Allow me to be somewhat sarcastic (appearing) initially. The 'best' growing medium in this case is the one that allows sufficient aeration while also holding sufficient water until you can reasonably water again. If Al's mix worked out well for you in a traditional pot last year then I would say use it again this year, but with some caveats. Is the volume of potting mix your hanging basket holds the same, less than or greater than the pot you used last year? Is the hanging basket a plastic pot with some 'hooks' that attach or is it a fiber lined basket? If your answer is that the hanging basket holds as much potting mix volume as the pot used last year and it is a plastic pot then I would say do the same thing you did last year. If the volume it holds is less and/or you are using a fiber lined basket then you will have to water more often than you did last year. IF this isn't acceptable/realistic then you may have to consider modifying the mix to hold more water. Let us know.

There are a lot of variables to growing tomatoes and peppers - or anything else, for that matter. You didn't mention how you fertilized last year. While you can grow even full-sized tomatoes in 5 gal buckets, they will require regular fertilization. In your situation, I would use Espoma TomatoTone at the recommended rates. For container growing, I believe they have you incorporate TTone with your soil mix at one rate and then side dress a smaller amount at intervals during the growing season. There are other options, but I think your post implies that you're looking for a straightforward approach that will yield reliable results. ProMix is pH balanced and TTone has calcium, magnesium and minor nutrients. For these reasons you should not have to add lime. If you end up cutting the ProMix with something like pine bark fines to save a bit of money, you should add some dolomite lime - maybe about 2 oz. per bucket. That's going to be roughly 1/4 cup, depending on whether the lime is pelleted of finely ground. Finely ground is preferable. I mentioned pine bark fines - PBF's are finely ground pieces of pine bark. They are sometimes hard to find, but worth the effort. You'll find much information about them here in the container forum. If you can locate them in the right size (I think 1/8" - 3/16" is recommended) then they will make a great addition to the ProMix. In my area, PBF's run about $3 - $4 for 2 cu. feet. If this sounds like something you'd consider, familiarize yourself with the concepts of the 5-1-1 (which it sounds like maybe you've done already). I wouldn't use compost as it will impair drainage and isn't necessary if you follow a good fertility regimen. If you really want to add it, I'd keep it to 5-10% of the total mix. Watering is tricky and will depend on how much supplemental help you get in the way of rain. You obviously want to provide adequate irrigation for healthy plant growth without overwatering. Overwatering is probably the top problem (and challenge) with container grown fruits and veggies. Not only does overwatering invite disease and other issues, but it comprises flavor in a big way. I'll let others weigh-in on the best tomato varieties. There are so many. In your climate, it's a bit late to start from seed, but you can find plants at your local garden center or could order heirlooms by mail from a place like selectedplants.com. They have an excellent reputation and an unparalleled selection. They can also advise which varieties would be best-suited to your situation. Yes, there are self-pollinating cukes. Diva is one that I've tried and which gets positive reviews from others. It's hard to say if pollination is your issue. If bees are around, I don't think they'd have a hard time finding your plants 15' high.

I knew it was to good to be true. Interesting though. There was a guy on the hydro or tomato (can't remember) forum last year who was growing outdoors in cypress mulch in Florida. His plants looked good. I didn't keep in touch so maybe things went down hill eventually. Anyway I will stick to bark, at least is relatively inexpensive. I'm going to need a cement mixer to fill all my containers though. Phil in Alaska

Hi Al. I have to use my phone for Internet. DM is auto-corrected from DE - diatomaceous earth. Sorry about that. Yes, I bare-rooted it, washed the roots, and spread them out in the pot. It is all grit, no soil, no bark. I don't have a place to sift messy bark fines in my tiny apartment, so you and I discussed it and left them out. I use exactly the method you describe to get the excess water out of the bottom of the grit after I water this plant. (It seems an enormous pot to me). I don't do it hard enough to get more than a couple tablespoons though. I don't know why I hadn't thought to do that when it wilted. I have done the dowel test though, a number of times, and it comes out dry. I use meat skewers, which are actually bamboo, but that should make little difference. If I leave the skewer in the grit and just pull it out when I'm testing the wetness, the skewer is always damp. If I just shove one into it for a few seconds to test it, it comes out dry. I don't know the optimum amount of time to leave it in. Suggestions? When it wilts, I water it, so I don't know if it would perk up on its own overnight. That's an interesting observation though. With soil it's easy to tell why something wilts. I've been watering it every two days since it last wilted, so I'll return to the previous twice weekly schedule and see if it releases any water with the shake test before watering it again. It is growing surprisingly fast. I cut a broken leaf off of it just a week or so ago, and I'm surprised to see the leftover stub has grown about 1/2 inch. That seems a lot for a Draceana in mid-winter in this climate. All but my succulents, Sansevieria, and Beaucarnea have been growing quite fast all fall & winter though, despite the cold and gloom here. The only exception was a pothos in straight DE, but that took off after changing to 2:1 mix. Thanks for your help, Al. I'll let you know if I get any water out of the pot in a couple days. In case anyone's following this, the thread Al's referring to is below. Here is a link that might be useful: Draceana and increasing disenchantment...