I'm considering using some 15-gallon plastic pots by cutting a large hole in the bottom and burying them slightly in the ground. I'm thinking about digging up and replacing some of the soil below with higher quality soil. My goal is to grow tomatoes without the hassle of buying 25-gallon pots or building additional raised garden beds. I'm curious if anyone has tried this and what their experience was like.
2 Answers
I've used food-grade pickle buckets from places like Firehouse Subs for growing tomatoes. They work great! Just make sure to punch holes in the bottom for drainage. I don’t see much difference between using your 15-gallon pots and my buckets. They let me move them around easily as my plants grew. Plus, those buckets are so versatile!
I had some luck planting in those large barrel-style plastic planters from Tractor Supply along my fence. They kept drying out, but once I punched out the bottoms and refilled them, my tomatoes and peppers thrived! I even noticed more earthworms coming into the pots after that. If you have access to big buckets from bakeries, those could also work well!