Looking for the best cheap containers for large indeterminate tomato plants.?

Question

I recently planted two heirloom tomato plants in 8 gallon pots from a gardening store. Planted in potting mix with some added granules which maintain moisture. Growing very well so far. Fastest I've seen tomatoes grow.

I should have gotten larger pots. I've read that the larger growing heirloom plants (indeterminate) need a larger growing space than smaller commercial plants (determinate) for best results. So I want to transfer the plants to containers of larger size. At **least** 15 gallons and tall so the roots have room to grow.

The 8 gallon pots I bought were sort of expensive, even thought they were on sale. So I'm looking for advice on what would be a cheap large sized container (15+ gallon) and where to buy.

Answer 1

I grow at least one or two heirloom tomatoes each year in addition to a few grape & cherry tomato plants, but I have a small garden space for them; I live on "wetland" (I amend the soil in the garden) & amazingly I never have to water my garden all year; my tomato plants usually get to be at least 4 to 5 foot tall. I would be very careful about transplanting tomatoes; it has never worked out for me, because it sets them back a bit ; best to put them in a large pot to begin with; I suppose you could buy those round rubbermaid tubs (that have the rope handles on them) & put in drainage holes; most retail stores should carry them; I think they are $6-$8 ? I have one that I use when I am pruning or transplanting. Veggies are not particular about whether or not they are growing in a garden pot or a laundry /all purpose tub. I think the greatest expense would be the amount of potting soil that you would need to grow these in; for flowers in a tub, I use the postal peanuts to fill in the bottom, but wouldn't recommend it for veggies as they need the nutrients . You could get away with adding broken pottery pieces or stones to the bottom-that will help with the good drainage needed as well, & remember to stake them as soon as you re-pot them up so you won't damage the roots by doing it later on. Good luck !

Answer 2

I like the idea of the large plastic drums. That normally works pretty well. However there are other methods you can use.

One is just take some cheap cardboard boxes or crates up at a local grocery for free. Then just line them with a large plastic bag. You might want to raise the boxes off the ground if they are going to sit outside so the water doesn't pool at the bottom and cause the bottom of the box to rot out.

Or another thing you can do is just use some Rubbermaid containers. They would be plenty big to use. Or another cheap method that would work really well is to use a cheap styrafoam cooler. Actually, a cheap styrafoam cooler would be one of the cheapest and most durable methods to use.

Answer 3

Although I don't think you need larger containers, you could buy plastic drums and cut them in half. This would give you two containers for a low price. If you don't like the color, use some Krylon Fusion spray paint. Where I live, drums go for 10 to $15.

Answer 4

An eight gallon pot should be sufficient with only one plant per pot. We have ours in five gallon buckets.

Check out our website for more container gardening ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.com/container-gardening.html

Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!