I know nothing at all about gardening besides the very basics I've acquired in the past few months, but was reading about Vidalia onions and Jersey tomatoes, and about it being the soil composition that gives some things their unique or intense flavor, etc. That got me to wondering whether edibles grown in containers are maybe less flavorful--or maybe more flavorful?--than those grown in the ground. Also, two summers ago I grew a few tomato plants in a half barrel. They were just some basic hybrids picked up at Home Depot, planted in basic potting soil with no real fertilizer or amendments. The kids ate them, but my husband said that they were pretty flavorless. This summer I'm growing tomatoes (too many!), peppers, broccoli, cauliflower and a few other things in containers, and I'll be heartbroken if they're all flavorless too!

What do you think? Do you add certain things to your container soil for flavor? Does more depend on the type of plant you're growing than anything else? The tomatoes are Rutgers, Red Grape, and Orange Banana, if that matters.

Thanks!