about the containers i use for my vegetables. currently i am using 5 gallon "paint" containers. the containers are about 11 inches deep by 12 inches wide. i recently saw in our local supermarket 54 quart clear plastic containers that are 15 inches wide by 12 inches deep by 22 inches long. i buy MG container garden soil in a 52 quart size bag.
i figured i can mix new soil with the soil i have left over from this years containers. but i would like to know if you think i can grow two toamto plants in one container or will they grow bigger if i just put one in each.
the same goes for eggplants and peppers. the reason i ask this is because the table where i put my containers holds about 10 or 12 five gallon containers and this size will eat up more space so that i will have a lower number of containers on the table in which to grow vegetables.
also, i now run a soaker hose through my containers but rest it on the top of the soil and it seems to work but with the 54 quart size i was wondering if i should put the soaker hose near the bottom and if so, won't it clog up.
thanks for any advice you can give me.
need some advice
No experience with tomatoes but peppers and eggplants in 10 gallon grow bags (about a buck apiece from Peaceful Valley) did great. Filled the bags with dirt, composed manure & potting mix. The white ones below are 15 gallons. Twice a week watering would have been best but I let them go for over a week on occasion.
One plant per 10 gallon bag (14" X 12" X 20") was enough for Tango and Udmalbet eggplants . Did put three Jimmy Nardellos and Alma paprika peppers in some of the 15 gallon bags and they did fine (don't have the dimensions of that bag but its maybe 4 inches deeper and not much wider than the 10)
This message was edited Oct 14, 2008 5:49 AM
Five gallons is he minimum for one tomatoe plant. 10 is much better than five.
davide - thanks. your plants look great
eweed - am i right in saying that a container that holds 54 quarts equals out to a 27 gallon container and if this is right then i should have no probelm putting two tomato plants in each one and possibly 3 or 4 eggplants.
There are 12 and 2/3 liquid gallons in 54 quarts.I dont know if liquid quarts are the same as dry but since wt is not mentioned I would assume so. You may get two small determinate plants to grow in there but my guess is you won't be happy with the results. You could probably grow two Tumbler cherry tomatoes in the 54 quart container. I grew three in a 15 inch square planter box about 16 inches high. It did ok but the ones that had two had better production and size than the three.
I dont think you will ever get this from a container I never did
This is this years three tumblers in a 25 gallon tub.
Herbie ~ a bit off topic... could you tell me if you have a trick for putting drainage holes in the 5 gallon containers? pod
eweed - you're right about what you can get out of a containr. at this point i am unsure how i am going to go. with the 5 gallon containers i have room for about 10 of them on the table on my patio. if i went to this bigger container i will be limiting myself to probably half the amount and while i would probably get bigger and better tomatoes i won't get as many plants. i will have to thing about it some more.
podster - i don't know the exact name of what i use but it attacvhes to your drill and it is round with teetch and you simply press it againt the plastic and it makes a nice clean hole.
Sounds like a burr to me. Actually a good idea for plastic because if you push to hard on a drill bit of any size you can break the container.
I don't know where you put your holes I changed mine from the bottom to about 3 inches up and they stay moist longer than my old ones.
As to where the soaker {and I assume it is the drip style} goes I think top is best because you can be monitor the watering process better if you can see the water going in the containers and if you want to remove a single container for some reason you can do so a lot easier than if it is on the bottom.
Also watering will be a lot faster from the top. It takes a lot longer for transpiration or wicking to finish than it takes for water to settle down by graviety. Watering from the bottom is best done by putting your container into another container and letting it sit in water.Takes more water to water from the bottom as well.
If you want more plants is another table an option or could you set some containers on upside down containers to elavate them some . if so then you should probably tie them to the edge of the deck so the wind can'tblow them over.
I
the table i have now is a called a green house table and its 4 x 10 ft. if i put another one on my deck i'll haveto add a pillow and blankets causethats where i would end up sleeping. LOL
the holes on the 5 gallon containers are right at the very top. as far as the hose goes i guess you can consideer it a soaker hose but when i watch it i can see that some ofthe water shoots out pretty high. in fact, the area around the table gets pretty wet when the hose is working.
thanks for our advice and help.
Thanks to you both for the information. That is exactly what I needed to know. Have got a similar project I am preparing for next spring with vegetables and herbs. I have been working it thru in my mind and think the positives will outweigh the negatives. About how many holes per your 5 and 10 gallon containers?
I use five gallon buckets for tomatoes with some holes aroudn the bottom outside. Personalyl I prefer the five gallons and one plant per bucket mainly because I get big plants, but also if ya have one that happens to get a disease ya cna isolate or pull it out and destroy it. if ya have more than one then ya have too toss both because the infection can spread to the second one.
podser - i put two holes a little bigger than a quarter on ech side ofthe container about 2 inches from the bottom.
starlight - all the tmatoes i grow usually are suposedto be at least one pound but i never get to that weight and i think its bcause of the container size.
Herbie,
In my experience (and it seems to be borne out by some folks over on the Winter Seeding forum), clear plastic containers and sun don't mix well. The containers become brittle and will break up when you try to lift move them at the end of a season. They will most likely be unusable at the end of the 2nd season, if they last that long.
thats for that tip. since it was more flexible than the "paint containers" i thought i would have no trouble with them. will go to plan b and thanks.