Containers / Pots for Dwarfs ~
 

Hello All -

I'm growing Golden Dwarf Champion,
and Silvery Fir Tree for the first time
this year.
I know one is long season ,
and the other short ~

Question is:
What's the smallest size pot/conatiner
I could use for these varieties?

Also - will I still need to cage them ?

I want to have them out on the patio
area - but don't want to have the
"eye-sore" of a 5 gallon bucket ~

Any ideas ? ~ Thanks ~ Tom

Tom-I have grown both in a 5 gallon grow bag-hopefully spudwillie will comment, but I would not use anything less than 5 gallons. For both of these, I use a small cage. Some folks would use only a stake.

Containers/Pots for Dwarfs
 

Tom.
Bigger pots are better, i.e, less stress and watering needs,
I have grown big. indeterminate PL plants in as small as a 2 gallon bucket, only 1 or 2 plants/bucket. BUT you will need a loose, well drained soil with lots of organic matter. Two dwarf plants max/ 2 gal pot should be OK with their smaller size than my huge PL indeterminates.

You will have to water once or twice a day with the smaller pots to avoid stressing the plants and fertilize once a week (1tablespoon/pot) with some 5-20-20 because the increased watering will tend to flush the nutrients out of the soil. A handful of Osmocote or generic equivalent at the srart wouldnt hurt either. Michael (mvpvc) you know much more on the Osmocote stuff than I do, your two cents ??

As far as not using the common garden variety 5 gal plastic buckets, I saw some green or terra cotta colored designer 3-4 gal ones at Wally World or Home Depot at 4 or 5 bucks each, your choice, fashion or function!!!!!

A short stake (2-3 foot) or a short cage would prevent flopping over in the wind.

The only PL dwarf I know about is Dwarf Recessive, which I got from Craig a few years ago. I'll have seed come fall as it looks like 3 or 4 of them have already germinated so far. Someone mentioned that Le Doux (sp.) Special from Canada is a Dwarf But I havent checked that out yet.

Regards,
Spud

Tom, I personally wouldn't use less than a 5 gal container. You don't have to necessarily use buckets if you don't like the looks of them -- shop around/read circulars for some nice looking and inexpensive containers. And of course, there are also the grow bags, which have a very neat appearance and can be reused if you take care of them.

I cage SFT with a small three ring cage; haven't grown Golden Dwarf Champion before.

Osmocoate is a decent choice-I used it this past fall in my greenhouse. You can get the 14-14-14 forumulation, they used to have a lower nitrogen one, but I havent seen it this year, dont know if they still produce it. Even using that, I would still want to get some micronutrients in. Maybe using kelp as a foliar or soil drench. I have produced lots of tomatoes in containers just using mg, but I havent done that in a long while.

Tom, I am growing my dwarf varieties, SFT included, in 25 gallon Earthboxes made from 25 gal rubbermaind totes, (See my thread in this fourm on how to make them)

I probably could get a way with using a smaller size with the dwarves. That same thread someone else posted some plans that included how to make a self watering container from two 5 gallon buckets. When I saw that I immediately started germinating a couple more dwarf varieties so I could try them out in the buckets.

My feeling is this: As long as my container has excellent soil ( I use 1/3 Peat, 1/3 Vermiculite, 1/3 Compost), enough soil so that it doesn't dry out too quickly and a big enough water reseviour so that plant is never thristy, and I supply extra nutrients using a foliar spray of fish/seaweed: the tomatoes will be happy.

Thanks for all the ideas ~
Probably going to go with
store-bought pots that are inbetween
3 - 5 gallons ~

Questions on soil:

Is it a crime to use store bought
Miracle-Gro mix ?

Would it be considered to be
"not organic soil" ?

Is it bad to eat maters grown in it ?

Is it just too expensive
for the quantity needed
which is why some make
their own mix?

Or people just like to make their
own mix?

In the past I've just used
compost, sand, and reg. dirt ~

Now however, I don't have
the resources to do so.
(aka I have fenced in property now,
and less woods/land to go digging in, lol)

MAIN VIEWING PLANTS:
I was thinking about just buying some
nice 3-5 gallon pots for the
plants that will be on the patio,
bagged soil ; and re-using those $0.70 cages
that I've used for my
maters until I bought my own mesh and
will build "extra-strength" cages this spring ~

Any particular pot colors I should
stay away from? Patio gets full sun from
6.30 am - 4pm ~

SIDE OF THE SHED PLANTS:
For the other plants out of "view"
white 5 gallon buckets with stakes
filled with a homemade mix -

I think they are doing construction
down the street ~ maybe I could sneak
down there @ night and grab ohhhh????
about 6 buckets worth !!!

Trades have made me a tomato-man
AND looking to fill in my pool
for a bigger garden ! lol ~

Thoughts ? ~ Tom

Golden Dwarf Champion does well in a 5 gal pot. Mine never got more than 3 feet tall and was loaded with fruit last year. It was actually in a 4-1.2 gal pot filled with WalMart ProMix. Used generic osmocote and later in the season watered with bue stuff at least once a week.

I just planted my current season GDC today so I am looking for fruit about Memorial Day.

Michael

Michael -

Its not a longer DTM for GDC ?
Being a mid-season just bumped it
up a notch !
~ Tom

Tom,

I believe Victory Seeds says 90 DTM. Here every "late" variety is a few days earlier, say 83 days so I guess it will be more like the first week in June.

I do have it in a "prime" spot so we will see.

Michael

Michael -

Awesome ~
I had alot of varieties like that
last year ~ Label says one thing about DTM ;
but when they are in a prime spot ?
All bets are off !

~ Tom

I think I read one time that Fusion used 2/3 pro mix and 1/3 compost for his potted maters. That is what I am going to try, also about 3-4 inches of mulch. Either leaves or alfalfa hay.

[quote=Tomstrees]
Is it a crime to use store bought
Miracle-Gro mix ?

Would it be considered to be
"not organic soil" ?

Is it bad to eat maters grown in it ?

~ Tom[/quote]

I'm pretty sure it's not a crime! :wink: However, it is not considered organic because Miracle-Gro mix contains... ahem... Miracle-Gro... and that is a synthetic fertilizer, which is a no-no if you want to grow organic. Injustice is "BAD"; eating tomatoes grown in Miracle-Gro is amoral. :wink:

Lisa

Miss_Mudcat

I'm glad you brought that up
because it has been on my mind
ever since I posted it -

In my garden, I only use
home made compost that consists of
kitchen scraps, leaves, seaweed from my beach,
and grass clipping (have never fertilized my lawn).

But now you've got me thinking - Maybe I should
use a "general" mix to keep up with my
"organic only" habits ~


Tom

Well Tomstrees,

There are 2 kinds of people in this world - REALLY - those who eat bug spray and synthetic fertilizer, and those who eat a few bugs from time to time! 8)

The choice is yours! :)

Lisa