Containers Growing ?

bower · May 3, 2018

It certainly is an interesting experiment.
In my greenhouse, a tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket will need to be watered every day once the plant is any size at all. The pots are quite filled with roots before the short season is over, and they suck up the moisture in no time if the sun is shining. Maybe some runs out the drain holes but not a big lot IMO.
Water requirements, and the ability to suck up and retain a certain amount of even moisture, varies quite a bit depending on the size and shape of a container, as well as the type of mix in the container.
I agree with Marsha about the anaerobic issue. That may not be a problem if you use the drain hole/sight tube to drain away excess whenever you water. But as Worth was saying, if you bury the pots halfway, you pretty much have written off that drainage possibility, if I understand it correctly.

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May 3, 2018	#11
bower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 6,794	It certainly is an interesting experiment. In my greenhouse, a tomato plant in a 5 gallon bucket will need to be watered every day once the plant is any size at all. The pots are quite filled with roots before the short season is over, and they suck up the moisture in no time if the sun is shining. Maybe some runs out the drain holes but not a big lot IMO. Water requirements, and the ability to suck up and retain a certain amount of even moisture, varies quite a bit depending on the size and shape of a container, as well as the type of mix in the container. I agree with Marsha about the anaerobic issue. That may not be a problem if you use the drain hole/sight tube to drain away excess whenever you water. But as Worth was saying, if you bury the pots halfway, you pretty much have written off that drainage possibility, if I understand it correctly.