How to grow tomatoes in bottomless buckets

The method of growing tomatoes in bottomless buckets emerged in the late 20th century. It was then forgotten and revived only about ten years ago. This option has its pros and cons. The advantages include saving space for cultivation, a shorter growing season, and eliminating the need for weeding. However, not all tomato varieties are suitable for this growing method. Careful selection of containers is also essential.

Advantages of the method

Growing tomatoes in buckets has advantages:

1. This method allows you to grow tomatoes in any garden plot. There's no need to look for space for beds or greenhouses.
2. The soil in buckets warms up faster than in beds. Seedlings can be planted three weeks earlier. The bushes begin to bear fruit earlier than expected.
3. Weeds do not grow in the soil placed in containers.
4. Tomatoes kept in buckets are practically not susceptible to diseases.
5. Plants in buckets can be moved, protected from hail, or placed in the shade.
6. Bushes in individual containers are characterized by active development. The root system becomes more powerful, the stems thicken, and the fruits acquire more sugar.

This method has one drawback. The soil used in the buckets is good for one season. It must be completely replaced before the next planting.

What you will need for planting

Tomatoes won't grow on their own in any container. They need to be provided with conditions similar to those in a garden, but in a smaller space.

To plant tomatoes in buckets, you will need to prepare the following:

1. Capacities.
2. Priming.
3. Humus.
4. Drainage (fine crushed stone, expanded clay, broken brick).
5. Top dressing: humus, hay, grass, eggshells, etc.

Suitable varieties

Any variety of tomato can be grown in buckets. However, if tomatoes are to be grown outdoors, experienced gardeners recommend choosing low-growing varieties. Buckets produce a good harvest. cherry.

Tall indeterminate tomato varieties can be grown in greenhouses. These include:

• Miracle of the Earth;
• Novikov's Giant;
• Yantarevsky;
• Egyptian giant.

What buckets are suitable and how to prepare them

You can grow tomatoes in any container with a perforated bottom and a capacity of at least 10 liters. This space will allow the roots to grow freely and nourish the plant.

Containers that resemble buckets in shape and size can be purchased at a flower shop (plant pots) or you can use what you have on hand:

• plastic containers for bulk food products;
• wooden tubs;
• household buckets for food waste.

Tomatoes don't care what container they're in, but avoid black buckets to prevent the plant's root system from overheating on hot, sunny days. If the bucket is black, you can wrap it in white opaque cloth or burlap.

Plastic and wooden containers have one significant drawback. They burst due to temperature fluctuations and don't last more than two seasons. Iron containers last longer.

It's best to use new buckets or food-grade containers for growing tomatoes. If the containers previously contained paint or cement, they need to be cleaned and aired out.

The end of October is the best time to prepare buckets for spring planting of tomato seedlings.

Prepare buckets for tomatoes like this:

1. Clean and wash the containers.
2. Several holes are made in the bottom to allow water to drain.
3. A 2-3 cm layer of drainage material is placed on the bottom. This can be small stones, expanded clay, or broken brick.
4. Soil is poured onto the drainage.
5. The soil is loosened and watered with warm water.

The buckets will stay like this until spring. It's best to leave them in the greenhouse and, if possible, regularly cover them with snow.

Soil preparation

The buckets are filled with not just soil, but a potting mix. It should be nutritious and provide the plant with all the necessary nutrients. If you can't prepare your own nutritious potting soil, you can use store-bought soil and further enrich it with micro- and macronutrients.

The soil mixture for tomatoes in buckets includes the following components:

• turf soil;
• peat or humus;
• wood ash;
• hay, weeds and plant food residues in the form of humus;
• mineral fertilizers (urea, superphosphate, potassium chloride, manganese).

To prepare the soil, take equal parts of all the ingredients, mix them, and water them with a bright pink manganese solution. The solution requires 1 g of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water.

The principle of planting tomatoes

It takes less time for soil in buckets to warm up than in larger volumes in greenhouses and garden beds. Tomatoes can be planted in individual containers in May, when nighttime temperatures remain above freezing.

Some people believe that containers with bushes should be buried in the ground, deepening them to a depth of twenty-five to thirty centimeters. However, if the root system grows through the holes, it will be impossible to move the bucket.

Seedlings are planted in buckets using the same principle as in a greenhouse or open ground:

• make a hole (about 15 centimeters), add a growth stimulator into it (optional);
• the seedlings are lowered into the hole and covered with soil up to the root collar (up to the lower leaves);
• The soil is compacted and watered with warm water.

The bucket growing method does not involve transplanting or replanting plants, so it is recommended to plant one tomato seedling per bucket.

Plant care

Tomatoes grown in buckets are no different from their counterparts in garden beds or greenhouses, so care is the same. A big advantage of growing plants in individual containers is that they can be moved around, protecting them from direct sunlight or heavy precipitation, such as hail.

To ensure a good harvest of tomatoes, you should do the following:

• water the bushes generously with warm water;
• loosen the soil to allow oxygen to reach the roots;
• carry out pinching out of side shoots;
• feed the plants.

Tomato plants growing in containers require three feedings. Apply them at the roots in the following order:

1. The first feeding is done ten days after transplanting the seedlings. It consists of water (10 liters), liquid mullein (0.5 liters), and nitrophoska (1 tablespoon).
2. The second one is done 10-12 days after the first. It consists of water (10 liters), potassium sulfate (1 teaspoon), and complex fertilizer (1 tablespoon).
3. The third one is applied 14-16 days after the second. It consists of water (10 liters), wood ash (2 tablespoons), and superphosphate (1 tablespoon).

Tomatoes in buckets don't need to be hilled. If the container's capacity allows, you can do this partially.

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Tomatoes grown in separate containers are rarely affected by diseases. If you suspect late blight, when brown spots appear on the leaves and fruit, follow these steps:

• fed with fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus;
• treated with Bordeaux mixture;
• After a week, water with a solution of water (10 l), potassium permanganate (3 g), liquid soap (1 tbsp) and garlic (200 g squeezed through a press).

Growing tomatoes in bottomless containers is an alternative to traditional methods, ideal for regions with poor and infertile soil, as well as for small garden plots. To get a good tomato harvest, you don't need to find space for beds or build a greenhouse.