I found that `4th of July' tomatoes did well in my containers and produced all summer long for me. It makes fairly small tomatoes, maybe the size of two big cherry tomatoes together. My container (a very deep, self-watering container from Gardeners Supply Co.) was much much much bigger than a 15-inch one, though, and I grew nothing else in it, to avoid crowding it.

Many many other larger-tomato varieties I have tried in containers failed to fruit starting in July and through August because the container exposed them to too much heat. GSC has a book for sale on their Web site right now that says how to best utilize containers for veggie growing. I didn't want to shell out for the book, so I don't know what it says.

Hi,

I tried something new this year. Whiskey barrels with bamboo tripods 8 ft high, with pole beans going up the tripods and nasturtiums around the rim.

I have done tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and last year I did a Zucchini in a container. All have done well.

:-)

if you are looking for a pretty container, there are many small hot peppers that look very wonderful in a container. and they will grow easy in small containers. you might try the hot pepper forum or ornamental hot peppers in seed catalogs.

for tomatoes look for dwarfs. Patio and Husky are 2 that are very popular. but you are so far north you might want to look into some small early varieties. you can look in the tomato forum.

herbs might be best for accents in the pot.

DONT give up on the veges in pots. I have my whole garden in pots 24 pots of pole beans 4 gal. pots.8 tomatoe plants in 5 gal. and some 6 gal. 2 bell pepper in 5 gal. 6 cucumbers in 4 gal. side a fence to climb on, bush beans in 4 gal. and 4 eggplant in 5 gal. We are getting both beans,cucumbers tomatoes both kinds,and the other things are all in bloom, all this growing in a mix of mushroom compost and ground and composted oak leaves and 10-10-10-fert.for food. ILL DO THE SAME NEXT YEAR I THINK ITS A GOOD PASTIME FOR AN 87 YR. OLD DONT YOU.

I tried Micro Tom tomatoes this year they are coming out bEAUTIFULLY! Can permantly be grown in a 4 to 6 inch pot

I thought I did ask a question, as in a step by step explantion of construction. The fact that Jenny was so far off only shows how little you've actually been saying. I'll ask a more specific one, which has been asked in this thread several times now, what is your mix?
Also:
How many & how large are your drain holes?
Do you use heat to curl down the bottles? If not, how is it done?
What is your fertilizer and it's rate of application?

You clearly are doing something interesting, but even in your most recent post you don't say what, instead describing a somewhat difficult to follow water & air migration cycle. We might understand that better if we knew what the actual construction & mix was. I think you're right about high moisture, high density(low volume) growing, that why I'd like to know more details.

To add to what gellfex asked, in the last picture that username_5 posted for you earlier, what is that at the bottom of the bottle on the far left? Perlite?

--Maybe we can move on and talk about veggies. --

Only if you can grow yours inside 35mm film bottles. Otherwise I am not impressed ;-)

OK, if you want to talk about veggies check out the link below to see my 8 container tomato patch with homemade built cages. I seriously doubt you could grow a tomato plant in a 2 litre bottle and even if you could, the way tomatoes grow and sprawl all over would require the same amount of room whether their roots reside in a 20 gallon tub or 2 litre bottle. I have already been told that I put my tomatoes too close together but I'm way too lazy to rebuild that cage system now. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:30639}}

That should work out very well for you mea. I don't think those are too close together at all. I assume it is your intent to prune out the suckers as they grow?

Nice tomato patch, looks like you live in a flatroof brownstone area like me.

Those of you who read the tripod thread forgive me for double posting this photo of my zuke barrel. I usually plant 8 or 9 Zuccheta Rampicante in there. I call it my zuke tree. My barrel trellis design gives a lot of airspace for climbers.

{{gwi:29700}}

Hmmm... I see what you mean about the mods. ;-)

mea - now THAT'S a support system!

gellfex - I like your zukes!

Anyway, I have 2, 14-gallon Rubbermaid Totes with "Snow White" cherries in one and "Big Beef" in the other, along with 2, 15"x15" "veggie" containers that Rubbermaid used to make (self-watering squares 9" deep with a square saucer and wick) that have a couple "San Marzano" tomatoes and a cluster of 3 Tomatillo Verde plants (since they have to cross-pollinate to set). All of these were started from seed back in April. The weather the past week has shot them all up quite a bit, but here is a pic from last weekend:

{{gwi:2456}}

I'm growing my herbs separately and haven't tried intermixing flowers or herbs with the 'maters as I know that the plants eventually get huge and would shade anything under them (mainly because I don't prune).

Here's a picture of tomato's in 2 litter bottles. They're doing quite nicely. Take a look at a root system. The root tips end right at the bottom of the bottle. No curving around. They hang straight down. Now in this trial I used styrofoam pieces to halve the weight. Problem was it made water levels uneven. Plants dried out too fast. So I went back to using the whole mix. Just a side point. If your having pollanation problems use a $1 electric toothbrush. It will raise your rates to about 95%
{{gwi:30640}}
{{gwi:18080}}
Can you tell wheter their dirt, water or air roots?

Hey george,

Trouble I have with your tomato photo is that I have comparable looking plants in 20oz styrofoam cups. So, if it is all about the size of the container, I got you beat by a wide margin.

These plants were simply leftovers that I didn't plant until yesterday, but they were about 4' tall in those cups. Even had flowers.

Of course, they wouldn't have yielded much in those cups, but they survived.

You say you have been doing this for 10 years and have lots of pics so please show me some pictures of YIELDs.

Also, if you aren't going to tell us how to reproduce what you are doing, what is the point you are trying to make? That you are really cool and we are all losers? I think you saw by the removal of your posts yesterday that the whole ebay thing doesn't fly here.

A plant is just a plant. ItÂs all about providing it with what it needs. Sure you could grow huge yields by placing that same 20 cup in a hydroponics system. YouÂd have to make a few changes to the cup and the media you currently have it in but it would be happily growing and producing just find. IÂll give you the plans and a picture because I just happen to have plans for an 8 cell system that uses 20-32 0z cups. The cups are common in recycling. YouÂll have to buy the pump, 2-4 gang valves maybe the air hose. In fact you could even grow them in 35mm container in a hydroponic set up. If you hadnÂt worked with hydroponics before it would be a challenge to you. Some of the words and phrases would be alien but some would be the same. ItÂs just a different way of doing the same thing to get the same results. Now I had pictures of yields on plants but they were deleted. Now yield is the result of pollination but take that electric tooth brush to those flowers and everyone will produce fruit. The fruit may be small true but thatÂs because their not getting all they need to produce larger fruit. Try using a mixed hydroponic fertilizer every fourth watering then a common ph neutralizer from a pet store every 8th. Problem solved. ItÂs not all a matter of perception or perspective. But willingness too.

George, I have done the hydroponics thing so you can use hydroponic terms with me if you wish. Just stay away from inverse flowers in the soil and singing roots please. Those are terms I don't understand.

What is your point on the forum? You keep using so many words while saying absolutely nothing.

Over the course of 10 years you have photos, many of which you posted, but all pics of yields were deleted? Given your brief history here I am not inclined to believe that.

Just go grab a ground grown tomato plant and stick it in a soda bottle and we won't know the difference.

you know he is just going to grow a tom in the ground,flower and fruit it then put it in his 2 liter bottle.

no big surprise, i grow plants to 3 feet in pots just as big,except they wnt give you yeilds

I see everything wasnÂt deleted. Why I came here is simple...I wanted to talk to like minds. LIKE MINDS. But like you said I was only here a short time and all IÂve gotten was suspicion, resentment and demands to know what I know. ThereÂs no answering that and I donÂt intend to. I wanted to talk about plants. And if possibly people are over impressed by what you have seen so far what happens when you see Big Max pumpkins and Jublie Watermelons growing out of a 3 liter bottle?. No I wonÂt say the same bottle. Growing plants is fun. But I ask you whatÂs your point. Why the need to attack me? I thought there were mods as someone laughing called them to tell people to play nice? Suspicion, anger, and resentment from plant people? FROM PLANT PEOPLE? ThatÂs like fighting over "Organic" Ooops is that another touchie subject.

DUDE, no pics of fruits for over ten years of pic taking,LOL

Did anybody notice how there's no sprawling of the tomato plants? That the flowers are forming high on the plant? These just happen to be for a woman who's disabled. The fruits will grow about the 3' level and in easy reach. The plants form a canopy. When starting the plants are grown side by side. Usually I grow them 48 in a section. The weak sunlight Helps the tops to grow strong but no side shoots appear. Now these are seperated by their trays so sunlight can reach all sides of the plant. Everythings movable. Now that the plants are seperate with full sunlight you get flower production which is increased by using epsum salts either spray or water. As your flowers open fully use an electric toothbrush to pollinate them. She can reach both side of the rack with her wheel chair. Worrying about yields is old fashion. Science took care of yields years ago.

am i supposed to be wowed by the pic??

LOL, looks like p;ants trying to strectch and compete for light to me, no big surprise, did you think you reinvented the wheel with that one?