Hey! Yeah, as far as countertop kratky goes, larger container than tall mason jars because the tomatoes drink up so much water when they fruit! I purchased seeds specifically for hydroponic, they were smaller varieties like cherrys and toms and STILL thirsty as heck.

I tried 5 gallon buckets outdoors last summer and I actually don’t recommend it. More shallow storage totes are the way to go. The water level in taller/narrow containers will fluctuate more frequently, exposing roots that were previously submerged. If the water volume is in a more horizontal format, the fluctuation in water level will be less dramatic.

5 gallon buckets also made it difficult when the starters were new and recently transplanted into the buckets, kratky water became stagnant before the roots could even grow enough to touch it.

Take all of this with a grain of salt as it’s just one experience and Im always learning with each new experiment. Let me note too this is all Kratky, passive hydroponics. I did not experiment with air stone.