Growing Tomatoes In Containers: Four Systems Compared (Part 1)

If you grow vegetables in containers, here's a description of four very different systems you may want to consider.  This season, I'll track the effectiveness and report back periodically on how each is producing tomatoes. 

This year, I'm testing the performance of four container systems;  specifically, their effectiveness in  growing tomatoes, the most popular garden vegetable.  In this first posting, I'll describe each of the four systems in the test, the methodology used to conduct the test, and the preparation required to plant a tomato seedling using each of the systems.

Later in the season, I will assess the performance of each system, identify the pros and the cons, and provide ratings and recommendations.

Methodology

Test Plants: To make comparison between the systems as fair as possible, I used the same variety of tomato in each of the four systems, an early bearing determinate variety called Oregon Spring. 

The seedlings were all planted in trays on the same day and then transplanted to their respective containers on the same day. 

Location: All plants are being grown outside, with the exception of the AutoPot hydroponic system which is placed inside my greenhouse, as is normal with a hydroponic system.  All the containers in the test are placed within a few feet of each other (including the AutoPot hydroponic system)  to ensure that each plant gets a similar amount of sunshine.

Fertilizer Schedule: Each system is designed to deliver fertilizer or nutrient solution in a different manner.  For this test, fertilizer is going to be applied based on the manufacturers instructions.  In the case of the SmartPot, the manufacturer does not make a recommendation, so the tomatoes planted in the SmartPot got the same fertilizer schedule as the TopsyTurvy.  

Watering Schedule:  The AutoPot and EarthBox use a reservoir to supply water to plants.  These reservoirs will be filled up periodically as needed to keep water in the system.  That probably means once a week or less.  Neither the SmartPot nor the TopsyTurvy use a reservoir.  Plants in these containers will be watered in the morning and evening if required to keep the soil moist.

The Four Systems

EarthBox -- This is a self watering container box.  It is designed to minimize effort on the part of the gardener.  The EarthBox works by wicking moisture out of a reservoir in the bottom of the planter.

With the EarthBox, you add fertilizer to the soil just once at the beginning of the growing season.  The fertilizer, which is supplied with the EarthBox, is placed into a trench you dig in the center of the planter when you set up the Earthbox.  You then cover the soil with a black cloth which is supplied with the kit and cut slits into the cloth to plant your seedlings.  The black cloth minimizes evaporation and prevents weeds from growing around your plants.

You water your planter with a garden hose by filling the reservoir through a black tube that sticks up through the top of the planter.  You can't over water with an EarthBox; once the reservoir is filled, any additional water spills out through and overflow hole in the planter. 

The Earthbox will support a variety of vegetables in quantities based on the size of the plants: two artichokes, or 16 beans, or 16 corn plants, or in my case, 2 tomato plants. 

Cost: about $45 with all the fertilizer you need for one season.  Can accommodate two tomato plants.  I also purchased a tomato cage which is sold as an accessory. 

TopsyTurvy -- We've all seen this on TV and I couldn't resist trying it out.  Like the EarthBox, the TopsyTurvy is supposed to make gardening easier.  It does this by eliminating the need to weed, and making it easier to prune and collect tomatoes.  This is accomplished by growing the tomato upside down -- roots to the sky and plant facing towards the earth. 

At its core, the TopsyTurvy is a plastic bag hung from three wires.  Perhaps the most interesting technical feature of this planter is that the tomato plant is held in place by a foam disk.  You slide the plant to the center of the disk through a pre-cut slit and place the disk into the center of the planter.  You then fill the rest of the container with garden soil.  The growing instructions tell you to add fertilizer when first planting the TopsyTurvy and to fertilize on a periodic basis.  You add water and water soluble fertilizer through the top of the planter. 

The company supplies a strong eye hook that you can use to anchor your planter into a beam or other structure.  In my case, I used a hanging planter crane.  However, the TopsyTurvy is so heavy when soil and water are added, that I needed to reinforce the planter crane with metal garden stakes and also a rope tied from the top of the fence to an adjacent fence. 

Cost: about $12 (without fertilizer, planter crane or stakes).  Can accommodate one tomato plants.

SmartPot -- This is closest of the systems to a traditional clay pot, but the SmartPot is made out of fabric.  The main advantages to the system are that they are lighter, will not crack like ceramic pots, and the company claims that a fabric pot offers the advantages of being cooler and providing more air to your plants roots than traditional pots. Ostensibly, this results in healthier plants.

Smart pots come in a variety of sizes from 1 to 400 gallons.  I'm using a 5 gallon size for one tomato plant.  Planting is the same as with traditional clay or plastic pots; you add garden soil and then plant your tomato in the center of the container.

To compare as accurately as possible to the other container systems, I'm going to fertilize the the plant in the SmartPot on the same schedule as the TopsyTurvy. 

Cost: about $6 (without fertilizer).  Can accommodate one tomato plant.

Autopot -- The AutoPot is a hydroponic system that requires no pumps or electricity to function.  The heart of the system is the  3" x 4" plastic valve that regulates the amount of water and nutrients supplied to your plants.  The valve sits in a saucer and the pot containing the plant is placed in the same saucer.  Water and nutrients stored in an external tank flow to the valve via plastic tubing and the valve feeds water into the saucer as needed.  Water and nutrients are then pulled into the pots via capillary action where the roots of your plants can absorb them. 

Hydroponic systems don't require soil, but they do require some type of media in which the plants will grow their roots.  In my case, I'm using a mixture of 90% pearlite and 10% vermiculite.  The plants will be fed Cutting Edge Solutions brand nutrient according to manufacturers instructions. 

I did a complete review of the AutoPot system in a prior blog posting if you are interested in learning more about AutoPots. 

Cost: about $65 without nutrient solution or external nutrient reservoir.  Can accommodate two tomato plants.

First Impressions & Next Steps

• The easiest and least complicated system to set up was the SmartPot; just add soil to the pot and you're done.  That said, none of the container systems in this evaluation were particularly difficult or time consuming to assemble and plant.
• I would caution anyone using the TopsyTurvy to make sure that whatever you use to hang your plant is secured well.  I didn't take an actual measurement, but I wouldn't be surprised if it weighed 50 pounds when loaded with wet garden soil.  You don't want this to fall on your head.
• Over the course of the growing season, I'll provide updates on how well the tomatoes are doing in their respective pots.  I'll be commenting on the advantages and disadvantages of each system.  And of course, where the rubber meets the road, is how well they produce tomatoes - quantity and quality. Stay tuned for more details on this as we get deeper into tomato season.
  

Comments

[Dawn]

Mark,
How much sunlight do your tomato plants get every day? After some drastic pruning, our backyard now gets more sun in some spots, but we don't have full sun anywhere. I'm wondering if it's possible and worthwhile to try some tomatoes this year.

[H. Mark Delman]

Hi Dawn:

Tomatoes are everyones favorite, but they do require alot of sun -- 6 hours is a bare minimum, 8-11 hours is great. Watch your garden during the day and see how much sun you get. One thing to consider is that, as we get deeper into the summer, the position of the sun changes -- gets higher over the horizon, so what may be borderline today, might actually be much better in a few weeks. It really depends on the position of your garden and the position of trees that shade it. If you are on the borderline, I would just go for it. Plant a few tomatoes and see what happens. If you dont have enough sun for tomatoes, consider plants that have lower light requirements - lettuces, chard, cabbage, broccoli, radishes, beets all can get buy with 5
hours.

[Sasha]

Interesting that you posted this today, as I spent the morning doing a little internet research on growing vegetables in containers. What type of soil would you recommend? Different internet sites I visited recommended various ratios of compost, peat moss, perlite and sand. The ground here is red clay so I have raised beds and would like to grow tomatoes and peppers in containers. My plan was to use 5 gallon buckets (since I already have a lot of them) with holes drilled about 4-6 inches from the bottom.

[Mark Delman]

Hi Sasha:
The key is to have soil that drains well. That's why people are recommending creating mixes with things like perlite. If you use "potting soil" it's going to work well in containers. I generally add some compost to this as well. My assumption is that you are going to fill your containers with new soil and not use the red clay from your garden as the base.

[Beth]

Thanks for the info. about Autopots. I've haven't had much luck with Topsy-Turvy type planters and overall, do most of my gardening in raised beds. However, I have been looking for some container options -- your overview of various containers is really helpful.