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jmsieglaff · February 1, 2021

I have grown dwarf tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets (along with an occasional determinate) for years with good success. I drilled 2 1/2" holes about 2" up from the bottom the bucket, essentially creating a reservoir for water, but still providing drainage. Watering requirements go along with the weather some, but that seems to be mainly driven by plant size. I'll go from weekly to every few days to every other day to every day. I live in southern Wisconsin, so not as hot as Sacramento--we have a lot of 80s and some 90s, but my buckets are in full sun on a deck. I also mulch my buckets with straw, which makes a surprising difference. I fill them with ProMix. I use green buckets from Menards, which would be equivalent to the orange HD buckets.

February 1, 2021	#6
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	I have grown dwarf tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets (along with an occasional determinate) for years with good success. I drilled 2 1/2" holes about 2" up from the bottom the bucket, essentially creating a reservoir for water, but still providing drainage. Watering requirements go along with the weather some, but that seems to be mainly driven by plant size. I'll go from weekly to every few days to every other day to every day. I live in southern Wisconsin, so not as hot as Sacramento--we have a lot of 80s and some 90s, but my buckets are in full sun on a deck. I also mulch my buckets with straw, which makes a surprising difference. I fill them with ProMix. I use green buckets from Menards, which would be equivalent to the orange HD buckets.