Why does everyone assume you need deep pots for balcony tomatoes?

I've been growing determinate tomatoes in 6 inch shallow window boxes on my south-facing balcony in Austin for two summers now and they produce way more than my neighbor's big buckets, so why do I keep seeing people say you need at least 12 inches of depth?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor9298d ago

Last summer my cat knocked over my basil box and it landed on my neighbor's tomato pot, somehow they both grew fine after that.

the_seth8d ago

Oh come on, you're comparing a 6 inch box to a 12 inch bucket? That's like saying a shot glass holds as much as a pint glass just 'cause you filled it twice. Root space isn't just about depth, it's about how much soil volume your plant can actually dig into for water and nutrients during those 100 degree Texas days. Your neighbor's buckets probably don't dry out in three hours or need watering twice a day like your window boxes do.