"geronimo" wrote in message
...

Miracle Gro potting soil isn't very sandy at all, its mostly dark
humus. that's why I thought it might be good to add some sand and help
drainage. It gets up to about 98 deg here in summer. THe galvanized
container gets full sun. By the end of June all tomatoes will start
dying from the heat (for everybody). So maybe some partial shade
would help? ALso I will definitely mulch it thickly and water every
day this year. thanks, geronimo


Sand will not address the heat issue. You need to find a way to shade THE
POTS, but not THE PLANTS. The simplest way would be to set up a screen using
burlap, available in rolls at real garden centers. Not pretty, but cheap and
easy to manage. Another way would be to put the plants where the pots will
be shaded by low shrubs, patio furniture, etc.