How big should a container for (heirloom) tomatoes be?

[martoosaat]

I've read that tomatoes should be planted two to three feet apart, but those aren't in containers. How much soil (volume) would I need to grow one in a container on a balcony? Could I get away with two plants in one container?

Grace and peace,
Michael
(Slowly working up to 10 posts for that wildboar tomato giveaway! )

[gixxerific]

You would need a at least a 5 gallon pot, bigger would be better.

I would not put more than one to a pot either, tomatoes need a lot of room to grow.

[martoosaat]

Thanks gixxerific.

I'm curious, does each successive plant need the full 5 gallons, or is there a diminishing need? Say, one plant takes 5+ gallons of space, adding a second means you add 4 more gallons on top of that, a third might take 3.5 more gallons, and so forth? (I understand the impracticality, just an interesting thought)