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Vegetable Gardening

tomatoes in buckets

12 years ago

Hi!

Thinking ahead to next year already. Am trying to find ways to save and maximize space. My question is:

Can you grow tomatoes in buckets as well as you can directly in the garden? Full sun and all the same, just in a big bucket? is 5 gallon big enough?

Thanks!

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Comments (7)

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
12 years ago
People grow tomatoes in any kind of container you can imagine, 5 gal bucket is pretty standard. Some will just cut a slit in a bag of compost, others use plastic storage tubs... There is a whole forum about just tomatoes where you will probably find many discussions about this very subject. You may also want to look on the container forum for more discussions about tomatoes in containers.
Slimy_Okra
12 years ago
Yeah, tomatoes are the weeds of the vegetable world. Yield will be progressively decreased the smaller the container, but any tomato is better than no tomato, so...go ahead!
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Grow your own yummy fun! Grow your own tomato plants in five gallon buckets. They can be moved around easily and are a great project for home or at the office. These will work very well if you garden on a patio, balcony, or a deck! Needs: 5 gallon bucket, nail, hammer, soil, wooden stake, water, plant food, tomato seedling, sunshine. Using the hammer and nail bang about a dozen holes into the bottom of the bucket--this is to allow excess moisture to drain from the soil. Fill the bucket with soil to about four inches from the top. Add a handful of granular plant food and scratch it into the top of the soil. Insert the stake down into the center of the soil, making sure that its end is more than halfway down into the soil. Transplant the seedling into the center of the soil, close to the stake. Water the seedling thoroughly, making sure that the soil is saturated...the excess water will drain away through the holes in the bottom of the bucket. Place the bucket in a sunny location that gets more than six hours of sun a day. Water the soil often so that it doesn't dry out....in warm weather it may require as much as a gallon of water a day. As the seedling grows tie it to the stake with string to help support the plant. Harvest the tomatoes when they are ripe.
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suburbangreen
12 years ago
Some people recommend only 10 gallon containers or greater. In the heat of summer, container tomatoes need to be watered and fertilized pretty often. Do a search for "earthtainers" on the web or in the tomato growing forum. These self-watering containers work good.
dolivo
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks everyone!
jolj
12 years ago
5 gallon buckets will do fine or 30/55 gallon plastic drums cut in half do well too.
You need a drip system, if you can not water every day.
You can use it to feed the plants too.
I have a friend who used 5-8 gallon containers & drip system on tomatoes,pepper,summer squash,onions,beans & egg plant.
The egg plant was 5 feet tall from the top of the container & mult-branched. The plant was covered with flowers & fruit, this was in August in Ga. zone 8.
Donna
12 years ago
Oh, yes. Tomatoes do well in containers, with GOOD CARE. I have grown them for years in containers, even the ten years I took off from vegetable gardening. I would say that you need to think about the size of the tomato too. If you buy transplants that have "bush" in the name: Better Bush, Bush Goliath, etc. you can get by with a somewhat smaller container. The plants are bred specifically for this purpose. The plants are smaller. The fruit is smaller, though very tasty. This same rule seems to apply to "determinates" like Celebrity and Rutgers. They do fine in a somewhat smaller container (no less than 5 gallons, though.)

On the other hand, some Cherry tomatoes can get very large, and need the largest container you can give them. I grew Sungold this year for the first time in a ten gallon nursery bucket. It has done well, but the last six to eight weeks it has needed ALOT of water. I suspect its roots are crowded and I will give it a bigger pot next year. DELICIOUS tomatoes. I picked a nice handfull today. Next year, THREE plants for us!

And then there are the indeterminates, the monsters of the family. These are the plants that will really need a half barrel size (and a good sturdy cage or trellis). Honestly, I think these are best in the ground, but that's just me.

Just a thought, but I have had such great luck with eggplants and peppers in pots, that I use what used to be their bed space for the big tomato plants.
praxxus55712
12 years ago
You can definitely grow tomatoes extremely well in containers. Make certain the soil is rich in compost and also give them shots of compost tea during the entire season to keep them growing like mad. You can even grow them successfully in containers inside during the winter. It's fun and easy as heck. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: My Youtube channel

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