For one plant, using new seed I would plant 4 seeds. 3 or 4 should sprout. Pot up 3 of these (you want 2 but one might die), plant one of them and keep one in reserve one in case something happens early on. Once you are happy that it is growing well give the extra seedlings away.

You can squeeze two plants into an 18 gallon container, but those plants can get big so you might want to prune them.

To each his or her own, but I disagree about two plants in one 18 gallon tub, especially the varieties you mention. Brandywines can be stingy with production anyway, and crowding them wouldn't give you much fruit to enjoy. I'd suggest exploring here for varieties that do well in containers, but in any event, I'd plant only one plant per 18 gallon container. Tomato plant root systems are vast and they can become root-bound in pots very quickly.

I agree that sowing 4 seeds for one plant is a good idea. It will help you avoid starting over if the germination rate of your seeds is low.

I personally would not put two plants in one container that size because I'm lazy and the plants would suffer, but alot of the earthtainer folks out there regularly do so with good results. You just have to be diligent with water and fertilizer.

Also, do you think that a single 18-gallon tub would be large enough for both tomato plants?

Maybe, possibly - although it is not something I would do here, especially with the two varieties you are growing. They can get quite large as spiced ham pointed out. A self-watering container might increase the odds of a good result, as I think several who use Earthboxes or EB type containers sometimes put two. In any case, if I were to try putting two plants in one self-watering container (here in my inferno), it wouldn't be those two. It would probably be two compact indets or semi-dets (or dets or dwarves), or one large indet and then another var that is more on the compact side.

If it's just going to be a tote where you are top watering with a hose and occasionally adding fertilizer, might be tough to keep up with providing enough of what the two plants need and *when* they need it in that size of container.

Btw, there is a thread or two here about building your own self watering containers out of plastic totes - do a search on "earthtainer" and/or "raybo".

There are also Josh's instructions for making them, see link at the end. Can't recall if Josh covers the need for a fertilizer strip and dolomite lime in his instructions, think Ray might.

Also, what state or growing zone are you in? In a warmer or long season climate, the plants will likely get much larger than if, say, you live in Vermont or Canada. Plus, their water needs will be higher in a hot or warm climate.

Oh, and I would personally start 8-10 seeds, 4-5 of each - then pick the 2-3 best looking of each var to pot up from your sowing. That way, you have a backup or two in case something happens to the plants.

Here is a link that might be useful: self watering container instructions (josho)

>> Should I plant 6 just in case? How many seeds do you have? I would start all of them (unless you have like an ounce of them) and then transplant the best ones.

Mike

Thanks for the advice, people.

I have about 30 seeds of each. I have plenty of people to give them away to, if I have extra.

What about a 36-gallon self-watering container? Would both plants fit nicely in that? If not, I can use two separate 18-gal self-watering containers but I would prefer not to if possible.

Use either 31 gal or 36 gal for 2 plants. You'll have plenty of root space for both. Make sure you divide the center to separate each root ball. Rubbermaid makes nice 31 gal tote.

Here's Rays totes and maters growing

{{gwi:2984}}http://earthtainer.org/Home_Page.html

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Build Ray's Earthtainer

Since I hate killing tomatoes, I start with 3 seeds. If you keep them warm they should be sprouted in at least 2 weeks, so if none come up, you can plant 3 more. But if your seeds are new, they should all come up if planted properly.

Just out of curiosity, how did you choose those two as your only tomaotes? If I were you, I would have at least one cherry, or maybe a "saladette" tomato that produces a huge crop, instead of two beefsteak-types that produce one tomato every two or three weeks. Something like Eva Purple Ball??

Carla in Sac

I called a bunch of family and friends and I found four people, each of whom has a huge back yard, who are willing to take any extra tomatoes off my hands, so I went ahead and planted a dozen of each.

I actually don't know much about the production of the various tomato cultivars. I chose Brandywine because I wanted to grow an heirloom and I heard that one tasted good. I choose Super Beefsteak because I happened to see it at the supermarket and it looked good. I have a gardening book that mentions a couple determinate varieties of cherry or grape tomatoes that are small enough to grow in hanging baskets, and I might give those a try too, but I probably won't start them from seed..

"If you keep them warm they should be sprouted in at least 2 weeks"
- Mine always seem to come up in a week...all the seeds (not just tomatoes) I grow seem to come up sooner than their packaging/descriptions say, and without added heat! How come?

Yes, mine come up sooner too, but if two weeks have gone by I figure they are not going to come up, and that's the point when I re-seed, so I don't miss the growing window by too long. If I re-seed at one week, I would likely have way too many come up because they were slow. If I waited 4 weeks, then it would be 2 weeks less growing time in the ground, and that's a lot for shorter growing regions. For me, another month doesn't matter, because my growing season is about 8 months long. But I give "general advice" not aimed at my area because I know that for most on this board, another 2 weeks for seed is a big deal.

And why I always beg everyone to put where you LIVE, and not just your zone, in your tagline--but I digress...:)

Carla in Sac