[Tenhens]

Planning to grow our tomatoes in buckets this year , previously have been in soil in the greenhouse. We have some buckets that are 8" across and 7" deep,  would these be too small?  The other option is to get some builders buckets which are bigger - £1 at b and q .

[Headgardener22]

Personally I would think they were too small. However, it depends how you plan to water them. I saw a thing on Gardener's World a couple of years ago where they tried growing tomatoes in small pots because they'd seen somebody else doing the same. I think they "failed" because they didn't water and feed the plants enough (I think he tried watering them the same as plants grown in growbags). I think that if you were to treat it more like hydroponics, it would be OK.

I use flower buckets from Morissons (99p for 10) and they seem to work.

I also use "1/2 grow bags" - cut the growbags in half and stand them on end.

[mumofstig]

Supermarket flower buckets (just lurk near the cut flowers 'til you see someone to ask for some  ) or buy the  builders buckets.
Whichever you choose they will need much more watering than they do growing in soil.

[Growster...]

We always grow toms like this.

10" pots with some ordinary garden soil in the bottom, and some new compost near the top always seems to work. We stand the pots in big trays - four pots a tray, and let them get on with it!

[Middlesexbloke]

Get the biggest tubs you can to grow toms in, especially cordon or indeterminate varieties. I use a mixture of 30 litre plastic tubs and 35 litre polypots in my greenhouse and they still need watering every few days during warm spells. Smaller pots require daily or even twice daily watering. Fine if you live by your plot but not great if you miss a day or two! Tomatoes have large root systems so need space to produce to their full potential. You can get away with smaller pots (say 15 litres) if they are half sunk into the ground. That way, the roots will spread from the bottom of the pot and allow the plant to grow stronger. I use that method too outside with good results.

[sunshineband]

I have successfully grown cordon tomatoes in flower buckets, but found the bush ones more of a challenge space-wise. Watering every day is essential I'm afraid.

But cutting the bottom out and planting them half in the soil sounds a happy medium, Middlesexbloke, although I realise for Tenhens this might not be what's wanted

[Tenhens]

Thank you for the replies. Must admit that hadn't thought about the watering frequency for a bucket size that we were thinking of using , a very valid piece of advice.  Will be 'investigating '  the cut flower section on our next supermarket visit as well as the builders buckets.   

Posted on the Frugal page a while back about teracotta pots and somebody replied about using buckets , drilling holes in the sides a couple of inches from the bottom which gives drainage as well as providing a reservoir.  I suspect that Mrs Tenhens will 'produce' more tomato plants than we planned for and we end up with a 'mixed' crop of buckets and soil grown so that we can give each plant a home.

Interesting suggestion about using polypots , have just looked on line and the prices seem reasonable. Must have walked past them more times than I care to remember at the garden centre , probably because they had plants in them.  How long do they last?

[Middlesexbloke]

Ooh the buckets idea sounds good! Will give that a go this year with a couple of plants to test it 

Polypots are super cheap, think I got a load on fleabay last few years. All my 35 litre ones are still as good as new if treated gently when emptying. I can't get to my plot every day due to the nature of my work so I have to use methods that allow less watering. The bigger pots dry out much less quickly so are very useful in that respect. All the best with your tomato growing, hope it's a wonderful year!

[Growster...]

We use watering trays in the greenhouse, they take either one growbag or four 10" pots, and are easy to keep watered.

If I can remember the way they're arranged (and I've lost the photo I took so will have to start again), in a 10' x 6' greenhouse, I think we get seven on the ground, although with some wooden bearers, to level them up, one or two trays overlap to make the most of the space.

That way, we can leave watering for a few days if it is dull and not too hot!

As advised here by others, feeding is from the top, and drinking is from the bottom, so we just use Tomorite about once a week.

(I've now got to search every photo - there is a copy on this site somewhere, but I can't recall why)!

[Sleepingpopman]

I only grow 2 tom's & 1 cucumber, I plant them in large builders buckets with loads of holes in the bottom usually in a mixture of compost & a grow bag, then I sit each bucket in a big garden trug which I keep about half full of water, then they take what they need & saves me watering 2 or even 3 times a day depending on weather. I then feed them from the top as required.
Hope this helps. Keith.

[snow white]

I have always grown them in the greenhouse soil and moved them around so that they are on a three year rotation.  This works well for tomatoes but I have little success with peppers and cucumbers.    So I have sunk several containers about 9" wide and 12" long into the soil itself with several drainage holes in the containers and have filled them with compost.  I am hoping the roots will go down into the soil out of the container, so they will not get too dry, but will have the compost around the roots as well to encourage good fruits out of them.  Its a big experiment as I have not done it before.   

[Tenhens]

Went to Morrisons today and bought 2 'packs' of the flower buckets previously mentioned - 10 for 99p. Also asked staff about the larger buckets with handles that the forementioned sit in, sadly not for sale. This afternoon happened to pop in to the other branch ( we have two in our area ), where they had one pack left , same price but slightly smaller.   

Last years growing was successful , hoping for the same this year, fingers crossed!!

[18Forts1999]

Went to Morrisons today and bought 2 'packs' of the flower buckets previously mentioned - 10 for 99p. Also asked staff about the larger buckets with handles that the forementioned sit in, sadly not for sale. This afternoon happened to pop in to the other branch ( we have two in our area ), where they had one pack left , same price but slightly smaller.   

I am trying this way of growing tomatoes this year.
My flower buckets from Morrisons cost me 99p for 8 this morning. Where do you go (mine local one is Belper)! Sounds like yours is better value.

[Tenhens]

I must apologise 18Forts1999,  have just checked our flower bucket count , there were 8 pots for 99p and not 10 ,  still reasonable though unless they start giving them away!!   The deeper ones - about 2" more growing room    , have a 'striped' appearance.

[18Forts1999]

I must apologise 18Forts1999,  have just checked our flower bucket count , there were 8 pots for 99p and not 10 ,  still reasonable though unless they start giving them away!!   The deeper ones - about 2" more growing room    , have a 'striped' appearance.

Mine are striped! Just drilled the holes in the bottom and sides. Now looking forward to using them. 
Will have to look around for freebies

edit to clarify quote