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Post by crashdive123 on Apr 21, 2013 7:20:42 GMT -7
I do mostly container gardening. Last year I experimented with some smaller containers and while the product was great, the quantity was not what I was used to. Here is the new batch of containers and how to make them.
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Post by olebama on Apr 21, 2013 12:20:57 GMT -7
Thanks for posting this. I have been wanting to make some of these. I am planning on using 55 gallon drum, cut about in half. But I couldn't remember what people were using for the "wick". I don't know if I will get any made this year, but I will have my parts ready at least for next year.
Do you have trouble with the soil getting into the water "tank" area (falling through the holes)? Do you think I should use some landscaping fabric over the holes?
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Post by dtucker on Apr 21, 2013 12:44:03 GMT -7
Thanks for showing how to do this. I have never heard of earth box. When I used containers I just got 5 gallon buckets and drilled about 10-12 holes in the bottom and placed some gravel in it then the potting soil on top. This is a very neat set up. I might try this as well as the regular garden.
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Post by thywar on Apr 21, 2013 12:48:43 GMT -7
What a great idea.. thanks for posting
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Post by solargeek1 on Apr 22, 2013 8:10:57 GMT -7
Crash, excellent vid but a few questions. 1. why wouldn't you plant the tomatoes in opposing corners to give them more room rather than side by side? 2. what types tomatoes- can we grow the tall "little yellow pears" that get to be over 5'tall? and also Big Boys? or does the size of the container limit which tomato types can be grown? 3. Since we don't have extra 10 gallons to cut down, can you link your old video with using just the 18 gallon tubs? Thanks again!!!
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Post by crashdive123 on Apr 22, 2013 15:39:48 GMT -7
Crash, excellent vid but a few questions. 1. why wouldn't you plant the tomatoes in opposing corners to give them more room rather than side by side? 2. what types tomatoes- can we grow the tall "little yellow pears" that get to be over 5'tall? and also Big Boys? or does the size of the container limit which tomato types can be grown? 3. Since we don't have extra 10 gallons to cut down, can you link your old video with using just the 18 gallon tubs? Thanks again!!! 1. I always follow the planting guide on the Earthbox website and have never had a problem. earthbox.com/earthbox-planting-guide2. Any type of tomato that you desire. I've had some plants get to about eight feet. You just have to make sure your "support system" is big enough. I made some quick wooden frames for mine. 3. For the inside - I'd go with the cheapest 10 gallon containers you can find. I think I paid about three bucks for the Sterelite (sp?) from Walmart. I don't have any pictures of the old build that I did, but here are a few pics of the finished work. Both the outside (18 gallon) and inside (10 gallon) containers were the Sterelites from Walmart. [/URL] [/URL] [/URL]
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Post by orly152 on Apr 23, 2013 8:30:05 GMT -7
Thanks for sharing....good video
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Post by lonewufcry on Apr 23, 2013 8:54:03 GMT -7
thanks for this, I live in a apartment and showed it to the manager and she said she will buy the supplies if I make them and tend to them. I am always trying to get the complex involved and this is my foot in the door. out of the 17 units over half of them think this is a great idea. Hope you dont mind that i spread this idea out.
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Post by kutkota on Apr 24, 2013 5:59:49 GMT -7
I am very excited to hear these work well. My wife recieved a prepackaged set up from a kid for christmas, she is a teacher and we are getting it all set up. Our kids love it.
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Post by crashdive123 on Jun 10, 2013 13:39:46 GMT -7
Shot a quick video today to show the progress....
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Post by ColcordMama on Jun 10, 2013 13:58:59 GMT -7
There are two types of tomatoes, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate tomato plants grow only so tall, then produce a large crop and stop and die. Those are the tomatoes you want to grow if you plan to use lots of tomatoes all at once, like for canning. Indeterminate tomatoes keep on growing and growing and growing, producing tomatoes continuously all through the season (until killed by frost, I guess). Indeterminates need to be staked or caged. Also, don't forget that if you grow a hybrid tomato, you can't save the seeds for next year. Well yeah you can, but the plants those seeds produce won't be the same plant as the first one. The hybrid characteristics will be missing. A non-hybridized tomato, also called "heirloom" sometimes, has seeds that will reliably reproduce the mother plant time and time and time again down through generations, but won't have the desirable characteristics of a hybridized plant, such as larger fruit, disease resistance, whatever. Another factor to keep in mind is summer temperatures. Here in the Phoenix Arizona area, it gets so hot in the summer that the heat kills tomato pollen, and the only way to grow tomatoes is to grow them inside and hand pollinate them (unless one happens to have a lot of pollinating insects living inside the house!) to produce the fruits. P.S. Fun fact: the heirloom tomato variety called Mister Stripey tastes like pumpkin and has green and yellow stripes.
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Post by crashdive123 on Jun 10, 2013 16:58:04 GMT -7
All of the tomatoes this year are Heirlooms.
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Post by ColcordMama on Jun 10, 2013 17:31:46 GMT -7
Wonderful! What varieties are they, Crash? Do you have any favorites?
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Post by crashdive123 on Jun 10, 2013 18:29:07 GMT -7
I'll get the list tomorrow. These are all a first try for us from a nursery that we started using when our "regular" one shut down. Hoping to get a lot of seed for future planting.
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