Tomatoes in a bucket

When the tomatoes turn red our summer becomes a bit more purposeful:

proof our gardening abilities are boastful

and 

the additional freshness to our food is pretty damn amazing.

we grow our tomatoes in buckets to excellent success:

this method allows us to amend to the soil more exactly,

keep the tomato soil more isolated from pests,

allow for earlier plantings,

and creates different layers of growth so we can plant companion vegetables between the tomato plants.

we have a quantity of buckets half buried in the garden and another quantity that are sitting on pavement in unoccupied spots of the back landing.

the only other note is that we do leave room for mulch on the top and a few inches below the rim. this way i can have the boys water them with the hose till the mulch floats to the rim and then stop. that amount of water seems to work well for us.

we grow a number of varieties for different recipes. these cherry tomatoes are just for us to eat on the spot while we garden. the key is to plant enough that the oldest boy doesn't eat them all before my me.