Dawn will probably add or contribute, but I would recommend something at least the size of a 5 gal. paint bucket. Those roots needs some room to spread. I've tried in smaller containers and it seems they dry out too fast and they seem cramped. Just my opinion...and also, most local dollar store have planters for a very reasonable price. That's where I've purchased mine.

Paula

While living in the DFW area, I grew Celebrity in what was about 4 gallon pots. They were productive, but by mid-June I had to water them twice per day to keep them alive and the fruit growing.

I just put a Bush Early Girl into a 3 gallon container yesterday and I am wondering how it will turn out. I am hoping that "compact determinant" means 3 gallon will be enough with daily water. I have larger containers, but I decided to risk it.

For Bush Early Girl a 5-gallon bucket would be sufficient since the plant itself is very compact. For Celebrity, though, 7-10 would be better due to its larger size. For any plant larger than Celebrity, 15-20 gallons is much preferred.

With any tomato plant that is grown in a container, it needs to have a high-quality soil-less mix and you have to be prepared to water often....up to twice a day in the hot summer months, and maybe 3 times a day if the temps are exceeding 105-110, which is rare but which does occur. Because all that watering leaches nutrients from the soil continually, you have to feed regularly with a good balanced fertilizer, avoiding those with excess nitrogen. You also cannot let the soilless mix dry out completely one day and then soak it with water that night or the next day to overcompensate, because those kinds of wide variation in available moisture can cause problems with the tomatoes themselves.

Tomatoes grow great in containers as long as you pay careful attention to meeting their needs for food, oxygen and water. Otherwise, they will stall or die, will not produce many tomatoes and the ones they do produce will be of infereior quality. With careful attention, they'll be incredible.

Finally, whatever you do, do not try to grow tomatoes in a soilless mix that is designed to hold extra moisture because the results will not be good.

Dawn

Bigger is better on the container. If you can stand up in the container without falling over, it's almost big enough.

Glad to see this question because I bought an Early Girl and a Celebrity too, and haven't decided if they'll go in containers or in the ground. But my Early Girl says Early Girl Improved VFF and there is no reference on the tag to bush. Is that a different type than Bush Early Girl?

Suzie

Early Girl and Early Girl Improved are indeterminant so they can keep growing and setting fruit throughout the season. They are very different than Bush Early Girl. I usually go too far trying plants in too small spaces or conatainers, but I don't think I would even attempt Early Girl in a container unless it was so big that it could not be tipped over with a 5-ft tall plant. At that size container it gets pretty expensive filling it with good potting soil - too expensive for me.

Suzie,

Assuming you have decent soil or soil that you can turn poor soil into decent soil by adding some organic matter, Early Girl does better in the ground.

Scott,

Bush Early Girl has performed incredibly well for me in the ground and in a 5-gallon container, but it is hard to grow in a smallish container because it sets such a heavy fruit load that it tends to fall over or blow over easily. I can keep it well-watered in a 5-gallon and have grown it in a 3-gallon but had more trouble keeping it well-watered in that container.

I think Bush Early Girl has been the most heavily-producing tomato plant I've ever seen as it literally (when grown in the ground) had more fruit than flowers. During a good year, it will reach about 18" in height and will have so many tomatoes you almost can't see the leaves. I have to cage it with a short cage because even though it is short, it gets heavy. The only other tomato plants that come close in terms of heavy fruit load for me are Super Boy, Fourth of July and Martino's Roma.

Dawn

Well, I forgot about my first three plants put in large pots so the cold got them a few nights ago. Maybe a blessing in disguise since I will probably use bigger pots with their replacements.

Scott,

I've done that before too. I've carried in flats and flats of small babies in spring only to forget older big 'uns in larger pots. One year I had pots and pots of containers for fall and winter tomatoes and forgot to carry them in on an abnormally cold Sept. or Oct. night and that was the end of my winter tomato plan. It happens.

Dawn

Dawn and Scott glad to know I have company doing such things. I'm in good company. Another reason I used to convince myself I really needed a greenhouse. Now I'll forget to close it up or turn the heat on. LOL. Jay