[Andee]

After a long absence, I note my last post here was in 2010! Sorry. My chooks, for whom I sort advice here, have been doing well and provide immense pleasure and the occasional eggs.

Can I ask the experts around here about my greenhouse methods? I do not know where I got this idea from.

I plant my toms, Qs, and sweet peppers in large pots filled with my own compost which I then sink into the greenhouse border. The reasons for this are:-
1) Increased growing height.
2) roots do not get too hot, as they would if the pots were left above ground.
3) water stays in the pot so I water less and less often then I would if the plants were direct in the soil.

What do you folks think of this method.

[Yorkie]

Looks good. I've seen people sink pots into the ground or greenhouse border, but leave more of the pot above ground. This means an even greater depth of soil, as the tomato can add extra roots in the pot below the eventual higher soil level.

I assume your tomato pots are bottomless?

[Andee]

No, I leave the pots complete with bottoms in the belief that water retention is greater than if they were bottomless (ring culture). There are a few drainage holes in the base of each pot.
I’d love to know if I dreamt this idea up myself or heard about it elsewhere. It all seems very logical to me.