Growing tomatoes (Is there a better way)

[Joe Bifano]

Last year I was very successful growing tomatoes except in the cleanup of the 3/4" cinders I grew in. What a mess getting everything clean. I used 2" net pots to start them in and then just put the 2" net pots in the 3/4" cinders. This spring I am changing how I water them and want to change how I grow them somewhat. I had 10' tall plants and started them really late in the year.

I had a question for those that use cinders to grow in.

Are you putting the 2" net pot into the cinders and cleaning like this?

Are you putting your 2" net pots into larger net pots or other kinds of pots?

The root mass is so big and spreads out so much that I had all of my 3" PVC pipes completely stuffed except for a few and need to change this this spring. I had small 3/16" screen in front of all my pipes and the roots got through and on some I had to use a stiff hose and pound them back out.

My idea is to confine the roots to a larger pot so all I do next year is pull everything out of it and leave that pot in the cinders but not sure.

Any ideas or thought or how are you doing it?

[Carey Ma]

Beware of root bound. I'd just let the roots grow...Ten foot tomatoes need their massive roots...however we control roots by airpruning them (this is fot container culture, not soil/ bed growing). Simply insert a peice of geo-textile AKA landscape fabric inside your pot before you fill it.