I think your containers are large enough, you won't get the amount of
tomatoes you can get growing in the ground but you'll get a few and
they'll be very good. I've had problems in the past of tomatoes
smothering anything else they share containers with. You might want
to plant your herbs in little 4-6" containers and set these on the
soil next to the tomatoes. Move the herbs around a bit so they don't
root into the tomato pot and as the tomatoes get bigger, they'll lean
in certain directions, simply move the herbs into better spots and
rotate your tomato plants while you're at it. I've never put rocks in
my container, but you might want to put mats under them to prevent
stains on your balcony. Also look around for tomato varieties
designed for container growing. You'll have to water frequently,
especially in hot weather.


"tomato lover" wrote in message roups.com...
Hi,

Thanks for your informative reply.

My apartment faces SouthEast and I have a balcony. It gets pretty good
sunlight and it's a good size but I can not fill it out all with
plants. I still need space for my Grill.

I finally got three tomato plants and I am going to plant them today in
18 Qt containers. they are "Sweet 100", "Early Girl" and "Celebrity".
These containers have 4 drainage hole in them, is it enough? or should
I drill more holes. should I put a layer of rocks at the bottom of the
container or just several pieces of rocks are enough?

I got two rectangular containers for strawberries. They are about 30"
by 6" , I don't think I get more than a few strawberries from them ,
but worth the taste. do strawberries need good drainage too? more than
the two preinstalled holes?

I want to plant the basil in the tomato containers, BUT , are they
going to be covered all by the tomatoes?

Thanks again.
Gardner Newbie.