I quite growing them for that very reason. Would have a really nice plant going and then overnight, destroyed.
My tomatoes kicked butt this year. The coffee grounds as fertilizer was unbelieveable. Ended up with 70 tomatoes from 6 plants. 4 are still going, which I have using a double bucket method.
I had a few horn worms but caught them early on the ones in the buckets. The 2 in the ground not so lucky. But they did not have too much damage and still produced some nice tomatoes. Just not as many as the ones in the buckets.
Zucchini got hit with tubers, so getting ready to solarize the soil.
Sweet corn, harvested, 25 ears from 32 plants. Not too bad.
This system is similar to the earthbox system.
Just in case your wondering, using double buckets, 2 - 5 gallong buckets, inner bucket drill a center hole about 3 inches, on the outer rim another hole to fit 1 1/2 inch pipe (pvc) this is to refill the reservoir in the bottom of the outer bucket. The outer bucket drill a 3/8 inch hole about 6 inches from the bottom. this is the over flow line so your tomatoes do not drown in water. Drill some extra 9 - 15 holes (3/8 diamter) around the bottom of the inner bucket. To put this together, either use a pvc coupling (drill holes in the sides of it (1/16 in size so water can penetrate but will still hold soil) a little larger than the center hole in the bucket or like I use a piece of drain field pipe about 4 inches in length (It already contains holes).
Attach this using plastic zip ties to the outside bottom center of the inner bucket. Go ahead and insert your tomato cage and hook the wires so it will not move around. Take your piece of 1 1/2 inch pipe (pvc) 2 foot look and put that through the other hole. Set the assembly in the outer bucket.
Fill the inner buck with soil, make sure enough gets down into the coupling on the bottom. this acts as the sponge to move water and nutrients up. Bury your tomatoes and your good to go.
this will work on other vegatables also.
good luck gardeining
Here are some tips I learned this year about tomatoe plants besides using buckets and coffee grounds.
Pull the first blooms off so that plants get stronger.
As soon as the plant is loaded with tomatoes, pull the extra blooms off so the energy goes to the tomatoes
Once tomatoes show color like pale yellow (start of ripening) pull them off and let them ripen indoors on a window seal.
I watered the plants every other day except when we had heavy rain down pours. than I waited a couple of days.
This system is similar to the earthbox system.
Just in case your wondering, using double buckets, 2 - 5 gallong buckets, inner bucket drill a center hole about 3 inches, on the outer rim another hole to fit 1 1/2 inch pipe (pvc) this is to refill the reservoir in the bottom of the outer bucket. The outer bucket drill a 3/8 inch hole about 6 inches from the bottom. this is the over flow line so your tomatoes do not drown in water. Drill some extra 9 - 15 holes (3/8 diamter) around the bottom of the inner bucket. To put this together, either use a pvc coupling (drill holes in the sides of it (1/16 in size so water can penetrate but will still hold soil) a little larger than the center hole in the bucket or like I use a piece of drain field pipe about 4 inches in length (It already contains holes).Attach this using plastic zip ties to the outside bottom center of the inner bucket. Go ahead and insert your tomato cage and hook the wires so it will not move around. Take your piece of 1 1/2 inch pipe (pvc) 2 foot look and put that through the other hole. Set the assembly in the outer bucket.
Fill the inner buck with soil, make sure enough gets down into the coupling on the bottom. this acts as the sponge to move water and nutrients up. Bury your tomatoes and your good to go.
Hey hunter1005, do you have some photos of this system? Sounds interesting :>)
No I do not have pictures.
But these webpages are similar in the design.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7epwvwVtghM
http://greenroofgrowers.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-make-two-bucket-sub-irrigated.html
