GoBoldlyHomestead said:I'll be using a 50/50 mixture of potting soil and cow manure/compost in my bucket containers. Also mixing in some egg shells I've been saving.
That sounds like a very rich, water-retaining mix. You might consider adding some coarse material like coarse Perlite or bark nuggets to open it up a little and let more air diffuse in. Say, chunks around 0.1 inch or 0.2 inch (around 1/8" or a little smaller, up to smaller than 1/4")
With big, thirsty, hungry plants like tomatoes, it IS a difficult trade-off between getting enough aeration to keep roots from rotting, and retaining enough water that you don't need to water 2-3 times per day.
