new to container gardening, in southern baja

[bajaOne]

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.

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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.