Move it to more shade. It's portable right?

mulch the top of your plants. How big are they? I have 5 tomatoes and 1 watermelon in 5 gallon containers. Tomatoes are about 1.5' high right now. They barely drink 2 gallons a day.

They are bushy and practically impossible to move without damaging plants. They are about 4' tall above the soil.

If your plant drinks 2 gallons a day, I need to give more water. I put another dripper in each bucket. Thanks for the tip.

i had no idea that tomatoes needed that much water! this is my first time growing them and i have been watering them everyday but not 2 gal. I have noticed theyve been wilting a little bit too. I will try watering them more.

I put saucers under mine and that helps to keep the water from wasting away... sally

You're definitely having to water too frequently. From what you're saying you have to move them to some shade or you'll end up with a lot of blossom end rot (BER)...every time they wilt you decrease their ability to absorb calcium appropriately and the result of too much or too little calcium absorption is BER. Good drainage is important for gas exchange at the root zone, the down side is that in a container with a small volume of soil mix and good drainage you will have to provide more water but you sure don't have to be watering as frequently as you are...that means the sun is on your containers too much and is heating up the soil. You have to keep the soil cool and well drained in order to have a healthy root zone and thus healthy plants.

Just to make sure you're clear on soil dynamics more holes at the bottom does not equate to better drainage, it will only allow more air to the root zone if you're perched water table isn't above the extra holes you've drilled.

Find a way to support the plants and move them....

Tom

Thanks for the tips. I bumped up nozzle size. I just didn't know how much water tomato drinks. The container getting warm and drying out the soil/roots is definitely a factor. Now I am confident I can grow tomatoes in 5 gallon containers, that is, until summer comes. I think I will have to put a shading fabric above the plants.

i water my four gallon plants less than half a gallon a day at 8am and they dont wilt a bit and are heavy with fruit... they get a bit of shade but mostly full sun. something is up here. follow toms advice. he & i both like als mix: 5 parts fines, one part peat, one part perlite--lime, micronutrients and slow-release fertilizer plus very weak miracle gro

Thanks for the reply. I have containers in a row, east to west. Only the westernmost container was wilting. As Tom said, it has much to do with the soil getting hot. The plant is doing well now with 0.5 gallon x 3 times a day. It's not too frequent for the plant.

The soil has some compost + little sand + much fine bark + some vermiculite. Drainage is no problem.