thanks, dice, i'm glad you mentioned the water, i almost forgot about that. when i removed the tomato plants last fall, i noticed that the root system has gone past the soil and was actually sitting in the water reservoir! that's probably why entire plants would go limp and dead-like when i forget to check the water level and reservoirs have gone empty.
found this problem addressed in rnewste's earthtainer construction guide---chap 3 step 3 says to install landscape fabric to inhibit the roots from growing down into the water reservoir. or else, "Cleanout was terrible, and the tomatoes had a bland, hydroponically grown taste." darn, i didn't do my homework well! :-[
the problem now is where and how to install the landscape fabric in a maxikap where the wicking basket is actually a styrofoam cylinder with solid wall and open bottom that barely touches the reservoir floor. thinking now that the earthtainer is a better SWC, in this respect at least.
one nice thing i noticed about the maxikap is that after 6 months of use there was no bad smell and no buildup of any sort in the reservoir. the water remained relatively clean, with probably a teaspoon worth of soil granules that had escaped out of the wicking cylinder, if that. and that's with no aeration holes except maybe the watering hole.
okay, so, for the coming season(s):
1. install landscape fabric to prevent roots growing into the reservoir water
2. try a different soil mix like rnewste's 3:2:1
3. try a different feeding system: tomato tone, kelp, worm casting, etc
4. try some fungi/pest control: actinovate, mycogrow, biota, etc
i think i'm gonna add to my bucket list---have one problem-free tomato growing season.
--meg