A wrote:
I bought this nonsoil seed starter mix for $1.00 at Walmart and started
my tomato seeds in my south facing apartment window-grew like
gangbusters. At 1ft high I replanted them in Dad's halfbarrel patio
planter. He tried tomatoes last year there and they failed immediately.
I think he had the soil too compacted because I really had to work at
loosening the soil.


Tomatoes shouldn't be planted in soil that has been used before for
tomatoes. A lot of tomato diseases are soil borne and even if the
previous crop prospered, the next one might not. You should also use
potting soil in containers. If there was regular soil in the containers,
it would be very compacted and probably didn't help the plant very much.
It also holds less water and nutrients than potting soil and unless it's
fertilized like crazy, the tomatoes will have nothing to feed on.

So something began growing like a weed at the front
of the barrel-large leaves. Something is eating those leaves like crazy
but hasnt touched my tomato plant whose leaves are beautiful and has
doubled in size in one month. We pulled this supposed weed. Is it good
to plant/keep "distractions" around your tomatoes? With the weed gone,
will "it" start chomping on my tomatoes leaves?


If it hasn't touched the tomato yet, it probably won't. Have you mulched
the based of the plant? This will dissuade slugs and snails which love
to munch on most plants, holds moisture in the soil and keeps the soil
from splashing onto the plant when you water (passing on disease).

When you're done this year, dump the soil somewhere on your lawn, wash
the container well and let it sit for the winter outside then next
season fill with potting soil (cut with some peat if it's a larger
container like a half barrel) and plant your tomatoes.

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