You are going the right route using Al's 5-1-1. It drains really well. I like the fact it is as Al says, almost impossible to over water. I am using 5-1-1 this year for the first time in 18 gallon storage containers from walmart that were $4.88 and I have been well pleased with my tomatoes as well as yellow summer squash and bush cucumbers. Conventional wisdom says to use at least a 10 gallon with larger size preferred. It gives the roots room to grow and holds more moisture for lower watering needs. I am growing Better Boy and Brandywine tomatoes which are large vined indeterminates and the 18 gallon containers have no problem supporting their water and nutritional needs, as long as I do my part that is. I am also growing Better Bush which top out at 4 feet and they are doing well. For 18 gallon containers I used each, 1.5 cf of soil conditioner, pine bark fines, from Lowes 8 quarts of perlite from walmart. 8 quarts of peat moss from wherever. 1 cup of powdered dolimite lime. As far as fertilizing there are many choices. Try doing a search for "fertilizing 5-1-1" We had some really hot weather over 100 for 2 weeks and I used the lids to shade the containers and the plants didn't suffer much to the eye. I watered well every two days during that time. I can go 3 when cooler. I also used shredded paper as a mulch and it reduced my watering needs and helped keep the mix cooler than without.

I wouldn't go too crazy with adding nitrogen. It makes the plants grow more foliage quicker. the foliage is weaker and it attracts more insects. I only fertilize once per growing season. Not all plants tolerate the dish soap spray. I would use BT (which is a natural spray) only if I see caterpillars. Alot of bugs are harmless. Like 90%!

Yep, I live in central Florida. Most of central Florida is pretty sandy though there are exceptions, just like there are micro climates, there are odd patches of soil some places. Some people will liken gardening in Florida to hydroponics, the sand helps hold the plant up and we have to provide everything else. That does not have to be the case and is actually very detrimental to the environment. In a state that looks like swiss cheese with the numbers of lakes and we still suffer from a shortage of good water. People tend to over irrigate with sprinklers which is pretty bad. Yes we are in a state that often gets over 50 inches of rain a year but most of it comes during the summer/fall. The rest of the year can sometimes be very dry yet still humid. Makes for some challenging growing conditions. I use huge amounts of compost and mulch along with drip irrigation to help with my gardening. While on the NY clay you might do raised bed gardens to get better drainage, here in FL I do raised beds in order to fill them with lots of compost that holds moisture better than the powdery sand. There is year round growing of something or other here but many people give up on the garden through summer since they just can't stand to spend much time out of doors right now, some plants can be kept going with shade cloth and drip irrigation though. During the coldest part of the year here, all the normal northern spring and fall crops usually do great. I've not had much luck with regular potatoes though. Sweet potatoes love the hot humid wet climate. Some pests present a real challenge to those of us who won't use strong chemicals and many of those pests are pretty immune to many of the strongest chemicals anyway. Growing here can be a little frustrating since we are not quite tropical so the tropical plants can be knocked off by frosts and it is too hot here or we don't get enough chilling hours to grow some of the northern favorites. We also have nematodes big time. I've found that the tomatoes do much better in the aquaponic system than anywhere I have tried to grow them in the ground or even containers on the ground. Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx

Thanks KayJones - I checked on the roots - no root rot, no worms, and didnt seen to be root bound. I'm not sure about wet/dry. It was watered daily but not saturated. The one in the sunnier spot did just fine with the same conditions, so I'm assuming the watering was done correctly...perhaps it was just not a healthy plant? My mom had the same experience - same nursery (1 lived, 1 died). I've planted my 2 new vines and they seem to be happy for now. How much should I be watering them?