I have had amazing results growing in 5-gallon buckets - both determinate and indeterminate plants. My Early Girl last season grew to over 8' tall requiring me to invert and duct tape a second 54" tomato cage to the original cage for support. Staking the container proved interesting, but worked fine and I harvested almost 200 tomatoes from the plant (after throwing away over 50 that suffered BER).

I also grew Roma, San Marzano and Better Bush in 5-gallon buckets. The Roma and SM stopped at about 5' and the BB stopped at under 3', but all produced copious amounts of tomatoes.

Many people will say that the larger the container, the larger and more productive the plant. Hypothetically, that's true. In reality, though, I had larger, healthier plants that produced multiple times better than all of my neighbors and friends who garden in raised beds. We all have different gardening practices, levels of experience (2015 will only be my 3rd season vs. my neighbor's 40th+) and hours of commitment, all of which factor into the final outcome of one's garden. Mother Nature plays the biggest role and that's something none of us have any control over.

To answer your question, if you want to grow in 5-gallon containers and can commit yourself to multiple waterings per day (unless you have self-watering containers as I do) and provide adequate nutrition, go for it. If you want larger containers, go for it. It might be kind of fun to do your own experiment with a 5-gallon container vs. something larger and see what works best for you.

This post was edited by NBM81 on Mon, Jan 12, 15 at 14:39

beachgirl, I assume the "determinate" in the thread title is a typo, as SM, Opalka, and Goldman's are all indeterminates; Tatiana's says SM Lungo 2 is also. Principe is supposed to be a semi-det, but none of these are determinates....

Some will say they have no problems growing in 5 gallon buckets but most experienced growers (including all those on the Container Gardening forum here) will advise you to use larger containers for far superior results. There are many discussions here about container sizes recommended that the search will pull up for you if interested.

I learned the hard way many years ago that even small determinate varieties will produce much better if grown in 10 gallon containers. It is just so much easier to maintain the proper moisture and nutrient levels than it is with only 5 gallons. Less BER, less stress for the plants, less disease and pest issues, greater production, etc.

For indeterminate varieties 15 gallons minimum is the usual recommendation for best results. Given good growing conditions both Goldman's and Opalka are huge plants and a 10' tall 4'wide SM is common.

So the real answer to your question is to use the biggest containers you can afford to buy and fill with quality soil-less potting mix. You will be amazed at the difference it will make.

Dave

I hate to keep agreeing with dig...it makes me look like a suck-up. However, three years of growing in containers makes me agree with him totally. Say something stupid dig...so I can contribute....hehe

Admitting that I am no expert and certainly have nowhere near the number of years of gardening experience under my belt to make fair comparisons, I will concede to Dave's advice here. He clearly has the knowledge and experience and should be taken seriously.

I just really love growing in 5-gallon containers and my elation with them sometimes overshadows the fact that there are better options out there, particularly for large tomato plants. 5-gallon containers certainly take up less space and are easier to move (without a dolly or other type of cart), two of the main reasons I love using them so much. If neither of those are a major concern for the OP, and it doesn't appear they are, the larger the container, the better. :)

Home Depot had 54-gallon roughneck totes on sale for $19, so I bought 8 of them. Very excited to perform my own comparison!

This post was edited by NBM81 on Mon, Jan 12, 15 at 21:52

I feel 54 gal totes are not necessary...but it certainly wouldn't hurt anything (other than your wallet to buy medium). I bought 20 gallon heavy duty "Brute" trash cans at HD last year...and they worked out great!

Its been years since I grew a det. But 5 gallons on decent soil ought tiowork with good sun.

I think 5 gallon for a Det though on the low sides but is doable. I personally wont do that with an Indet.

The problem with smaller contain is servicing it properly. It can get too dry, too wet, too often, not enough nutes too much nutes. So with bigger container ( 10 gl+) you will have less work to do with better results. In general, IMO, container growing poses a bigger challenge than in ground.

Seysonn

Just thought I would share my own unintended expiriment last summer. I did not have a lot of time to devote to tomatoes/gardening. I happened to plant 2 of the same variety of tomatoes in different size pots, only because they were what I had available. I believe it was Ananas Noire. That is a full size tomato, not a determinate, but I bet the same would apply. I think the smaller one was 10 gallon, maybe 7 gallon, and the larger one was 20 gallon. They had the same watering (I watered them all at the same time when I had time), same soil (purchased), and same conditions (the pots were only about 4-6 feet apart). One had terrible BER, smaller fruit, and much lower productivity in the smaller pot, and was one of my more productive plants in the larger pot.

You don't need pots that size for a smaller determinate, I did very well with those in 10 gallon pots, but in 5 gallon you might notice more of the problems I did unless you can watch them closely for watering to keep the soil moisture consistent.

JMHO

When I was younger and lived in a apartment, I had a south-facing balcony (which still only got about 5 hours sun in the afternoon). All I could afford was cheap 5 gallon buckets that were nearly free at the time from a local nursery.

But with good organic soil (aged horse manure, forest soil from under the leaf litter, and sand, all all free with a little begging), I managed to get my first indeterminate heirlooms (Brandywine and Cherokee Purple). The cages I could afford were cheap and weak, but with ropes and stakes, they held up.

I didn't get pounds from each plant each day, but they were SO wonderful. So much better than Dad's hybrids!

Yes, I had to water the 5 gallon pots daily and carefully. But they were just out on the balcony and it took only a few minutes to do.

And I grew cucumbers, beans, and bell peppers too. On a 6'x12' apartment balcony...

A 5 gallon bucket IS enough if the soil is balanced and rich enough. Maximum production? Of course not. But those 5 pots got me one tasty ripe heirloom tomato every other day from late June to late October! And when you live in challenging conditions, 4 months of an every other day heirloom tomato is precious.

It is isn't that it can't be done, just that it is more difficult and requires more tending. If that is your only option, go for it. If you CAN go with a larger pot it is probably worth while. Less problems, less work and more tomatoes. I got pretty good production with Sophies Choice and Azoychka, and I think they were in 10 gallon containers.

I agree with sue, with respect to maintenance issue. Bigger containers offer convenience and ease of maintenance. And also can yield more.

As the size if container gets bigger it simulate a raised bed. For example, a 20 gallon containers is like a 20" by 20" garden spot. That is roughly how I space my tomatoes in raised beds.

Seysonn

I've always resented the pricing of plastic containers. 5 gallon containers were $1 each. 10 gallon containers were $10 and there isn't that much more plastic involved. It really irks me to see extruded plastic that must cost about a quarter being sold for $20.

Several nursery and greenhouse suppliers online with 10 gallon plastic pots for sale for far less than $10. Hydrofarm is just one of them Farm Tek is another. Local nurseries will often sell you used 10 gallon tree pots for a couple of bucks.

Place a bulk order for 5 or more and you can get even new ones for $3.00 each.

Not to mention all the 20 gallon Rubbermaid type totes that are currently on sale for $6 at all the big box stores.

Dave

Well, I do have framed garden beds now. So the 5 gallon containers are a thing of the past for me.

But I do like to grow my potatoes. I was using 10 gallon Rubbermaid containers for that, but my recycler switched from 25 gallon containers to barrels and didn't want the old containers back. So this year, I will be using the bigger containers where I can plant 4 potatoes per container.

Harvesting potatoes from containers is wonderful. No digging and stabbing good potatoes! I just dump a container onto a tarp and paw though the soil pulling them out.

I shovel garden soil from the the bean area into the containers (about 1/2 full) and move the used potato soil to refill the bean area.

Last year, I planted 2 pounds of potatoes and got 5 pounds in return. Not great, but not terrible. This year, with the larger containers, I am hoping for better production. And I grow Russian fingerling potatoes, which are not great on production poundage but great on taste. If I wanted poundage, I would grow Yukon Gold, but the local grocery store sells those at $3 for 5 pounds so there is no point in growing those these days.

Rubbermade tote is probably what I would pick if I had to buy a 10 gallon container. I make some planters from 9/16"x 5 1/2" x 5ft. cedar boards ( $1.70 each).

Seysonn

Cedar is nice, but it is a bit pricey here.

Cedar containers (sold at BBS) look nice but not made sturdy. If you have a table saw or just a circular saw and a drill, you can make planters much cheaper, that are nice looking and will last good long time.
Another option is reusable fabric shopping bags that cost under $1.50.

Seysonn

I'm only into the container growing process for vegetables
one year but did apply some of the successful techniques I had learned from growing flowers.

I'm no expert and am still learning but one thing I found to be of great help was mounting my containers in large saucers. I found that I was ok on water availability so long as the drainage holes in the bottom of the containers were at least partially submerged in water collected in the saucers. Also,
the saucers acted as nice reservoirs to collect rainfall and helped that way with the water availability.

Home Despot has several saucer sizes and types available
with prices varying based on size. I like the biggie 18"ers.