Had my balcony tomatoes fail for 4 years before a neighbor pointed out my pots had no drainage holes
I was watering them the same as everyone else but the roots were just sitting in water the whole time, has anyone else missed something that obvious for way too long?
Oh man I used to think drainage holes were just something for fancy planters and that my regular pots would be fine. I honestly thought the water would just evaporate or something. But then I started noticing my plants always looked sad and droopy no matter what I did. Turned out I was basically drowning them slowly for months before I realized the water was just sitting at the bottom like a bathtub. Now I drill holes in everything and it's made a huge difference in how my plants actually grow instead of just surviving.
Read somewhere that a guy drilled holes in his brand new ceramic pots with a diamond bit and cracked three before getting it right. Sounds like your neighbor saved you from a similar headache. Bet your tomatoes are thriving now that they can actually breathe.