Tomatoes in a Can - what went wrong?

[viridescent4]

hi, everyone! I'm new to gardening and new to tomatoes. I live in Japan, in an apartment that's about 8x8. I have a windowsill and a small 4x4 balcony that houses my washing machine. In Japan, so many stores sell teeny tiny plants in pots and cans that I found trying my hand at gardening irresistible. Of course, the directions are all in Japanese (which I can't read) and my Japanese friend translated for me - the directions seemed simple enough.

So I started growing my tomato plant in a can. My friend told me that the directions said nothing about repotting the plant so I went about my watering business. really soon I had a thriving plant that was growing higher and higher. After a couple of months there were still no flowers. And now, after maybe 2 and a half months, I noticed the leaves curling and spotting a bit so I wondered if it was getting too much sun so I moved it to my stove which is in less direct sunlight. Now the thing looks 'dead. I moved it back to the windowsill and am waiting to see if it turns around but I have little hope.

What went wrong? Too much water? Too little sunlight? Or can tomatoes really not be grown in a can after all?

[Zap]

How big of a can are we talking about? If it was too small, the root system will take up all the space in the can and not allow the plant to grow & mature properly. To grow tomatoes in a container of any type, the minimum recommended size is usually around 5 gallons.

[viridescent4]

hi! 5 gallons! This can is the size of your average soda can. I was suspicious, too, but according to my friend, the directions didn't say anything about repotting the plant. I assumed it was an ultra tiny breed ...