water retention etc. Foliar feeding is easy for this small containers format as well.

I think marvelous things can be achieved in a 2 -2-5 gallon format for the Brave.

[NarnianGarden]

Originally Posted by BlackBear

Why do you think they call them "containers " anyway ......

It's so the Tomato growers can "Contain" themselves ....ha ha ha

A brand new meaning to container gardening... very descriptive!

[MrBig46]

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

Oh. I think the largest buckets I have are 5 gallon (in Americanese.. 10 liters here), I did grow two currant / cherry varieties in a 20 liter container last year and plan on doing the same this season.
The determinate varieties go to smaller pots, with the exception of Black Seaman...

2 gallon would be around 4 to 5 liters, I think some smaller hybrids bred might be great. I have a Heartbreaker Vitae in one such pot. Golden Nugget is perhaps worth trying as well.

US gallon = 3.79 liters
UK gallon = 4.55 liters
Vladimír

[BlackBear]

I will clarify the Container size notice I said 2gallon/ no. 2 size container

I really mean No.2 container (the nursery Industry description)....The Nursery industry seems to call the no. 2 container 2 gallon by convention ...I don't know why exactly they do this ... but they do ...

there is no way No. 2 containers are 2 gallons in US or UK ...this just confuses things ( And there are Round /Square /Tall and short 2 gallons !)

so I just try and say 2 gallons/ No. 2 as this is the defining "containing " factor in my pursuit for small spaces and big Tomato dreams .

[Bipetual]

Originally Posted by MrBig46

US gallon = 3.79 liters
UK gallon = 4.55 liters
Vladimír

I had no idea that US and UK gallons were different. Yikes! That info may come in handy at some point...

[BlackBear]

yes in Canada we speak metric since the 70s

But what has been referred to as UK gallons we before called "Imperial gallons "
vs . US gallons . And of course one would rather pay the same price/gallon for an "imperial gallon " as it was bigger . But now that everything is in Liters and ml here
but Yet we live so close to the USA we then have a mish mash measurement culture .

Measurements using Metric/Imperial/USA and some Industry conventions (Like Nursery no.2 /2 gallons etc) But Metric is the actual official measurement here in Canuckland .


Geese ...I think I would rather just grow Tomatoes.... and leave this measurement stuff on the back burner ha ha ha