Container Growing Tomatoes Basic Beginner Questions

[Kell13]

That's what I've been telling him ... that it won't work well. Especially since what we have around here isn't even close to sandy, but rather clay except for where we've improved it w/organic matter (tree rows.) So I'm pretty sure I'll win this debate. Thanks for your input!

[rainbowgardener]

Yeah, remember bricks are basically baked clay... adobe bricks are just dirt and water sun dried and they make quite a durable building material and nothing grows in them.

[applestar]

Seeing is believing. Fill a container with moistened "real dirt" and another with moistened potting soil or home made mix. Tamping down the container to settle the dirt/soil and filling to the top, leaving same amount of space for watering.

Using a sprinkler rose of watering can or a hose-end shower, water to to top rim of the container and see how well the water drains.

[rainbowgardener]

Interesting test and should be revealing, but the real test would be to leave the pots sit there for six months and then repeat the test. The trouble with "real dirt" in pots is that it continues to settle and pack itself down more and more over time and as it is watered.

Even my home made compost is too dense and packs down too much to use in containers, except mixing a little bit in with potting soil and/or other light materials.

[Kell13]

DH plans to do his own little experiment on a small scale next summer so we will see how it goes for him. One container + his choice of dirt = not too many tomatoes, I'm thinking. But then he will have demonstrated for himself that he was not right about the soil. My granny used to try to container garden with dirt (very small scale) and it would never work for her either. I agree wholeheartedly with the brick comparison also. That is what it reminds one of. I plan to follow DownriverGardener's recipe as a guide for the soil in my containers.