Topic: Ring Culture Tomatoes

[hopalong]

Have others tried growing tomatoes by ring culture? This involves plunging bottomless pots of compost into gravel in a watertight container. Once the tomatoes are established you water into the gravel. You don't need to water so often. I find this works quite well, although my tomatoes grown by this or any other method have been slow to ripen this year. Pictures show Gardeners Delight and (I think!) a blight resistant variety called Ferline.
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[glosterwomble]

Not tried this method but it looks interesting and so does the beautiful garden in the background!!Show us more pics of the garden!  ;D

[Fork]

Can I just add that growing tomatoes this way produces some great crops usually.

I have only ever done it in the greenhouse though and not outdoors.

If you give it a try you must know that you water the gravel but when feding you water it in the pot.

[hopalong]

Not tried this method but it looks interesting and so does the beautiful garden in the background!!Show us more pics of the garden!  ;D

Thanks glosterwomble.  I put a few garden pics in the "non edible" forum earlier, but here are a few more. The garden is still very much evolving.
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[hopalong]

Can I just add that growing tomatoes this way produces some great crops usually.

I have only ever done it in the greenhouse though and not outdoors.

If you give it a try you must know that you water the gravel but when feding you water it in the pot.

Quite right!  I should have made that clear.  You feed in the usual way.

[manicscousers]

we did it, it was great, until the waterproof container sprung a leak while we were on holiday  :-\

[Vortex]

I grow all mine this way  - but I use growpots and growbags. The weather determines when and how fast they ripen. All mine both in the greenhouse and outside have been slow this year.

[kt.]

Seems a good idea.  I usually just place an empty plastic bottle upside down into the ground - fill it with water and leave it to soak through.

[davee52uk]

I thought of doing this. Could you use old (plastic) paint tins with the bottoms cut out? Obviously get rid of the paint first. I see loads of these tins on skips (what me pay for something?)

[Hyacinth]

Davee......rust? Another idea...do what I do..FREE BLACK BUKKITS from the Co-Op 8), cut the bottom off - and the bottoms can be used either as frisbees ;) (freebie frisbees anyone?) or alternatively, you could, I suppose, use them either as rings for wigwams or ends for beanpoles ::)....

I don't sink mine in gravel, but more soil. Water into the soil, feed into the ring. Buy my square containers from the £1 shop. In my 6x4 'house I can fit in 9 containers round the sides, still leaving room for 2 parsley pots, a couple of chilli plants and a basil.....end of the season when I empty everything out, the roots will have gone down into the soil. I've found it a really good system.

Sorry Davee....you wrote "plastic" and I missed it :-[....can't see why not, except for the faff getting the paintpots clean..

[littlebabybird]

has anyone tried both ways?

which works best gravel or soil type stuff?
lbb

[glosterwomble]

Nice pics, the garden looks fab!

[tonybloke]

soil holds more water than gravel ;)

[Barnowl]

The plants next to the GH are in buckets with their bottoms removed sunk into a trench filled with some soil mixed with growbag contents and composted manure for water retention.  Seems to work pretty well and compensate for any irregular watering that might occur.  Next year I think I'll try sinking the buckets a bit deeper into the compost/soil mix.

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The buckets have normal multi-compost in them. I've used the same technique up at the allotment.

My Ferlines seem to be growing in a very peculiar shape - sort of cone shaped.