So maybe some of you have had better experience with container gardening and tomato plants, but my experience blows. Hey, whatever. It’s all part of the learning experience, I figure. Now I know what NOT to do, AND I’m writing it down here for you to read, so you don’t do what I did. Isn’t that just raging nice of me?
So here it is, I have yard space to plant tomatoes, but I really needed to fence the space on account of the deer, and I wanted to try tomato plants on my back deck. This is what I did:
- Went to Amato’s Italian Sandwich Shop every few days and bugged the sandwich makers during their busy time of day, asking if I can have FREE food grade pickle buckets. They would typically give me one or two - with the covers. I asked until they started looking annoyed every time I asked.
- I drilled small holes in the bottom of the buckets to allow for drainage, then I placed brown, bleach free coffee filters over the holes so the soil mix wouldn’t drain out. Mmmm, bleach free coffee filters, kinda makes ya feel crunchy and shit.
- I dumped regular old store bought soil mix into the buckets. *look of shock and awe* “What!?” you ask. “Not ORGANIC soil mix!? But you use crunchy coffee filters? You hypocrite-bastard!”
- Stuck the tomato plants in the freakin’ things, placed them on the back deck and smiled with glee.
That was dumb for a number of reasons:
- Tomatoes need lots of water, and container gardening requires extra watering.
- Dark buckets (like my green buckets) dry out faster - needs even more watering. Tomato plants are water sensitive little cry babies.
- It was a friggin’ bitch trying to maintain correct watering levels.
Needless to say, they turned out shitty. The water stress caused shitty “Blossom-End Rot.” Just look at this CRAP:
This is the stage they reached before I gave up on the sad little bastards:
Whatever. Next year they’ll go in the ground. Time to buy some canned tomato sauce, stock the shelves, you know, with Doomsday approaching and all . . . . . maybe some Dinty Moore, too.
- Ranger Man
BTW: I really hate those tomato plants . . . I HATE THAT!
*nyuck, nyuck, nyuck*
Check it: www.ihatethat.net - funny shit. Check the I Hate That episodes in the sidebar.
He also has a good post entitled: “Seeds: More Precious than Gold or Oil.”
Of course, he also has a SHTFblog link in the sidebar - thumbs up!
Lastly, good news article: U.S. farmland values reach a record
11 responses so far ↓
1 Mama Squirrel // Aug 5, 2008 at 6:01 am
Tomatoes prefer the ground better, and they also tend to grow better when they are shading each other. You don’t have those little trays under your buckets…you can get some flimsy, plastic trays at your local hardware store. Then when you water, the excess water will fill up the tray, and the humidity coming out of the tray will help keep your plants from drying out. We’ve had some great success this year growing carrots and greens in containers, and our parsnips are looking sweet as well. Next year, if I get large enough food buckets from a cake-decorator pal, we may try potatoes in containers.
2 SurvivalTopics.com // Aug 5, 2008 at 7:26 am
We grow quite a number of tomatoes out of buckets, as well as in tires. It has been raining nearly every day this summer so watering hasn’t been a problem.
3 GeologyJoe // Aug 5, 2008 at 7:29 am
I wouldn’t have put the holes in the bottom.
Too keep proper water level put a hole in the bottom, add a barb fitting, attach clear vinyl tube and run up the outside of the bucket. It will create a sight level.
Better luck next year.
4 Survivalist News // Aug 5, 2008 at 8:19 am
I didn’t put any containers tomatoes out this summer but usually have good luck with them. They are usually smaller than those grown in the ground but they grow well. They do need a lot of water.
5 oldman in the boonies // Aug 5, 2008 at 8:21 am
Even Ground planted tomatoes get Blossum end rot. Here in the Peoples Socialist Republic of Wisconsin our sandy soil drains rather quickly which combined with sporatic but torential rainfall has really messed with my tomatoes. Last year in a drought when I sprinkled almost constantly I had a bumper crop… Go Figure….
6 Sam // Aug 5, 2008 at 9:06 am
Tomato Tubs
This was my 1st year doing this too. I used this guy’s site as a model. Drill the drain holes on the side of the buckets, about 6 inches up from the bottom. I watered them every other day or so, we have lots of tomatoes.
Sam
http://www.josho.com/gardening.htm
7 Sena // Aug 5, 2008 at 9:09 am
Leaving 3-6 inches for mulch at the top of the bucket helps, as does fitting it with an upside-down 2L bottle with the bottom cut off as a water resevoir for a cheap slow-seep irrigation system. They can be kind of fussy, and if you’re south with really strong summer sun, some partial shade might be needed. Keep trying, perhaps look into some different varieties that handle the conditions better - there are hundreds of heirloom tomatoes with lots of different preferences for growing conditions.
8 Rushman // Aug 5, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I have been trying this same thing for several years. Two types do good for me. Patio Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes( sweet 100s do the best for me). Everything else does what yours did. The need water twice a day too. You live and you learn Rangerman!
9 Pure Mahem // Aug 5, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Sorry to here about your tomatoes. Hows the rest of your garden doing? My tomatoes are coming along pretty well. It’s been rather rainy here in VT and I planted them in the ground about a foot from the drip line of my roof . The neighbor has had good luck with growing those upside down tomato planters. I might try those next year.
Here we also go pick tomatoes at the local produce farm. about $12 a bushel at least they were last year. Probably $20 this year. Just thought you might think of that as an option. We usaully pick tomatoes and peppers every year and then can them. This year I’m going to try dehydrating and vacum sealing some peppers.
10 j.r. guerra in s. tx. // Aug 6, 2008 at 7:16 am
Same thing happened here, but we compounded the stupidity by possiblly using buckets that were too small. About 3/4 the size of 5 gallon - plants never even bloomed, let alone grew any fruit. Waist of my time - damnation, sorry it turned out this way.
11 AleMaker // Aug 9, 2008 at 4:07 pm
We used ye olde inverted tomato planter and get enough blight action to swear off em forever.
(but then again, it’s been raining for like 3 weeks without a break too…. but the plants in the ground have done fine)
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