I started with one straggly tomato plant. (I did buy this.) It looked pretty poor. The photo on the right is from a couple of years ago. I love BIG tomatoes! They make a great sandwich. That is what I am shooting for here, again.
That plant cost me a quarter. Everything else I had on my property. For soil I used a composted pile of leaves, and brush. (This is an experiment, so we will see how it goes.) I am not going to buy any compost, soil, or fertilizer.
I mixed the compost in with some sandy soil from my property. Then I added some egg shells from my chickens into the hole near the tomato plant.
I used my pocket knife (closed) to grind the shells. (My makeshift mortar and pestle.) From what I understand the calcium from the egg shells helps prevent blossom end rot on the fruit. I have done it in the past, and will continue until I am convinced it doesn't work. I like including my chickens in the garden, and they LOVE tomatoes!
Here is the finished product, using leaves for mulch. It looks pretty good. I am going to use some diluted waterized chicken droppings in the future for fertilizer, when needed.
TIPS!
Drill several small holes in the bottom of the bucket for drainage, and add some gravel. I have also found that the buckets won't drain if sat on a flat hard surface like cement. In this case it works to drill the holes near the bottom on the sides. Then they will drain anywhere you choose to put the buckets.
Using buckets, or containers works great, but you have to water more often, and perhaps fertilize more often. They need more attention in general than plants put in the ground. Using buckets does, however, help protect from insects, such as the Dreaded cutworm, and you can move them around if you want to.
Later Folks, and good growing!