Getting the Nutrients Just Right

Successfully growing tomatoes in containers means plenty of water and the proper balance of nutrients. EarthTainers (aka self-watering containers (SWC)) take care of the water. Nutrients is another thing. Miracle Grow potting mix contains a very generic set of nutrients (0.21-0.07-0.14). Too much nitrogen causes tomatoes to grow fast (good), but the resulting plant will be all foliage and little fruit. To grow abundant fruit, the tomato plant needs plenty of phosphorus. A lack of calcium causes blossom end rot (BER), so a supplement like garden lime is required. To provide some of the other micro-nutrients, I'll add some Epsom salts.

The EarthTainer system uses a band of fertilizer that is placed opposite the plant and 1"-2" below the surface. Over the course of the growing season the fertilizer will slowly dissolve and disperse through the container.

Colorburst fertilizer has a nice balance for growing tomatoes (15-30-15). I'll use 1 cup of that plus 1/2 cup each of Epsom salts and garden lime.

Where have all the Roughnecks gone?

I couldn't find any real Rubbermaid Roughnecks, which are far and away the best of the storage totes. Sterilite makes a decent clear tote, but the rest are cheap knock-offs. I drove around today looking for Roughnecks and there aren't any to be had. I found some 18 gallon "Planet Friendly" totes at Lowes. They're made of 99% post consumer product, seem pretty strong and at $4.47 each they are in my price range.

I picked up some other components including 1.5" black ABS pipe, perforated pipe, 54" tomato cages and some Miracle Grow with Moisture Control potting mix. The Moisture Control formula has coconut coir (shredded husk?) in it that is supposed to increase moisture retention without being soggy. Time will tell.

EarthTainers are way cooler than a TopsyTurvys

After I bought tomato plants yesterday, I started investigating Do-It-Yourself upside-down planters. www.gardenweb.com is a great resource for gardening information. After coming to the conclusion that upside-down ain't so great, I started looking at alternatives. The most interesting is the EarthTainer. I'm going to base my EarthTainers on the designed layout in a message by dennisj550 in this thread on gardenweb. It minimizes the construction expense, because you only need one Roughneck.

Pam is going out of town this weekend, so I'm going shopping!