18 Gal. containers from WMart in black ... ok for toms?

[arlinek]

They also had them in a beige or gray color, I think ($3.72 at Wmart, BTW). I just liked the black because previously I had only seen them in blue - not the prettiest color for my garden areas. Now I'm reading references that black might heat up the roots too much. We ARE in a "cooler" environment - San Diego, most days in mid 70s with occasional 80s (once this Gray May garbage is over!!). So, is black okay, or should I get the blue somewhere else or beige/gray? I'm gonna put bottom half of one container inside the other one. They will be in full sun. (This will be our first endeavor in container gardening.) Also, why don't more people that build these make a point of making the supports and wick piece at least, say, 6" tall so that more water is at the bottom, requiring a little less refilling? Seems most people use these little baskets or pond baskets that are only 4-4.5" high.

[amideutch]

arlinek, I would go with the grey /beige. The black one's will get warm from direct sunlight. If you want get one each and do a comparison and tell us results. Ami

[rzr]

From Walmart I have 2 grey containers (4 inch resevoir) and 2 red containers (5.75 inches). I would definitly go 6 inches. The 4 inch has to be watered every day if it is 93+ degrees and sunny. The next time I build one I am going to try 6.5 inches but that might be a little too high.

My red containers are turning hot pink also. The grey containers still look grey. I think Tan would look nice. Light colored plastic deteriates faster under sunlight although it repels the heat more. One advantage, since dark colored plastic absorbs the sun more it will last longer. I am not sure how black would be under the sun but if it is like the red that I have, it will be grey in one summers time instead of black.

You can see a picture of my containers at this link:
http://www.tomatoville.com/attachmen...2&d=1179507024

[CLa]

Yeah, dark brown would be good. Black by the way should stay black, since the black will hardly deteriorate at all in the sun. If you want to reduce the chance of soil heating up, just tape some white grocery plastic bags every few months or so to cover the black container.

As far as the 6 inches, 6 would be good, maybe even 6.25 inches. Not sure if 2 plants is a good idea in these things as of yet. 1 may work better , if it is a big one, like kellogs or some such.

[arlinek]

Thanks all for replying.

Amideutch: (Off topic: where are you living in Germ? My DH is born and raised in Blk. Forest region for 21 yrs. and I lived in Bitburg for 3 yrs. a long time ago.) My thoughts are, in the hopes of not needing to exchange the black ones, that our milder summers here wouldn't make the roots so hot.
Everyone else: my concerns were not so much about fading or color change, but only if the black would cause the roots to heat up excessively, even in our mild summers.
Razr: Your set-up looks great - I remember reading about you applying the nets bec. of the birds; looks great.
CLa: Yes, I think more water would be less refilling, but am concerned if the shallower soil mix would then be possibly a disadvantage for the toms. and would the fertilizer be a little too strong for the lesser amount of mix, in that case?

[rzr]

No, the roots will be fine and they will grow into the water. Which means that it probably does not matter how much dirt there is, as long as there is some dirt. Furthermore, if you put your main cylnders that you fill with soil down to the bottom in the middle or below each plant then the main root will have room to go all the way down to the bottom of the container.

[REDCLUSTER]

your plant canopy will shade the pot out, that is if you feed it properly.

[amideutch]

arlinek, live and work in the Kaiserslautern area. Yes I'm familiar with Bitburg in the Eifel, the beer better than the town. Go ahead with the black containers and if heat become a problem do like CLa says and cover them with white plastic. Ami

[Tomstrees]

I am using these for my first time this season.
What I've found when gardening in containers is that you fill half way: plant your plants - then back fill once they get larger.
Builds a better root system in my opinion. These will be ready for "back-fillin" by the end of this week.

Also, I went with the blueish / grey one as well.

~ Tom

[tache]

I live in the Pacific Northwest and grow my tomatoes in large black containers(twenty,twenty five and thirty gallons). They are on a slightly raised walkway and I let the grass and mint etc grow pretty tall to the south of them and they shade the containers from the heat. I think. Could that work for you?

[wilderness1989]

I have used black plastic 55 gallon drums sitting on a concrete patio in full sun and have never had a problem. This was in zone 5 and the summers get pretty hot here. Good luck and keeps us posted.

[arlinek]

Well, I did go ahead and use them. I figure if we get a real hot spell (San Diego, not too likely) I can cover up the sides, as suggested. We're still having a lot of gray May and June gloom half-days so no worries as of yet. My 18 corn kernels sprouted in a DIY earthbox. in three days!! Was able to build them with a 6" water reservoir - yippee. So far, had to refill just once on the 7th day.

[carolg]

DIY stands for???

Thanks.
carolg colorado z5

[Sherry_AK]

Do It Yourself ..........

[Jonathan_E]

I planted tomatoes in Earthboxes (the store-bought ones) for the first time this year and have so far been very pleased with the results. One plant has 21 tomatoes on it, some full-sized, six weeks after I planted the seedling.

So I'm in the midst of building a DYI version, using a 24-gallon container. I'm planning to use an 8 inch water reservoir, since the container is deep and there will still be plenty of room for potting medium. Does anyone see a problem with making it this deep?

thanks,

Jonathan